Quick Hello – cleaning, music, babies, mom crafts and more

I hope you are having a wonderful August! The fair just closed, which to me, always feels like the official close of summer. I know I said no posts this month but I’m avoiding housework. 🙂

Do you want to join me in working through this beautiful art book for moms Come over to my other blog Blog Schmog and join us?

I’d like to work through the 12 week art course with other moms. Would you like to order the book and blog your progress too? I can tell you in advance, I won’t be accomplishing it in 12 weeks. It will be more of a here and there process. But the “homework” is manageable even if you want to keep to the schedule. Order yours and look it over. I want to start in September sometime.

Here is what I’ve been up to in random order…

• The hogs are filling out. We just went to the farmer to get another 900lbs of grain that should finish them off by Thanksgiving.

I still have a very sad garden. 😦 The only things I’ve been able to harvest are red potatoes and a few golf ball sized onions. The carrots are ready. It seems only below ground vegetables worked this year. I am holding out hope for some tomatoes, garlic and my squash plants have little baby zucchini, summer squash and pie pumpkins on them so keep growing!

• Baby is growing. I guess I’m making skin right now! Yesterday I got my first dizzy spell. That’s never happened before, that I can remember. It’s funny how mushy my brain is too. I went to my first appointment at 12wks. I knew all the pertinent dates, even conception but I still had myself all messed up. My midwife did the calculations and she said, “Jess you are 16wks not 12, we need to draw blood today.” I’m a month further along than I originally thought. Must be another girl. 🙂 Too funny!
• On birthing… I was talking to a friend of ours who is an anesthesiologist and telling him my birth stories, including the one time I got an epidural. I told him that I’ve decided (through personal experience, assisting a mother in her hospital birth and extensive research) that birthing naturally is a matter of education and being confident in what God made our bodies to do. I love this quote on Dayspring’s website, “Childbirth should be viewed as a natural undertaking in life, not a medical crisis…” Here is what my friend, whose career is largely dependant on epidurals said, “If more mothers educated themselves I’d be out of a job.”
• As we “speak” I’m rocking out with our favorite net radio station www.christianrock.net
• Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. Call it nesting or fall cleaning but I’m on a rampage to get my basement cleared out so we can finish the drywall and floors. I’m hoping to acid wash the concrete and get the majority of the unfinished space usable by the time baby comes. Has anyone ever done the acid wash? NO I’m not doing it but I can coach my hubby on how to do it rather than having to hire it out. Seriously, how hard can it be? As long as you don ‘t melt your shoes right? :-]
• Requests I’ve had for future blog posts… my testimony, baby bump pictures and my favorite gluten free pizza crust recipe. Any other requests? I’m not guaranteeing anything! 😉

Going going- I’ll be back!

Okay so it is snowing today and I’m feeling a bit humbug.

I will be back though. I’ve got a few ideas/ recipes to share but at the moment they are stuck on the hard drive of a rogue computer. Grrr!

Until then come visit me at Blog Schmog. Submit your adventures in turning lemons into lemonade on Friday for Fu-get ABout it Fridays (F.A.B.)! Fab in the “Fabulous I’m getting another cup of coffee before I tie myself to a rocket headed for the moon” kind of Friday. Is anyone out there that can relate? Its where moms, grandmas, dad’s, grads (anyone really) unite to laugh in the face of permanent marker art and mom jeans!

We interrupt your regularly scheduled program…

 I’m moving!

This blog will remain and I will post food here but for the rest of the random fun please update your readers and blogroll adding www.blogschmogme.wordpress.com

A couple of weeks back I posted the poll “More or less, what should I blog about?”.  Though I put it in the form of a question I did it to confirm a hunch I had.

It boils down to this…

My foodie friends say, “bring on the food.”

My photography friends say, “bring on the pictures.”

You get the picture…

So here’s what I’m going to do:

I will occasionally post recipes here at www.glutenfree4goofs.wordpress.com  and will change the name from Blog Schmog to Gluten Free 4 Goofs to reflect the food emphasis.

Blog Schmog is moving to www.blogschmogme.wordpress.com and we will continue there where I am leaving off here with pictures, stories, gardening, occasional crafting, homeschooling and my journey of faith.

My passion is in encouraging others to follow Christ while looking on the bright side of life.  And when we don’t feel the warmth of the Son because circumstances cloud our perspective, I hope to seek together the promises in God’s word until he has made his glory known. 

In short I am on a joy journey and hope you will find nuggets that will give you hope and peace through our Abba Father.

Romans 5:3-5

We also have joy with our troubles because we know that these troubles produce patience. And patience produces character and character produces hope. And this hope will never disappoint us because God has poured out his love to fill our hearts. He gave us his love through the holy spirit whom God has given to us.

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EPILOGUE:

Thanks are due my little sis Callie for helping me to get over my conspiracy notions and just blog what I love! 🙂  I started out thinking no one would read my blog if they didn’t “get” something.  I also am strange about who might read so if you are a crabby person, don’t give me grief, I might self destruct! Lol! I’m totally kidding, I’m not that easily offended. 

Actually now that I think about it that is outrgeously wierd.  I want to draw readers by providing recipes “a service” but I don’t want people to read? What am I duel enrolled in the oddity club?

I had lunch with the man of my dreams!

Today I had lunch with the man of my dreams.

I sat side by side with a man who absolutely sets my heart aflutter.

Let me see if I can begin to do him justice.

He is stocky yet athletic and tends to dress a bit grunge. Remember that? He has the most incredibly blue eyes you have ever seen.  Looking into them is a dream, I can hardly keep myself contained when I peer into those glassy blues  with such innocence and love.  Not to mention he has flawless skin with a smattering of freckles across his cheeks that only serve to add to his sunny countenance.

The two of us have a bit of a language barrier.  I have to listen hard to understand what he wants to portray to me but words do not have to pass between us for kindred hearts to speak.  He is an open book and a man after God’s own heart.  The humblest of the humble, a true member of the kingdom of Christ.

We ate the simplest of meals but my joy has rarely been so complete.  He requested pb&j and couldn’t be persuaded otherwise.  I ate the same and watched in wonder as he licked his fingers, finishing every morsel.  No meal with this man would be complete without a glass of juice and a swipe of the hands down the front of his recently clean-ish shirt.

Who is it?

Certainly not the ONLY man of my dreams.

None other than…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 My man, aka Bubba. 

No his eyes aren’t quite that blue but I had fun editing since I rarely have time for such extravagance!

What’s a Mom to DO?

I have a dilemma.  There is a neighbor with an eight year old son who is a whirlwind, to put it nicely.  Usually I tend to avoid allowing my boys to spend time with kids that I don’t want them picking up bad habits from, but this boys happens to be the son of our 4-H leader and a good friend of mine. Sigh!

Tonight is the kickoff bbq and I am terrified that my boys, being younger than he is, will come home after spending an hour or so with this kid and be saying things like “Oh god!” and acting maniacal.  Not to mention that for this family money is not an object and they have every toy known to man including all the video game systems and state of the art computer equipment. 

At our house, partly out of necessity ;), we emphasise non-monetary contentment and I struggle big time with Thing Two and his addictive nature toward video games.  That amounts to their dad’s old Nintendo on rare occasions and three days a week he is allowed to earn time at a free online game where a quad goes forward and backward on a two dimensional track.  So nothing fancy at all.

I guess what I’m wondering is how do I prepare them for time with this boy since it is not possible to keep them segregated from every ornery boy on the planet!  I’m sure mine can come up with lots of their own trouble too.

Do I sit them down and have a “talk” about not conforming to other’s standards?

Do I prepare them for the sorts of thing he might say (and that I’ve heard him say) and mention how his disrespect of his mother will not be tolerated by me?

I truly love this family and I dont’ want my boys going in saying, “My mom said….”  But I love my boys more and I want to prepare them in the most Godly but not condescending way. 

Did that make any sense at all?

What are your thoughts?

Don’t you think my “jail” pictures are appropriate?  Hee hee!

Portraits of Fun-Lookin Back on the Past Year

These are a few of my favorite things!

Here is Thing One and his look alike pumpkin…

Here is Thing One’s Portrait of his baby sister (now one year old-my how the time flies) and I on her 1 week birthday…

Here are three of my favorite things; leaves, the color green and my little buddy “Bubba”…

And here is one of my favorite pictures of Thing Two. He and his older brother got these headlamps for their birthday and while Grammy and Papa were visiting he disappeared. No one could find him anywhere, we were calling and looking, trying not to panic. Finally after a good half hour his Grammy found him asleep with the headlamp on under the guest bed! Gotta love the boy…

More Piggies!

Pee Wee finally has long enough hair for pig tails!  This could get out of hand really fast! 🙂

She is also big enough to sneak off and eat a bowl full of cat food.  Ha ha, what fun!

Gotta go for now.

TGIF

I’ve Graduated

So I’ve been a mom for almost eight years now.  I know, it’s more than some, less than others but this morning I had a turning point.  I do believe my mother would be proud. I have to say, I’ve graduated.

I’ve dealt with poo in every imaginable place and some NOT, I can handle throw up (as long as I’m not pregnant and nauseous myself) and I do pretty darn well with blood just ask Thing 2 aka “Roadrash King” and “Scar-funkle”!  My weakness has always been with sink ickies.  You know the stuff, the soggy cereal that is half stuck to the bottom of the sink, the random pieces of fruit that are barely recognizable and also very slimy, then there are often beans or pieces of meat swirling around and  around in the drain too big to slip through the slot and disappear forever. 

The worst is when mom’s been gone and there are stray dishes in the sink disguising the problem.  Mom comes home at midnight from a once in a blue moon girls night/baby shower falls into a fitful sleep and wakes up late (theoreticaly-;)) to find the lurking dinner goodies floating around under a couple plates and a handful of silverware.

You know what I did today?  Instead of my usual freak out; convulsing while fighting my gag reflex, shielding my eyes from the horror of it all then trying to fish out the invaders with a spoon and a paper towel (no I don’t have a disposal) while all the while holding my breath which if it takes too long puts me at further risk of passing out right then and there on the kitchen floor.  Instead of all that I reached my bare hand down into the sink drain and scooped that puppy right out of there.  It’s like a creature out of mad science and I TOUCHED it, grabbed it and threw the whole darn mess away WITHOUT gagging.

I tell ya, I’ve graduated!

What’s in a Name?

If you look at Biblical examples many times children were named for the mother’s first impression; Esau (hairy), Jacob (deceiver- he came as a surprise, hanging onto the heel of his elder brother) and so on….

I’ve decided if I were to name my kids based on my current impression they would not have the most flattering of names.  Would I for that matter??

Introducing Lawyer (master of debate and arguing his case):

 

Here is Ticking Time Bomb (everything is fine until an unknown switch is triggered and KABOOM!):

 

This is Clown (jokester, magpie, remember-er of everything especially naughty words and apparently “funny” jokes):

 

Finally the Girl (at least she IS a girl but man can she scream and manipulate and get everyone wrapped around that pinky finger):

 

Sigh! Then there is me, I can’t even imagine the things I deserve to be called.  Thank you Lord for giving us a “new name” for making us children of the Living God, for allowing us to be know by association of YOU. 

Christian

“Christ follower”

“Little Christ”

“Child of the Most High!”

Revelation 2:17  He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.

Revelation 3:11-13  11.I am coming soon, hold onto what you have so that no one will take your crown.  12.Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it.  I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which is coming down out of heavenfrom my God; and I will also write on him my new name. 13. He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Sometimes I Forget

Sometimes I forget to taste my food.

I’ve even forgotten what wheat tastes like.

Sometimes I forget that my children are all very young,

That the oldest is young enough to still fear the dark.

Sometimes I forget to hug my husband,

And that my best weapon is prayer, my shield is the God who sees!

Sometimes I forget that I do a good job,

That the children will not remember a swept floor, a well thought out meal.

Sometimes I forget my manners, my patience, my happy countenance

But my Jesus, my Joy

He is my witness

Sometimes I forget

He never forgets

Please visit the others by clicking the picture below!  There are so many great photographers that participate!