5K

Today my friend and I ran the 5K! We did it! I am so proud of us! 

It was a ton of fun. Dye thrown everywhere, everyone excited, the weather was perfect and cool. We accomplished our goal and did it! 

This is after the race. We didn't die!

We both went home and ate junk food. I made brownies and she gorged on ice cream. woohoo! We are kindred spirits. haha!

I still can't believe we did it!  

RUN

In high school I joined the soccer team and the only thing I was really good at was running, chasing people who had the ball, and blocking. My ball handling skills were sub-par and I always messed up big time if I went to shoot. So I played mid-fielder, also known as the run back and forth the entire game, position.

I also joined the cross country team to better my running skills for soccer. I was in phenomenal shape.

Oddly though, I despised running! During cross country practice at 6am before school started, I would be running down the sidewalk and think to myself... "If you just roll your ankle off of the curb and twist it, then you won't have to run anymore. Do it Jennifer, do it!"

I never did, but I always wanted to. I hated getting up early. I hated racing. I hated the pressure. But I did it. After high school I decided I never wanted to run again.

And I really, never ran much. In college there was not time to workout. I studied too much.

We worked out a little after college, joined a gym, played racket ball, and bought bikes that we rode for a few months.

Then I started having babies and there came an end to toned muscles, time to workout, and the ability to walk up stairs without being winded.

The last time I remember running was the day I knew I was pregnant with Paul. I was running on the treadmill at the YMCA, trying to get back into shape since Josiah had weaned and I was able to leave him for a short time. But in April, 4 years ago, I had finished my run and my back was hurting in the spot that only hurts when I am pregnant. I walked off that treadmill and did not ever go back! ha!

A few months ago I started exercising here and there, doing some exercise videos. Then a friend invited me to run a 5K with her. On a whim I said, "sure, why not?!" She too has been trying to get healthy again, she's got 4 kids so I thought it would be fun to do it together and if she could do it, so could I! We send each other encouraging text messages and have lamented about our sore muscles together.

I started running very slowly. Spending 30 minutes and varying between walking and running. The first time I ran 2 minutes, I thought I was going to die of an asthma attack. I was heaving so hard! My body was on fire after that first run/walk and I was so sore the next day. Each time got better, though, and 2 weeks ago I ran 3.1 miles (5K) without stopping! My mile pace has surprised me as well, I've been running a 9.16 minute mile! I thought for sure I'd be running 13 minute miles!

The race is in a week and a half and I am excited! It's called the Run or Dye. It's a fun run supporting local charities in our community. Throughout the run you get dyed! Four of us moms are running on a team, our team name is "Run or Die Trying" haha!

I am so glad my friend asked me to run the race with her. I did not think I would ever choose to run again. But, ironically, it's quite relaxing once I get past the first mile. It's quiet, I can think, I don't have 3 little people yelling my name, I push myself to run harder than the day before, and I feel good when I'm done.

Maybe I'll keep up running after the race... we'll see...

Thirty

To be 30... does that mean I have arrived? I remember my parents being thirty and as a kid that seemed really far off! As I look back it was merely a blink. How have those years gone by so fast? I remember being 20 and in college, sitting in class learning about the endocrine system, fretting about tests and passing, and thinking how slowly time was ticking by. I was sure graduation would never come and I'd be stuck in nursing school forever. And when Josiah was born those first 6 months were so hard. Day and night it was exhausting learning how to be a mother. I remember thinking at 3am while rocking him that the days seems to drag on forever, and would I be sleep deprived for the rest of my life? And if he would just turn 3 months old everything would get better (at least that's what everyone said... but it didn't). Now I look back at the last 10 years and realize just how fast it went. What a whirlwind it has been. I am not the girl I was back then. God has radically changed my life... from marriage, to motherhood, to moving and church planting... God has stretched me more than I thought possible! 

To be 30... does that mean people will start saying I look like I'm in my 20's now? For YEARS people have questioned my age. When I was pregnant with Leah, a man at the grocery store asked me if I was still in high school! Often when I worked at the hospital in Quitman, patients would be uneasy at first with me being their nurse, they were sure I had not graduated high school yet! I still get shocked looks when I tell patients at the clinic that I'm a mom of 3 kids. I don't leave the house without makeup on because of this very reason. Without makeup and wearing just a t-shirt and jeans with my hair in a pony tail, I can pass for a college student. ha! 

To be 30... this means I am becoming wiser, right? 

To be 30... means that over the course of 10 years I started eating more vegetables (If you knew me way back when you'd know I could gag on peas). I like to cook (Also, way back when I was first married I had to call my mother every day to ask her how to cook things... even simple tasks such as boiling a chicken!). I've learned to dig in the dirt and grow food. Canning has overtaken my summers. And I'm a breastfeeding guru, a co-sleeping, baby wearing, minivan driving, lotion making, semi-crunchy mom. Who would have thought? Certainly not me. 

To be 30... I do feel much more confident in who I am and the person God made me, weaknesses and strengths combined. I used to be very self-conscious and extremely concerned about what others thought of me. I was timid and an avid people pleaser. I used to not have any hobbies either. I love the way God has been shaping my heart the last 10 years. I love that I now find my security in Him and I aim more to please Him than others. I'm also much more honest and open with others about my struggles. I used to try to hide behind a mask of having it together, I didn't want anyone to know the ugliness in my heart. But I have found great freedom in being transparent and real. Recently someone told me this in an email..."That first Sunday I was so worn, so bitter, so hurting, so afraid...and your realness and sweetness was like a soothing balm for my soul. Thank you. Thank you for your servants heart and your love of His people and your humble transparency." I was moved to tears by her words. I am realizing it's good and ok to be real and not pretend I have it all together. 

I am thankful to be 30! God has truly blessed me. 

For my birthday I was surprised by a homemade cookie cake from Justin and the kids! It was delicious. I am impressed on a continual basis of Justin's truly amazing skills in the kitchen. He is a culinary genius. I need his skills!

The fire alarm almost went off with the smoke from my 30 candle blaze.

Justin also treated me to a dinner & movie date. Some friends watched our kids and we went to my favorite local italian place downtown. It's the most delicious food I have ever had! Then we walked to a candy shop and bought all sorts of chocolate and pop. We rented a romantic movie (Men in Black 3, HAHA! Seriously, there was nothing at the theater or to rent that wasn't full of filth. MIB was actually clean and funny!), and enjoyed some uninterrupted conversation. That doesn't happen very often! I truly enjoyed my birthday celebrations. I have a sweet, kind, and thoughtful husband!

Cleaning miracle

It has been a rough month for me. Since working at the pediatric clinic I am catching everything that comes through the doors it seems. The pediatrician said it's normal when people start working in pediatrics to be sick with everything for several months! In just one month I've had these things in this order:
- Stomach virus- vomited for 8 hours and didn't feel human again for 3 days.
- Cold/Congestion
- Stomach virus- a different one, there was less vomiting, more diarrhea, fever, and chills.
- Same weekend as the 2nd stomach virus, my cough from my cold worsened to bronchitis. The pediatrician at work diagnosed me and gave me some same inhalers. Amazing relief after that!
- The next night- floods of diarrhea that lasted 12 hours.
- 4 hours after my stomach returned to normal and we were ready for bed... Paul started vomiting and I was up all night with him. That was last night.

So this morning, I woke up and started cleaning like a maniac. My parents are arriving tomorrow afternoon AND we have small group at our house tomorrow night! AH! I wanted to get rid of the cesspool of germs that seem to be everywhere in our house. I bleached the bathrooms and every knob of every door, and did 100 loads of laundry washing every sheet and blanket. It feels good to have everything clean, finally.

One of my least favorite and most neglected things to clean is the tub and shower. I detest doing it. It's so bad that I probably have only cleaned the showers before every time one of our family member's visit. About 4-5 times a year! haha, that's bad! We have the fiberglass shower/tub and hard water so the build up and soap scum is so hard to remove no mater what. I have tried everything and even though I scrub and scrub and let it soak, it never gets completely clean.

BUT, thanks to Pinterest, I saw a post about the ultimate, magic tub and shower cleaner. I decided to give it a try. Here's the original blog post about it, she has good pictures and explanations. I did a ratio of 1:2, water to vinegar. I filled a spray bottle about 1 inch deep full of Dawn dish soap, and 2 inches deep of warm vinegar (very scientific and precise, I know!) and shook it a little. I sprayed it all over the shower and tub and let it sit maybe 10 minutes. Then took a cleaning rag and started wiping it off from top to bottom. I could not believe it. I just wiped, no scrubbing, no back breaking, no arm wanting to die and almost falling into the tub a million times. My tub shines now and I hardly did anything. (beware though, the vinegar smell gets a little overpowering when you're spraying).

If you hate cleaning showers like me, you have got to try this. I just might clean it more often now. :)

Gratitude

Remember a few weeks ago when I posted about starting a seasonal job giving flu shots? About a week after wrote about that, something wild happened.

Back in April, I applied for an R.N. job at a small pediatric clinic. They were looking for someone to work 8-12 hours a week. While I drove over to turn in my resume to apply, I prayed and asked God to do with it what He wanted and knew best. I didn't really want to work weekly, but I had resolved that He had a perfect plan. A little while later, I received a call that they had filled the position and would keep my resume on file for the future.

The future came 2 weeks ago. She called me and said they were looking for another nurse to fill 8-12 hours a week. She asked if I'd be interested in coming in for an interview. I told her I had another job already lined up and I'd be starting the following week. I wasn't interested. She kept pushing, and for no reason at all, I just blurted out that I would go in for an interview 3 days later. The interview was on Monday. Tuesday evening she called to tell me they wanted to hire me. I was a ball of nerves trying to figure out the right decision. Working a boring seasonal job or a permanent job? What did God want me to do?

For 2 days, praying, talking with Justin and another wise friend. Seeking an answer, wishing God would write 'Yes' or 'No' very clearly on my wall so I would have no doubts! Then I remembered the talk He and I had as I drove to the clinic in April. As I said, "Lord, my life if yours, I want to follow you and if this is what you would have me do, I will do it!"

My answer was yes. I took the job and started this past Monday. (I'll be working Monday afternoons and all day Tuesdays while Justin watches the kids) I couldn't sleep the night before I was so nervous. I haven't really worked using my nursing knowledge in 4 1/2 years. I was sure I had forgotten everything I learned.

My first day and a half working were wonderful. I loved every minute of it. A clinic is much slower paced than the hospital setting and it was a welcomed change for sure! The other nurse, physician and clinic staff are very nice and kind to each other.  And by God's wonderful grace, He has helped me to remember things I was sure I had forgotten. By the end of Tuesday I was giving shots, assisting in procedures, answering phones, putting info into the computers, taking patients back to rooms, and troubleshooting problems. I felt almost energized at the end of the day, using my brain in ways that had not been used in years. I honestly loved it.

And they have a room that they built for a mom who's pumping milk. It's just perfect.

Leah did great while I was away. Justin said she acted as though she didn't know I was gone. She wouldn't take a bottle, but he finally got her to drink her milk from a sippy cup...and she likes it cold, not warm. ha! Knowing she is ok without me, gives me so much peace while I am gone! Justin is a great daddy. It is special that the kids now have their own alone time with dad to make memories with each other.

On the way home from work on Monday I just couldn't help but cry a little, not sad tears, but tears of gratitude to my Father. I just couldn't help but be so thankful to Him for literally laying this job in my lap, and so suddenly and such perfect timing. And He knew I would love it. His loving-kindness overwhelms my heart.

A Job

My job as a mom is wonderful. I love it, even though it is draining and monotonous some days and interaction with other adults is sometimes limited. In my heart and soul I know this is what God has for me to do in this season of my life.

To my dismay, when we moved to South Dakota, I learned that I had to either work or volunteer a certain number of hours before February of 2013 to keep my nursing license active. Letting it go inactive is not an option because to make it active again you must take a refresher course, do many hours of clinical work, and pay about $1000 to do all of that... and retake tests...That is not feasible or desired. I disliked school to begin with as it was hard for me and I had to work sooo hard for every passing grade. 

Over the last year I have been praying for God to show me an avenue to work or volunteer that I could get my hours and it wouldn't be a huge burden on our family. I applied many places and had just about given up hope at finding a paying job and was just going to have to be a nurse volunteer at the hospital. Then one day a new friend (who is a PRN nurse at the hospital) told me of an opportunity she had recently seen posted in her break room at work. I applied earlier this summer, had an interview, completed my paperwork and training and just last night scheduled all of my shifts!! 

I'll be the nifty nurse at Sam's and WalMart giving out flu, pneumonia and other vaccines. It's a seasonal job, just through the the flu season, with opportunities to work at wellness clinics if they schedule any in my area other times of the year. I set my own schedule, and I don't have to learn any new skills to do this job. Be friendly, give shots, do the paperwork, talk to people, and then go home. And I can do this every year to make a little extra money! God is so good, blessing me with this job! I was a little flustered last night when I went on to schedule my shifts because almost all of the shifts for the Rapid City area were taken by rehired nurses from last year (they had first pick of the shifts), so for most of my shifts I'll be driving about 45 minutes away to the WalMart in Spearfish. That means I'll be gone 10 hours a day while Justin watches the kids. I start working at the end of August and will work two days a week through the end of October. And then I'll be done, have my hours, and make extra money which is a huge plus. 

I'm not nervous about the job itself, I'm mostly just sick to my stomach about leaving Leah. She still nurses regularly throughout the day and has not had to take a bottle. My stomach is in knots thinking about how she will feel when mom is suddenly not there to comfort her. I have been with her almost every moment of her life. I'm also nervous about being able to pump enough milk for her. Leah will be fine, she adores her daddy and Justin always takes such wonderful care of the kids. My fears of working have always come from my heartache of having to leave the kids. I know I have to do this job and it's just for a short time, but truthfully, I'm sad about it. I'm already praying God will give me peace about leaving her, and for Him to help me to have a content and a thankful heart that I have job. 

It's hard to do something new when I've been the caregiver, food supplier, comforter... everything to my kids for so long. It's hard to think of myself doing anything else other than being a Stay-at-home Mom and I'm uneasy about it! 

Favorite Things

A few of our favorite things lately:

1. Our new Seeds Family Worship CD's. I absolutely LOVE them. I've been looking for praise and worship music for our kids at church and came across these CD's. I bought the whole set and got the dvd for free (to use in our kids worship). Each CD case comes with 2 CD's, it says, "One to keep and one to give away". How awesome! The songs come directly from scripture, they even sing the reference of the scripture. The kids really love listening and dancing to the music and I enjoy it to. These CD's are what we listen to in the car, I get so tired of all of the same songs on the Christian radio station that they play over and over again. I'm praying the scriptures sink into their hearts as they hear them in song.

This song probably stuck out to me most, the scripture really convicted me the first time I heard it. It's about teaching God's word diligently to our children in every day life circumstances.

2. ABC Scripture Cards - I follow a great little blog and a while back she posted about these ABC scripture cards that she made. I downloaded the file she made available and printed them out. We are working on memorizing these scriptures! 

"I have hidden your word in my heart so that I may not sin against You." Psalm 119:11

3. Mesh Feeder- this thing is great! Leah loves it with ice in it since she's teething so bad. You can put pieces of bananas, apples, frozen cubes of pureed veggies, or whatever you want! It's great because the food just smashes out and they can't get choked on big pieces, especially when they first start taking solids. 

4. Dutch Oven- Now I don't have a L*eCreuset, because they are unbelievably expensive, but I do have one that functions just the same. Justin gave one to me for Christmas and I use it all of the time. It is such a multi-use pot! We've made roasts in it, pork loin, shrimp etouffee, and one-pot dishes like jambalaya. It's the perfect size for just about anything. And it cleans up so easy, and nothing sticks to it. The inside is enameled cast-iron.

These are a few of my favorite things!

Bountiful Baskets

Can you believe we only paid $23 for all of this?

• bag of potatoes
• bag of granny smith apples
• head of romaine lettuce
• bag of carrots
• 2 bunches of green onions
• head of cabbage
• big bunch of bananas
• bundle of fresh cilantro
• cucumber
• 9 large tomatoes
• 4 avocados
• 2 large onions
• 1 garlic
• 8 tomatillos
• 8 mini limes
• 1 canary melon
• 8 really sweet oranges
• tons of jalapenos, poblano and anaheim peppers
• and a head of something called savory salad (tastes like lettuce)

Unbelievable! Around here we pay $1.50 for 1 avocado or 1 tomato and peppers of any kind are outrageously expensive! 

I heard through the grapevine about this thing called Bountiful Baskets.  A regular basket with 50% fruits and 50% vegetables is $15. You can add on other things like breads, granola or baskets of certain fruits, basically whatever they have available at an extra cost. This past week I bought the regular basket with a mexican pack as an add on for $8. The baskets sell out in 5-10 minutes in Rapid City, so there is an effort out to get more locations available.  Mondays at noon are when you place your order and there are only so many baskets for each location. Our pickup day is on Saturday.

The produce is so good and you really can't beat the price (around here) for the amount of produce you get.  And it's a good opportunity to try new things because you never know what you are going to get! We had never heard of a canary melon and today we tried ours. It was similar in taste to a cantaloup. Today I'm going to make some salsa verde (green salsa) from the tomatillos, peppers, and tomatoes.  And Justin is going to cook up the cabbage. He is excited because I never buy cabbage, mostly because I don't like it and do not know how to cook it.  So look it up and see if they have one in your area, or see how to get one started! 

Mug Shot

This is me during the kids' nap time.
I have a problem. I admit, I am addicted to chocolate chips. Especially the dark chocolate ones. I grab large handfuls and dump them in my mouth. Multiples handfuls in one sitting. I need some therapy for my chocolate addiction!

It's no wonder I have a child who climbs on a stool to get to the top of the fridge to find my "hidden" bag of chocolate chips.  He could eat half a bag in one sitting, just like I could. I am thankful for a high metabolism, otherwise I would be in trouble!

When I go to the store I tell myself I cannot buy anymore, but somehow they end up in the cart. I have no idea how it happens. The force is strong in these mini-morsels of chocolatey delight.

Ready or Not

Ready or Not, in about 10-12 more weeks another baby will be born into our lives.

I feel greatly unprepared for her to arrive.  I feel nervous already about going through labor for the 3rd time.  I feel tired just thinking about nighttime around our house.  Will I ever sleep again?  How will I care for a newborn and a 22 month old who still needs me at night when he wakes up?  How will I have energy to function or even make meals to feed everyone? And the grocery store... oh I break into a sweat just thinking about 3 kids at the grocery store.

And her arrival will also signal the beginning of winter here.  Winter that lasts until May.  Oh my.

Lots of things on my mind...

• Re-arranging rooms - where to put all of these pink and purple clothes?? Bows and clips and frilly hats... Boys stuff is waaay easier.
• Organizing the office downstairs before it overtakes the basement.  It's like the endless blob of mess.  We have ignored it long enough and it needs to be dealt with... BEFORE November.
• A name for our baby girl... we have nothing.
• Pictures and albums need to be started and organized... that's another holy mess.
• Catch up on Paul's baby book- yeah, I'm like a year behind.
• Work on Children's Pre-K class and nursery volunteer schedule for church- I'm hoping to work my way out of teaching the Pre-K on Sunday mornings.  I just won't be able to do that with a new baby... I can barely handle it now.
• Thoughts on homeschooling? Praying for wisdom on the right decision to make.  Josiah has 2 more years before he starts kindergarten.
• Teaching Josiah pre-school stuff.  It's so expensive to send him to pre-school, but I feel overwhelmed with not knowing what to teach him. I have no idea where to start or what to do, he's such a quick learner... and how to juggle that and 2 other kids?
• Thoughts on having to go back to work to keep my nursing license active.  Feeling of dread associated with that.  I just want to be a mom and take care of my family and not have to worry about working right now.  What to do?
• So many people to reach out to, I feel burdened to invest in so many lives, so many who need to be shown the Love of our Father... but I feel stretched so thin sometimes.  How to balance it all without feeling guilty when you have to say no because there just isn't enough time or energy?
• Desiring to spend more time with my Abba Father, but I don't.  Sleep, tiredness, busyness, all overtake me.  Leading to a feeling of internal chaos.... Hence, all of the above...

My pregnancy brain is on overdrive, filled with worry and uncertainty about things that are really out of my control.

Control... that's really what it's all about.  I try so hard to "control" how I think things should turn out, but in reality, it's when I lift up my hands and say, "Here Lord, I can't do this on my own, I desperately need you to take this stuff and shift my focus on You."  That's when I feel free of these burdens in my mind, knowing that He is in control and I have hope waiting on Him for wisdom and guidance as He helps me deal with the chaos.

Lamentations 3:25-33 (The Message) 

"God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, 
to the woman who diligently seeks.
It's a good thing to quietly hope, 
quietly hope for help from God.

It's a good thing when you're young
to stick it out through the hard times.
When life is heavy and hard to take,
go off by yourself. Enter the silence.

Bow in prayer. Don't ask questions:
Wait for hope to appear.
Don't run from trouble. Take it full-face.
The "worst" is never the worst.

Why? Because the Master won't ever
walk out and fail to return.
If he works severely, he also works tenderly.
His stockpiles of loyal love are immense.
He takes no pleasure in making life hard."

To sum it up, when worry clouds your mind God says:

1. Go off by yourself
2. Enter the silence and stop talking
3. Bow in prayer-only say what matters
4. Wait for hope
5. Don’t run away-even when that’s the easy choice

Life of a Mom

Recently, I read this funny little story about the day in the life of a stay-at-home mom.  It made me laugh because it is truly the epitome of what happens all throughout the day... and my kids are still little.  I can't imagine what will take place as they get older.  Really, it does feel like all I do all day is clean mess after mess after mess... until bedtime... and sometimes during the night too. haha!  Though this is my life right now, I am truly blessed and grateful to be a Mom. :)

A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard.

The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house and there was no sign of the dog. Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall.

In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a Cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing.

In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door.

He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened.

He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls.

As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went.

He looked at her bewildered and asked, 'What happened here today?'

She again smiled and answered, 'You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world do I do all day?'

'Yes,' was his incredulous reply.

She answered, 'Well, today I didn't do it.'

Frozen

We are Frozen.

-10 as the high temperature today.

Wind chill making it feel like -40.

Snow. Ice. Whiteness covering everything.

Cleaning frozen vomit in a school bus = disgusting.

Brrrr!!!

An arctic blast hit yesterday and wow, we have not ever felt cold like this before.

There is ice formed on the inside of the window panes. INSIDE!! I am cold in the house with the heat turned on 70.

Yesterday, poor Justin had to clean frozen vomit out of his bus. He was turning green just telling me about it! He said the kid threw up (thankfully not on any of the other kids), on the way home, and by the time he got back to the bus barn it was already frozen to the floor. He said scraping it off the floor was the most disgusting thing ever. Poor guy. His stomach doesn't fair to well with things like that!

Today we are so incredibly thankful to live in a house, have a garage, to have blankets and shoes, and the money to pay for the heat, and a stove to cook our food, and double pane windows, and insulation in the walls. We are Thankful to our Faithful God who has provided us with more than we need! I cannot imagine being a pioneer and trying to stay warm in a covered wagon in temperatures like this... or even in a log cabin. I imagine this is what The Long Winter was like in the Laura Ingalls Wilder series, The Little House on the Prairie. I do thank God I live in the 2011, not 1900.

I leave you with a few recent pictures...

I've been doing a lot of nap holding, and napping myself. This sweet little guy has had a double ear infection and walking pneumonia with terrible coughing fits. He sleeps so much better in my arms, I don't blame him!

This is what happens when he tries to feed himself yogurt with a spoon. He loved it!

Messy is his middle name!

This is us today.

Wrestling around on the floor, making a mess of the house, drinking 3 glasses of hot chocolate before noon, jumping in clean laundry piles, and just doing what people do who have cabin fever!

He's showing me his scratch on his hand. He did this yesterday. It was 45 minutes of screaming and writhing around in "pain" before I could get him calmed down. And the entire rest of the evening he would not use that hand. He carried it around with his other hand like it was broken. D.R.A.M.A!

Putting on his "Spy Glasses" and being a spy.

I hope all of our friends to the south survive the cold/snow that is coming your way!! :)

A Few Favorite Things

These are a few of my favorite things lately...

1. Vinegar- This cheap, non-chemical, no harsh smell (besides the pungent vinegary smell), has been my cleaning friend. I love vinegar. Have you seen the price of cleaning products on the shelves? My goodness, $3.50 for a spray bottle of window cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, antibacterial cleaner, or bathroom cleaner... and the list goes on and on. I remember buying all of these different things for years. It was expensive! Then I found vinegar. It cleans and disinfects without harsh smells, doesn't leave a residue, and is CHEAP!

Recipe for my All-Purpose cleaner:

Old Spray Bottle

Fill it with 2 tsp of dish soap (I use Dawn)

Fill halfway with vinegar

Fill the rest of the way with hot water

I also put a few drops of Tea Tree Oil in it too. Tea Tree Oil (essential oil) is a natural

antibacterial.

Shake and use on anything. It's great in the kitchen/bathrooms/floors.

Window cleaner:

Spray bottle filled with half water, half vinegar. Clean windows with this cleaner and

newspaper instead of a cloth or paper towel. Works great.

Carpet Cleaner:

I just use straight vinegar or the All-Purpose cleaner. A carpet guy told me that anytime

you use a cleaner of any sort on your carpet it will leave a residue that dirt sticks to.

That's why the stain seems to always come back. Vinegar is great because it doesn't leave a residue, yet still gets it clean. I recently borrowed my friend's carpet cleaner and just filled the cleaning solution part with vinegar. Yes, the house was vinegary smelling for a few hours, but the smell dissipated and our carpets and furniture are clean!

Vinegar can also be used in place of the jet dry in your dishwasher. And can be put in the rinse cycle of your washing machine in place of fabric softener. It does not leave your clothes smelling vinegary.

Go, get some vinegar! It's a cheap, useful, cleaning alternative!

2.) Veggie Straws - Found this BIG bag of Veggie Straws at Sam's for $4.88. They are so good! There is real carrot and spinach puree in these. And no other yucky ingredients. Paul and Josiah love them. They are a great kid treat! And adults like them too. We had them at Josiah's party and the adults couldn't stop eating them.

3.) Handmade soap - My sister made some homemade soap and gave a bar to me. It was delightful, made my skin feel so good and not dry. When the bar ran out I have been itching to make my own. But, it requires ingredients such a lye and I need pans dedicated just to soap making, and there is a chemical reaction that occurs when the lye is mixed with something else and you shouldn't do it around children and... blah blah blah... I just don't have the time to experiment with soap making right now. Maybe another year. So I ordered 3 bars off of Etsy.com and I love them. We have hard hard water, even with a softener and filter and the dry air up here just makes my skin drier than it's ever been. These soaps are so different than store bought soaps. I love them! I wish they weren't so expensive... I am looking at buying some in bulk, it's a much better price that way. We'll see....

4.) Elderberry syrup - I'm pretty sure taking this thwarted me from getting a full-blown cold recently. I give it to Josiah every morning. Supposedly Elderberry is a natural anti-viral. We took it last year too and had very little colds/viruses.

5.) California Baby Products - I am loving these products!! I was introduced to this website a while back called Skin Deep: Cosmetic Safety Reviews. Basically they review the ingredients in thousands of products we use on our skin and list how hazardous they are and detail why they are deemed harmful or not. I searched on the things I was using for lotion and bath stuff for the kids and couldn't believe what's in them and the hazardous level. Josiah has some skin issues and I thought the things we were using might be causing irritation. So I tried out the California Baby Bath/Hair wash, lotion, and sunscreen. The sunscreen works great! And we love the other products too. Paul had a nasty rash/irritation on his face that I just couldn't get to go away for several months. I got the California Baby Calendula Cream on it and within a few days it was clearing up. Josiah's skin is also looking better and less inflamed. Yes, it is more expensive, but if it is better for them, then why not? That's why I re-use and wash out my ziploc baggies, use vinegar, and we don't eat out very often. Save in some areas so we can spend in others that are important to us!
6.) needtobreathe's new album, The Outsiders - I just love it. Nearly all of the songs. It's like the album is telling stories. Listen the words of the songs, they are so good. My favorite songs are Through The Smoke, Stones Under Rushing Water, and Garden.

My very own superman

Straight knife..... not so straight knife.

These are Oneida, stainless steel, nice knives that we use everyday and have for the last 7 years. Most people just use their nice silverware for fancy occasions, we just use ours everyday because we like them!

A few days ago Justin was cutting a block of cheese and from the kitchen I hear him say, "Uh oh!" He came into the living room holding the knife and said, "Well, that's a first for me!"

WHO bends stainless steel knives? My Justin does.

WHO tightens screws, lids, and caps on things so hard he strips them out and no one else can open them? My Justin does.

WHO breaks light bulbs just from holding them in his hands? My Justin does.

WHO can beat anyone at arm wrestling? My Justin can.

WHO breaks in half most every yard tool we've ever owned like rakes, shovels, & hoes? My Justin does.

His whole life he's had super-human arm/hand strength. He was very good at supergluing things like lamps, vases, and nice plates back together when he was a kid.

Now he can add stainless steel knife bending to his long list of amazing talents in hand strength. Thankfully Oneida has a lifetime warranty on their flatware.

Go Ahead, call me a hippy

...My husband does! :)

Every time I start telling him about something new I want to try he says, "uh, oh, here we go again, I'm getting nervous!"

Our latest adventure has been COMPOSTING and RECYCLING! A friend of mine here lived in Germany for a while and over there everyone composts and recycles. The trash pick up didn't come very often so you had to. So, she showed me how easy it was and since we both have gardens as well, I figured, why not? I dragged Justin to Sam's with me to get the bin and oversaw him putting it together for me (he's such a sweet husband!). I browsed the web for a list of things you can compost and lo and behold you can compost most anything!!

I had some hay and laid it on the bottom and started filling it up with table scraps (everything but dairy, meat, bones), shredded junk mail (the non-glossy paper), dried grass clippings, a shovel of garden dirt, and a bunch of other stuff and sprayed some water in it. My new phrase is, "Don't throw that away honey, it CAN LIVE AGAIN!" ha! There is some science to composting, like having a good mix of nitrogen and carbon products (just google how to compost, and you can read from a billion different sites about that). It'll take about 2 months before I see any actual compost, but by then I can start adding it to my garden, making the soil good and rich for next year. And you know, the crazy thing is it doesn't stink at all. When I take the lid off of the bin, there is no smell. That is amazing!

We have noticed since we've been recycling and putting stuff in the compost bin, our trash is significantly decreased.... and it would be even less if we had one less kid in diapers....

So now Justin can add composting and recycling to his long list of reasons why I'm his hippy wife... haha!

The compost bin in the backyard

So far this year the garden has done well. Last year by this time I had killed 4 tomato plants. ha ha!! All 6 plants have survived this year and the cherry tomato plants on the deck have baby tomatoes growing. I'm so excited to eat them. This picture is a view from our upstairs window. Click on the picture for a large view.

I have several herb plants on the deck and so yesterday I harvested them before they got too big and flowered and decided to dry them. Here they are bunched up.

I hung them in paper bags on the wall in the garage... we'll see how it goes, I've never tried drying herbs before. I read you can do it in the oven, but seems like a waste of energy and it'll make the house hot. If it works, next year I will plant a lot more herbs so I can dry a bunch. We use herbs frequently in our cooking.

This hippy chick must get dinner cooking, so over and out blog friends! :-)

A Funny

This is for anyone who is or has ever breastfed their babies...

click on the image for a larger view

We Are Thankful

On this Memorial Day we are thankful to all of our military personnel! We are grateful for the selfless service to our country that so many men and women have fought and died for our freedom. To those who have served or are serving, we appreciate you, we are thankful for you, and we pray for you.

Since moving to Rapid City and living close to an Air Force base we have met many air force men and women. Several we know are deployed right now and others returned home this past January. This is the first time I've personally known many families who are in the military.

Right now my sweet friend Allison's husband is deployed. She is pregnant, due a few months after he returns, and she also has a little girl named Hannah who Josiah loves. They are quite the pair together. It's never a dull moment when they are together. :)

She adores her daddy. She says, "Daddy's workin' in the desert. I need him come home."

Thankfully his deployment is only for 6 months.

I still can't imagine.

We remember you this day Chris, and pray for your safety!

I frequently read The Pioneer Woman's photography blog and these past several days she has been posting photos that people have submitted to the theme "Coming Home". Go look, click HERE, you will not have a dry eye. You can also click on the individual photos to read the description of them. It's a very moving array of pictures.

Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.

- Billy Graham