Simplifying Life

I am learning more about myself being a wife and a mother of three. So many times in my life, I have said "yes," even though on the inside I wanted to say "no." I am by nature a pleaser. I want people to feel comfortable and happy, so sometimes I have a hard time saying "no" when I need to. Which (only sort of) worked for me when I was single. It doesn't work well for me now. There is so much to keep me busy at home with my family that I could feel stretched thin just taking care of things here. In fact, some days I do!

The truth is, I have been longing for a simpler life lately. Stick me in the middle of the country with a little homestead where I can entertain friends and family in my home on a regular basis, and I'd be a happy girl. So, realizing how tired I've been feeling, it's no wonder when I look at my life that I need to make some changes. Here's where it gets difficult.

You see, I love the Lord. I love people. But I don't enjoy packing the kids around. My typical week is full of getting in and out of the car numerous times. Now that Dorothy is in school, I am getting the little ones in and out of the car 4 times a day. It's a fight, and physically tiring, being that William is no small baby at 27 pounds ;-). Tuesday morning is in and out of the car again for Bible study. Tuesday evening is in and out of the car again for small group. I've really enjoyed getting to know people in group, but it's meltdown city when we get home with the kids and put them down an hour and a half past their bed time. Wednesday evening Dorothy has kids' club at church and we have parenting class. By the time we get the kids home, it's already 2 hours past bed time. Dorothy doesn't cope well with 2 late nights and getting up for school. Every other Wednesday morning I volunteer for gleaner's as well as shopping every Wednesday afternoon. Throw in well-child exams, random Dr. Appointments, WIC appointments, and life gets crazy fast. Even without any "me" time.

I'm tired and something needs to give. Not to mention the fact that William still doesn't sleep through the night. And my kids (who get frequent colds from all the places we go) refuse to give in and sleep when they get sniffles. Every cold turns into many sleepless nights in a row for mommy, such that I dread the next cycle of colds.

You see, most of the things we're doing are good things. I know we need to cut back, but I don't know what I need to cut. I long for simplicity. To just be at home and keep things running. To learn to love God as a family. To keep a welcoming home to whoever might come to visit with their kids. To live without all the to and fro.

So, friends and readers, I have some questions.
What are your challenges? How have you simplified your own life? Do you even feel like you need to simplify? How do you balance fellowship with other believers and home life?

So, that's where I'm at right now. Praying for some wisdom. And God will give it if I listen. The new year is always a good time to sit down and think about what changes we can make in our lives. And that's what I'm wanting to do.

Boosting Immunity with Homemade Elderberry Syrup

I'm always looking for ways to combat the onslaught of colds during the fall and winter. I've recently learned about elderberries and how amazing they are for you. However, the store-bought elderberry syrup is really spendy, so I decided to make my own. We've been taking it daily for a couple of months now, along with multivitamins, omega-3's, vitamin d, and probiotics. I can't say we've not been sick at all, but the kids seem to bounce back more quickly than before, and we even had an entire month of the kids being healthy. That's now come to an end, so we're upping their dose of elderberry syrup.

Homemade Elderberry Syrup
1 cup dried elderberries (mountain rose herbs has a great price on them)
1/4-1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4-1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
4 cups water
1 1/2-2 cups honey (raw is best, but certainly any honey is better than sugar)

Simmer all ingredients except honey in a saucepan until liquid is reduced by half. Put a large bowl under a strainer, then pour mixture through and press out as much liquid as you can. Add honey to mixture and stir well. Pour into quart-sized mason jar. Store in the fridge for up to a year. Daily maintenance dose is 1 tsp 1-2 times a day for kids and 1 tbsp 1-2 times a day for adults. It is especially known for kicking influenza really fast. If you feel something coming on, you can take a dose every few hours throughout the day.

Our Summer

It's been a whirlwind couple of months. Between buying the house, packing, moving, unpacking, kitchen construction, gardening, church, and family, it's been hard to keep up with even the normal chore routine... let alone doing anything extra. But, I think things are (sort of) calming down now. We celebrated William's first birthday in August. Dorothy's birthday was just a couple of days ago. She just turned 5 and we decided to put her into a Kindergarten program at one of our neighborhood churches, as they were fine with her birthday being a bit past the cutoff. Today was her first day and since her birthday was recently, they celebrated it today. Her first day of school and she got to wear a crown all day! Here she is in her crown, her Dora backpack, and her princess shoes. My little girl is growing up.

Speaking of growing up, sweet Charlotte is potty training now. She just decided one day last week that she wanted panties, and that was that! Of course, when she wants something "just so", she tends to do it herself....

Checking in!

My plan is to get back on a regular blogging schedule after next weekend. We're still getting settled in the house and we're loving it. Our neighbors are really nice, plus two of them have girls Dorothy's age. She's happy as a clam playing with them. Speaking of Dorothy, she's turning 5 next week! She missed the cutoff for public school Kindergarten, but I may try out the home school thing this year, anyhow. We'll do some pre-K/K stuff and see how she does.

By the way, plum jam is awesome! I'll be sure to share with you all about it when I get back to writing more next week.

Gratituesday

Today (and every day) I am so thankful for my kids. With all that we had to go through to get them here safely, they are such a miracle.

I am also grateful for my garden, for Gleaner's, and for David's job, through which God gives us all that we need. Here is yesterday's garden harvest!

And I am always thankful for good food. Yum!

This post has been linked to Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers. What are you thankful for today?

Many Blessings

We really have so much to be thankful for. We may not be rich by earthly standards, but we always have more than we need. One thing I am so very grateful for is our gleaning program, Birch Community Services. Because of this wonderful program, we have been able to pay off some of our debt, learn to budget more effectively, and feed our family much more abundantly. Thanks to Gleaner's and the affordable bulk section at Winco, we always have a fully-stocked fridge, freezer, and baking cupboard. As such, we can extend hospitality to our friends and family on a regular basis. We've always got family and friends stopping by for a snack or a meal.

Like a barbecue, spaghetti, stir fry....

banana muffins...

coffee cake...

and smiles:

I am so blessed to be in this wonderful rental home, where I can finally garden for the first time. I feel so at home here, and so ready to welcome those I love. Even if my house isn't always clean, it's always open. And the thing I am most thankful for? The people in my life that make it so rich! You're all I could ask for and more, and you love me just the way I am no matter what. Thanks for being a part of our lives.

Project Overload!

The past few days have been ultra-busy with all sorts of projects and outings.

Thursday we headed out for a play-date with a good friend. And Charlotte drew on the table with a sharpie... what an artist!


Friday we went to OMSI (our local science museum) with my dad. We had a picnic on the grass and then the girls enjoyed playing in the children's area. They have a big sand box with lots of toys, a woodland animal dress-up area with logs, trees, tunnels, and costumes, a wooden block play area, buckets with pulleys that are filled with beanbags... and more. They had a blast.

Saturday we did some work around the house, some grocery shopping, and in the evening we fired up our new charcoal grill and made burgers for ourselves, my parents, and David's brother.

Sunday we had church, then Dorothy went to a Mary Kay party and then to Home Depot to scope out some wood for our planter boxes. We had a nice mommy-daughter date :).

Yesterday I made some cookies and took them over to my friend who is about to have a baby. We've been friends for as long as I can remember, and she'll be my first client as a Doula-in-training! My doula bag is all packed and ready to go.

We also made some puppets yesterday morning! Are you ever frustrated with all the kids' stuffed animals and how much space they take up? Well, simply cut a hole in the behind of the animal and pull out the stuffing (the kids LOVE helping with that part).

The animal will look rather flat...

But it will be perfect for little imaginations and some really fun puppet shows. We made about 8 puppets yesterday and the kids were thrilled.

When we got home yesterday, David ran over to Home Depot to get our raised garden bed supplies. We're in a rental, so we didn't drop the money for the cedar, which would have been about 3 times the cost. We just got some untreated 2 x 8's cut up... enough to make 6 beds that are about 3 ft. by 5 ft. Along with the screws, it was maybe $60 tops, which I think is pretty good for 6 large beds! We put them together last night after the kids were asleep. Today I'll be digging out the area where they'll be resting as well as transplanting most of the veggies that are currently in pots. I'll get pics as soon as it's all set up! We're also going to be planting pumpkin, corn, strawberries, basil, and mint in addition to what we've got already.

As for this morning, I'm working on cleaning the house and getting our roast in the crockpot for tonight.

If I'm lucky, I'll sneak in a 5-minute shower. Happy Tuesday!

Oh, May.... Oh, My!

(Photo Credit)
Spring seems to be our rough time of year for illness, that's for sure. We haven't been healthy since a few days before Easter. I suppose I should be thankful since our last rough patch with illness was way back in November. We've had sniffles, coughs, teething (even our 4-year-old is getting her 6-year molars), cold/flu bugs, and on Friday night I came down with a stomach bug that knocked me down all weekend. I'm still recovering, so I don't feel too guilty for the lack of blogging, piles of laundry, and all-day movie marathons. I'm definitely in mommy survival mode. Luckily for me, I don't get bugs like that very often and so far nobody else has gotten it. I'm sure hoping it stays that way!

I was planning on taking pictures of my garden, which is doing really well, but I think I'll wait a couple of days until my energy has fully returned. In the meantime, we'll be taking it easy. So, here's hoping that the second half of May is much happier and healthier than the first half.

On the Road Again...

(Photo Credit)
William and I are getting away again! This time, we're heading up to the Seattle area to visit with some dear friends of mine that helped me through a rough patch in my life. About a year before I met David, I spent 6 months at The Father's Ranch. It was an amazing experience and I wouldn't trade it for anything. This weekend, they'll be in Seattle filming a promo DVD in which they're interviewing previous students. I'll be giving a brief testimony of how my life has changed and what God has done for me. I'm praying that I'll have the right words!

Speaking of William, the boy is crawling now. It's more of a scoot, but he's definitely getting around the house these days. *sniff* My baby is growing up so fast! He'll be 9 months on the 11th. I love my "Bubba" so much.

Have a great weekend!

Playing the Catch-Up Game

(Photo Credit)
You know, the one where you've been sick for a week and the laundry and dishes (and kids) are out of control? Yeah. That one. I spent the better part of last week in bed or on the couch. I've still got a terrible cough and somewhat of a sore throat/congestion, but the body aches, headache, and lightheaded feeling are gone. Phew. And aren't those things supposed to go around in the winter?! So far all the kids have gotten it as well. Dorothy first, then William and I, now Charlotte. The kids have all been well enough to play and run around like normal, which is always nice. They didn't seem to get hit as hard. I'm just hoping Daddy stays well so that William and I can go to Seattle this weekend. I'll be driving up to see some friends I haven't seen in a long time, so I'm really looking forward to the trip. Just me and my boy!

So today is catching up on things around the house... I literally have a mountain of laundry in my bedroom to fold. There's also a load waiting to go into the dryer with our bed sheets. I always like to wash all the bedding as we start to get better, so the kids' sheets and blankets will get washed, too. Add to that 2 loads of diapers to fold and I'll probably be folding laundry all night.

This morning I got the kitchen under control. It still needs to be swept, but the counters are cleaned and all the dishes are washed, put away, or in the dishwasher. I'll be grocery shopping this afternoon and throwing together a quick dinner when I get home from Gleaner's and the store. Lately I've been working on our food storage, which is mostly in the garage. I'll post some photos pretty soon to show you what I've done.

In spite of still feeling a bit under the weather, we did make it to church yesterday. I'm really glad we did because they were having a plant sale in the parking lot. I ended up with 4 broccoli plants, 4 cauliflower plants, some rosemary, a green pepper (one of mine had a mishap off of the windowsill), and some parsley. Since it was sunny outside, I thought the vitamin D would do me some good. I went out and got my hands dirty and soaked in some rays! I also transplanted a small potted rose plant my mom brought over for Easter. It was starting to wilt, so I'm hoping it does better in the ground outdoors.

Easter Weekend

Dying eggs.

Easter egg hunt.

Sweet babies in their Sunday best.

Easter baskets.

Ham dinner.

Bunny cake.

Hope you had a fabulous weekend!

Hooray!

(Photo Credit)
Today is Good Friday. We're having a church service tonight, and I'll be singing on the worship team for that. For me, there is practically nothing I love to do more than sing. But more than anything, today I am praising the Lord for His willingness to die for me. I am so thankful for Him in my life.

Tomorrow morning we'll dress the girls up and take them to an Easter egg hunt at the church. This will be their first egg hunt, so I'm excited to see their little faces. We'll also try do dye some eggs tomorrow afternoon at home.

Something else to "hooray" about is that we got our federal tax return. As a result, in the last week we have:

1) Paid off the credit card
2) Paid off the car loan
3) Put $700 into savings toward an emergency fund

Now if we can keep the debt snowball going, we should have both of our school loans paid off in about 2 years. If I begin working as a doula, it could get done much faster than that. What a great feeling!

Something About Breakfast

For me, there's just something about a nice breakfast. It's comforting and puts me in a good frame of mind for the day. The girls love breakfast foods, too, and there's nothing better than breakfast for dinner.

Friday morning we had waffles with oranges.

Saturday we went all out and had a ham, spinach, egg, cheese, and tomato scramble with mashed potato pancakes.

After our wonderful breakfast, I went to worship practice at church and then headed out with a friend to get manicures and pedicures at a local beauty school. They're much more affordable that way and I was pleased with the results. My nails have held up quite well, even after working in the garden yesterday afternoon (I'll be posting more about my efforts later this week).

It was really nice having a quiet break after a long week with my crazy, energetic kiddos.

My movie star...

my dancer...

and my solo artist!

The Lord Provides

It's amazing to see how our needs are met in spite of having a limited budget. In our effort to pay off debt and live within our means, we cut out our clothing and diaper budget. Well, God provides more than we need! When I was pregnant with Charlotte, I got to know a wonderful group of ladies on an online cloth diapering forum. We were all due in January 2009, and we chatted throughout our pregnancies.We connected with each other so well that we've kept in touch almost daily ever since. We do gift exchanges each Christmas and often send diapers and clothing to each other when we're done using them. Well, today we got a giant box of clothing in the mail from one of these sweet, generous friends.

Dorothy was ecstatic...

She found and tried on her new tutu right away.

Charlotte helped to unload everything, too, dancing around in excitement.

First, we pulled out an entire stash of medium and large all-in-ones that will work well for both Charlotte and William.

Next, we found everything William could wear for 18-24 months, including jammies, pants, shirts, hoodies, swim trunks, socks, shorts, and hats.

Last but not least, Dorothy got a 5T wardrobe as well, including jammies, shirt & legging sets, a couple of dresses with leggings, and some hoodies. As she pulled out the ballerina jammies, she said, "oh, mommy, wow! I wished for these!"

So, although we're not rich, we are richly blessed. I'm so thankful for God's provision, but even more thankful for the friendships I have been given... a group of women that are in the same walk of life who I can be real with on my worst days without fear of rejection. What more could I ask for? And we are more than happy to pass along our things to those who would be blessed by them, too. In fact, our newborn diapers are going out to a couple of these lovely ladies this week. We joke about the "traveling pants" that one of our group members knitted for William that are now being passed along to each new baby boy. But it's really traveling pants... diapers... shirts... dresses...

Thanks for everything!

Is it Wednesday already?

This week is already flying by! My uncle has been in town from the east coast since Friday afternoon. We celebrated his birthday and my Grandma's 80th birthday on Saturday afternoon as a family. On Sunday I subbed for someone on worship team and the worship, communion, and sermon were just what I needed. Monday we spent the day at my parents' house to visit some more with my uncle. By Monday evening I was pretty sure I was getting mastitis. Yesterday morning I went in to get some antibiotics and painkillers, so David stayed home from work to help out with the kids. It's been a busy few days. This weekend will be busy, too, since William and I are headed up to Washington for a women's retreat with a church I have attended on and off since my early 20's. I'm looking forward to a good time with some dear friends, as well as a time of prayer and reflection that is hard to come by as a mother of small children.

Today we'll just spend a laid back day so I can rest a bit more. We'll probably head over to my sister-in-law's house so the kids can spend some much-needed time playing with their cousins while I get some girl time in. Maybe I'll throw together some chili for the crockpot before we go. Chili and cornbread is great comfort food!

Big huggies and a brownie recipe!

"Huggies, Mommy," said Dorothy and Charlotte with outstretched arms.

My sweet, cuddly girls settling down before bed. As much as they fight, they certainly love each other very much.

"Wait, Mommy, Teddy wants to be in the picture, too!"

Of course, brother William can't be left out, either. Dorothy covered his exersaucer with blankets and exclaimed, "It's so nice and warm for him. He likes it, cuz that's what babies want!"

As for the promised brownie recipe, I found this one at Food.com. I altered it a bit to suit my taste, and it is my new favorite. Here's how I make them:

Chewy Brownies
12 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
4 Tbsp vegetable oil (you could also use coconut oil or shortening)
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar (I use 1/2 white and 1/2 raw in mine)
1/2 tsp salt
4 lg eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour (I use 1/2 white and 1/2 whole wheat)
1/2-3/4 cup chocolate chips

1 In a saucepan over low heat, stir and melt the unsweetened cocoa powder, vegetable oil, and butter. Let cool.
2 In a mixing bowl, beat the 4 eggs until light and frothy, add the salt and sugar; beat well.
3 Fold the melted chocolate and butter into the egg mixture. Stir in the vanilla.
4 Add the flour and chocolate chips.
5 Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350° in a greased 9x13 inch pan (my pan is smaller, maybe 8 x 12 or so. A smaller pan makes for thicker, chewier brownies).
6 When cool, you may frost with chocolate frosting (I like cream cheese frosting-or just skip the frosting and eat them warm and gooey with a glass of milk. Perfection!).

Enjoy!!