Final Blog of 2012

With 2012 coming to a close, the world will hold its breathe with anticipation and cheer as the clock strikes twelve.  New Years Eve is traditionally a time for celebration, reflection, renewal and change.  We get to look beyond, probe deep, and understand what lies at the heart of what matters to us.

As the year ends, this time is an opportunity to abandon everything that was less than perfect and start fresh.  I'm NOT talking about setting a bunch of New Year Resolutions that you will not be able to keep.  That's been tried, tested and proven to be lacking.  I've never been able to keep one longer than 3 weeks anyway. 

There's something about a New Year, a new beginning, and a fresh start that encourages us to make a change for the New Year.  It's a powerful feeling to know you have another fresh year ahead of you and you can choose what you do with it and reflect on where you want to go next.

2012 has been rough for me spiritually, emotionally and physically so in the final hours of the year, a few thoughts have occurred to me as an appropriate means to close out this year and start fresh with the next, especially since I will begin an extensive Daniel's fast tomorrow.

1. Throw out the bad feelings, the unwanted emotions and the outdated viewpoints.  All that room for a fresh attitude will be a refreshing change and a chance to view things with a brand new attitude.

2. Take a look at priorities and daily distractions, and make sure that you spend your valuable time where you want to and where it will do the most good. 

3. Think about situations, good, bad and indifferent.  Understand desires and get in touch with basic needs.  It's time!!

4. Recognize who you are and be true to yourself.  It's imperative!!

I hope everyone has a blessed and prosperous new year!

DIY Laundry Detergent

It has taken me a few months of reading blog after blog, seeing pin after pin and reading comment after comment before I finally decided to jump on the band wagon and make my own laundry detergent.  I am very particular (OCD) about laundry detergent.  It has to smell good and get dirty clothes (from teenage boys) clean!  I read multiple blogs and recipes until I decided on one I would use.  

Here are all the ingredients I purchased.......all for about $35......and this recipe should last us around 9-12 months, which makes me very happy!  Now I won't be spending $10-12 every 3-4 weeks on laundry detergent.

1 box of Borax (4 lb 12 oz)

1 box of Pure Baking Soda (4 lb)

1 box of Super Washing Soda (3 lb 7 oz)

2 bars of Fels-Naptha (you can also use Zote Soap but I got my ingredients at Walmart and they don't carry Zote Soap)

1 bottle of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener (55 oz - this is purely optional but like I said  I like my laundry to smell good and I hang dry a lot of our clothes)

1 container of Oxi Clean (3 lb - this is also purely optional but I used it because our clothes have to be clean)

1 container to mix and store all the ingredients

If you opt to not use the Purex Crystals and Oxi Clean, it will obviously lower the cost of ingredients.  If you have coupons, which I didn't, that will also lower the cost.

Now, before you mix everything together you have to grate the soap.  This took me about 30 minutes and definitely built some muscles grating!  

Once the soap is all grated you can start layering all the ingredients in a large container.  I poured a little bit of each, then stirred and repeated until it was all mixed together.  Then I put some in the Purex container to use since the cap is just the right measurement we need to do one load of laundry.

I just got finished with 2 loads of laundry and have to say that I will never buy laundry detergent again!  Now I need to find a good recipe for homemade body wash.  LOL

Christmas Day

Sad looking tree but that's what happens when you are so busy and don't have a chance to put it up until a week and half before Christmas.

Believe it or not, I had to wake Joshua up because at 9 a.m. he was still sleeping.  LOL

P-nut was not about to wait and decided he was taking his Christmas presents! 

Hump Day Humor

A little hump day humor!  

Failed Attempt But Still Yummy

Sooooo......my daughter decided she wanted to make a gingerbread house so she bought the following kit.  Piece of cake, right?  LOL

When she opened the box, the house was already broken.  They don't do a very good job at packaging those things.  In my opinion, they need a better QA process.  LOL 

She made the frosting anyway and we tried to put it back together.

This was the end result!  The roof would not stay up but it was still good to eat. 

J

 

Just Because

I had a rough and emotional day today. When I got home tonight, these flowers were waiting for me. My daughter had bought them when she got off work. I am truly thankful for a daughter who is sensitive to the needs of others.

Snowman Poop

I had the day off today and this is what I did with a few hours of my time.  The kids had a youth Christmas party tonight so I decided to make a small gift for all of the kids in attendance.

Here are all of the supplies I had, bought or printed for the gifts (well, not the coffee cup LOL).

Made a little progress.....the poem is glued on the inside of what will be the cover.

This is the poem.

All of the packages of tic-tacs have been glued on the inside covers.

All of the stickers have been added to the front cover and the ribbon glued to the back.

Making progress tying all the ribbon to close the covers.

All of the ribbons have been tied......all 56 of them!  

My daughter sent me a text a little while ago and said everyone thought they were cute and funny!

Another Pinterest success! Woo hoo!!!

Workplace

It's been a rough day all around.  Fifteen co-workers were let go today.  It's always rough to lose a job but even worse when it happens around the holidays.  When things like this happen it definitely changes the ambiance of the office and gets all the busy bodies going.  It's sad but true.  I lost my train of thought a few times today and every time kept telling myself that now might be the time to brush up on workplace etiquette.  This way I will learn from others mistakes and won't fall prey to the office politics and damage my professional reputation or worse, cost me my job.

Here are a few do's and don'ts that we all should follow:

1. Think before you speak because while your close friends might "get" your dry sense of humor you need to keep your personality quirks in check.

2. Be a team player since no one wants to shoulder a bigger workload because you are dodging your responsibilities for one reason or another, coming  in late or leaving early every day.

3. Respect a closed door because while someone might not look busy when you peek in the door was shut for a reason.....so stay out.

4. Skip the childish pranks because any joke made at your co-workers expense probably isn't all that funny.

5. Take a breath before you hit "Send" because once you do your words are now company property.

6. Keep your personal matters and opinions at home.

7. Consider your co-workers when you pack your lunch because no one wants to suffer through your smelly meal.

8. Watch your language even if you aren't at your desk because anything you do during the day (even on break) is a reflection of you professionally.

9. If problems arise you should handle them privately.

10. Respect company property by not stealing or taking care of personal business all day long.

Money

Why are people still under the impression that money will solve all their problems?  "If I only had more money or a better paying job, blah, blah blah."  You hear it all the time.  Most of the time money creates more problems with more wants and things people think they cannot live without, and ultimately more debt.  There is no way in the world the best job offer or a lot of money will bring me what I really want right now.  I have learned what is important and what isn't.  There is no amount of money that could even remotely come close to replacing what is in my life or what I desire.  None.  

Money and prestige can only get you so far before the value of who you are and what you have to offer the world takes over.  Money cannot buy people or solid relationships with those people either.  I once heard someone say they wanted to die with millions in their bank account.  Why?  You certainly can't take it with you.  People should be more concerned with the impact they leave on the world, people they come into contact with daily and being an overall good quality and kind person rather than how many zeros they leave to National City Bank.  That just irritates me.

Monday Motivation

Holiday Season

Now that the holiday season is officially upon us, I hope we all do our part to make a difference in the lives of others.  Not with the "gimme this", "gimme that", I want this", I want that" mentality.  We need to decrease the materialism in our kids and reinforce the real reason for the season.  Don't get me wrong; I spoil my kids at Christmas and anyone who knows me or has been to my house during the holidays can attest to that.  However, my kids have also been taught from the day they were born the true meaning of Christmas.  It's not the actual gift that matters but what's behind it that's important..........the spirit of giving. 

The holidays are a special time and we should appreciate what we are given because a lot of love and thought is put into it.  Give from your heart; a smile or a hug can be someone's greatest gift.  There are so many ways to spread happiness; just follow your heart and I bet it will be the best holiday ever.

A lot of times we focus on the negatives in our lives.  I've been there myself.  Christmas is the best reason to think positive and not allow the small things to get us down.  It should be a time to enjoy those around us and to take a step back and be thankful for what we do have. 

My wish is that all of you have a happy, healthy and safe holiday season!

Worse Feeling As A Mother

There is no worse feeling in the world than being a mother who is 600+ miles away from home and your son hurts himself at basketball practice and is taken to the ER for X-rays.  Thankfully, he didn't break anything but does have a muscle contusion, which is still painful.  No sports for at least a week now.

Three Reasons To Be Jolly

 

I hate winter but I love this time of year because my favorite place has my favorite drinks! Starbucks!  It's everyone's favorite, right???

 

 

There's something magical when Peppermint Mocha, Caramel Brulée Latte and Gingerbread Latte put on their finest red cups.

Food For Thought

When you know good things are coming, you wait with excitement, anticipation, and a light heart.

When you expect good things to come your way somehow every dark cloud is a little brighter, every bump a little smoother, every obstacle a little bit less significant.

When you embrace gratitude every day for each step you have taken toward the good things that await you the journey becomes just as enjoyable as the destination.

For The Chicken Eater

Well, tomorrow is the grand opening of the new Chick-fil-A here.  It is currently in the food court at the mall but they just built a new restaurant outside the mall.  The first 100 people in the door get FREE Chick-fil-A for a whole year.  Guess these peeps are serious about their Chick-fil-A.  Oh, and I should mention that if my 16 year old daughter didn't have school tomorrow, she'd be right out there with them.  LOL

Black Friday Shopping

Caitlin and I got to the mall at 11:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving night because the mall opened at midnight and Hollister was having a huge sale that I absolutely couldn't miss.  I did pre Black Friday shopping online at Aeropostale because they had 50% off, free shipping over $75 plus a free $25 gift card if you spent $100.  With 3 teenagers, that is not hard to do.  LOL

We, of course, got our Starbucks first!  We shopped til 5:00 a.m., went home for a nap and were back out shopping by 10:30 a.m.  Gotta love the great deals I got though. The Limited was having 50% off and I had $20 off coupons (thanks to my sons girlfriend who works there)!  Therefore, I practically got a few things for less than nothing.  Hollister had everything 50% off and Build-A-Bear had $5 flurry friends.  Lots of other deals too.

This was the crowd waiting outside Hollister and Victoria's Secret.  They both opened at midnight but Hollister wouldn't let us in until around 12:20 a.m. and said it was for our safety because of the sheer number of people and they couldn't get everyone to line up separately based on the store you wanted.  

Happy Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving with my sister and her family because after 20+ yrs of a family feud it was high time the adults put the past behind us for the sake of the kids involved who have never had the opportunity to get to know each other.  Here are some of the pictures.

Giving Thanks

Well, it's almost Thanksgiving and lately I have been doing a lot of reflecting on my life and the things that I am most thankful for.  First and foremost I am thankful for a loving and forgiving God that loves me unconditionally and has made a place for me in Heaven.  Without God I would have never made it through some of the toughest times in my life.

Second, I am so thankful for four of the greatest children on earth.  They are my world.  Other than God there is no one in this world that I love more.  They are the reason that I strive to be the best mother that I can be.  I sometimes forget and have a tendency to take things in life for granted; but they remind me of how blessed I truly am.  Their smiles brighten up my world and their determination makes me proud.  I truly am grateful that I am their mother.

I am thankful for having such wonderful friends and family.  I absolutely could not make it without them.  Each one plays a very special role in my life as well as my children's lives.

Sometimes it takes hearing someone else's story, seeing a homeless person, a person with a serious illness, people that have been afflicted by natural disaster, children suffering abuse, hunger or all the bad things in the world to make a person appreciate the life that they have.  When I see all the things going on in the world today, I have to praise God for all the wonderful blessings that he has given me.  Sometimes I start feeling sorry for myself because of the struggles that I have had to face but I soon remember that I am here, alive and healthy.  I have happy children, a safe place to live, food to eat and clothes to wear and am loved by so many people.

So this Thanksgiving I am going to remember all the things that I have to be thankful for, and there are many!  I am going to pray for those who are less fortunate than me.   I will also pray that God show me how I can help others by being more compassionate and understanding.  Who knows, maybe my compassion and understanding towards someone will give them something to be thankful for too.

God bless you all!

Commitment To My Children

For as long as I live I will always be your parent first and your friend second. I will stalk you, flip out on you, lecture you, drive you insane, be your worst nightmare and hunt you down like a bloodhound when I have to all because I love you. When you understand that I will know you have become a responsible adult. You will never find anyone else in your life who loves, prays, cares & worries about you more than I do. If you don't mutter under your breathe "I hate you" at least once (and only once LOL) in your lifetime, I am not doing my job properly! I love you!

The Wall

There is no way around getting hurt in life.  Everyone knows it, deep down; they are going to get hurt at some point.  No matter what happens you will be betrayed, you will fall, you will be tripped or made to fall.  But how you deal with it depends solely on you and how well you handle pain.  Some people can just pick themselves up, brush off the dirt, and move on with barely a frown.  They can move on so easily because they know this is a part of life that sucks, but it's nothing they can't handle.  It's something they've learned to deal with; to accept.  But what about those who don't know what to do when they are betrayed?  What happens to the people who lay there in the dirt, tears rolling down their face, wondering how long they should wait until they get up?  When are they supposed to finally get up and what do they do then?

It's the first line of defense to any human being that can't handle the pain of human nature. It's called the Wall.  Sometimes a person will build this up around themselves as a test, a precaution to make sure those in their life really care enough to try and climb or tear it down.  But then there are the people who have that wall there as a barrier or a way to keep everyone out because they truly have made themselves believe they need no one nor do they want anyone.  "No one" can't hurt you, can't betray you and can’t watch you fall.  The Wall has a voice of its own, a power to brainwash the soul lost inside.  Each time someone knocks on the bricks, another layer forms, and it gets darker inside.  Eventually, the Wall is so thick with the person locked inside so consumed that your voice is all that can be heard.  The Wall has the power to consume the mind of its captive.  Sure it's safe because those locked away will never be hurt by the rest of the world but in return they will begin hurting themselves. 

Without suffering there would be no compassion.  The thing is, its human nature to cause suffering, but it is also human to suffer.  Whether it's other people who hurt you, or you who hurt yourself in place of those you've trapped yourself from, there will be pain.  There may even be blood and tears. I guess the ultimate question is which pain is worse?  The one caused by the world, by human nature, or one caused by you?  Either way you lose faith in someone, but the thing about losing faith in yourself is that you can't escape yourself.  You can run forever from people and always find someone new in another place.  But you're stuck with you.  The Wall is a figment of the mind, but it's more powerful than the thickest cement.  Once it reaches a certain dimension, once its voice hits a certain octave, is there really any way to tear it down, or shut it up?

I guess time will tell.  Only time can answer that question.  Now it becomes a matter of how patient you are at waiting.

Judgment

If you wake up every day and the only thing you can do is think about how people are brainless any time they don't do what's rational, apparent or what you feel is the right thing to do than you are being disillusioned by your own bad feelings and have serious issues.

If you are a perfectionist like I am, you have high expectations of yourself and others and more often than not put those same standards on other people.  You judge the people closest to you harshly which does nothing but put a strain on your relationships.

Judging others by their appearance will make you miss out on many good relationships, friend or otherwise.  A person's character is important, not how they look. Look for values that you agree with, not clothing or hair that is cool. Liking somebody for just outward reasons doesn't last long, because it's what's on the inside that counts. Judging someone before giving him or her a chance can ruin the opportunity to get to know him or her for what's inside. There is never a reason to judge somebody because of race, gender, size, shape, age or any other external reason.

Judging others doesn't lead to any good.  It's how rumors get started; feelings get hurt and tempers flare…….so think about what really matters in life and give people a chance.

Gumdrop Cookies

Gumdrops are something you either love or you hate.  If you love them, try this recipe.  

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups fruit flavored or spiced gumdrops
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups quick-cooking oats

1/2 cup crushed walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Cut gumdrops into small pieces; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
4. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until combined. Stir in oats, gumdrops and walnuts (if desired).
5. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place 2-inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake 9-11 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool on pan for 2 minutes, then remove to wire racks for complete cooling.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Being a Mother

Let's face it. There is nothing glamorous about mothering. With tasks like diaper changing, laundry folding, grocery shopping, errand running, lunch packing, dish washing, meal planning, homework checking, teacher conferencing, and carpool driving, we are constantly in the trenches. We wipe snotty noses, kiss teary faces, clean dirty hands, and hug away tantrums. We chase bad dreams, mark moments, and make memories. We are the historian, the nurse, the chef, the masseuse, the teacher's aide, and the therapist. Often all in the same day. We endure toddler meltdowns, adolescent anxiety, and teenage eye rolls (and I have three of them right now - see below). We are also often exhausted and unappreciated. 

But ladies, God sees us and knows our work. If we ever feel a sense of uselessness or frustration when we do the tiny tasks that make a home and grow a family, knowing all too well that they will soon be undone or need to be redone, we can find hope in the promise that out God is a God of details. The small things matter to Him. He is not simply entrusting to us the tedious task of changing a diaper or filling a lunchbox; He has entrusted to us His most precious possessions. We are raising God's children. 

When we can learn to consecrate our daily tasks, making them holy offerings to our Father in heaven, everything changes. We infuse love and meaning into each part of our day. We become more grateful and Spirit-filled. God will recognize the shift in the intention of our hearts and our family will begin to feel the love behind the little things.

Jonathon, 15 (L), Caitlin, 16 and Joshua, 15 (R)

Talk Is Cheap

I am learning more and more about the power that is housed in the fragile shell we walk and talk with daily.  Besides the spiritual ramifications and consequences, the power of what we say and when it is said is so important.  Verbalizing the things we dream about; wish for; hope to achieve, in essence gives a full body to an otherwise abstract ideal. 

We all grew up learning the little adage:  "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me!"  We now know far better.  What we say can kill, damage, and even cripple us.  Life is too precious to be stupid or to say stupid things.  I know that I have been guilty of speaking before thinking and I'm sure my literal bullets have hit a target or two.  I apologize for all that I have spoken in error, even to and about myself.  I only pray that I can incorporate a more balanced diet of positive speech and productive and edifying words.   

The flip side to all this talk is that there has to be substance to what is being said.  There is nothing more terrible than someone who "talks a good game but can't back it up."  Believe me, I have found myself in the unfortunate drivers' seat of that vehicle and it is not one that you can just easily get up from.  Once you've said something, do it.  There is nothing more aggravating than someone saying that they will do something for you and turn around and not do it.  What's more aggravating is to KNOW that the person didn't want to do it in the first place, and you still take their word for it, only to have them disappoint you. 

Our words are powerful.  Our words are life.  Stand by what you say when you say it. 

Chole

This is one of my favorite Indian recipes (curried Garbanzo beans in a mild sauce).

Ingredients

2 cans Garbanzo beans

2 large Onions, chopped finely

1 Roma Tomato

1 cup of tomato sauce

1 inch of ginger root (peeled and cut)

2-3 Cloves of garlic (peeled and cut)

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp chili powder

3 tsp coriander powder

2 tsp chana masala

1 tsp mango powder

Salt to taste

3 tablespoons of Oil

  

Preparation

Drain the water from the cans of garbanzo beans. Wash the beans in water.  Blend 1 tomato, garlic and ginger in a blender to make a smooth puree.  Chop the onions.  

Heat the Oil in a deep pan.  Add Onion. Stir til onion is transparent in color.  Add tomato puree, which was prepared with the garlic and ginger.  Add tomato sauce, turmeric, chili, coriander powder and salt.  Cover and let simmer for 7-10 minutes till you see oil in the gravy, stirring in between.  Add garbanzo beans and remaining spices – (chana masala, mango powder). Add a little water if required to have a desired consistency. Cover the pan and let it simmer for 5 minutes.  Serve over rice (I prefer Basmati rice….but you can use any kind of rice)

Beef Cabbage Bake

If you like stuffed cabbage, you will love this recipe.

¾ lb ground beef

½ cup uncooked brown rice                                       

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 1/3 cups boiling water                                                               

4 cups finely shredded cabbage

Salt

Black pepper

1 medium onion, chopped                                          

½ tsp seasoned salt

1 Tbsp butter or margarine                                         

1 jar (16 oz) mild herb-style Italian spaghetti sauce

Cook rice in boiling water seasoned with salt for 25 minutes or until rice is tender.  Drain if necessary.  In a medium skillet, sauté the onion in butter until tender.   Add beef and cook, breaking up with fork until meat loses its red color.  Stir in Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper.  Add rice and mix well.   Layer half the cabbage in a 2-quart buttered casserole.  Add beef mixture and press down.  Add remaining cabbage.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and black pepper.  Press down.  Pour sauce over the top.  Cover and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

The Joy of Technology

Oh Snap!

A teacher asks her class if Ohio State is their favorite football team.  The whole class says "yes" except for Little Jimmy.  "What's your favorite team, Jimmy?"  Jimmy says "U of M".  The teacher asks "Well, why is that?"  Jimmy says "Well, my dad is a U of M fan, my mom is a U of M fan so I guess that makes me a U of M fan."  The angry teacher says "If your dad was a moron and your mom was an idiot, what would that make you?"  So Little Jimmy says "Well, that would make me an Ohio State fan."