Simple Things

The simplest things bring such pleasure:

Playing 500 Rummy with the whole family last night
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Waking up with my husband this morning and seeing our two littles sprawled across the bed between us
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Enjoying a quiet cup of coffee with my husband before the rest of the house awoke
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Getting to make my husband breakfast before he left for work
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Seeing the sun shining through my windows
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Actually having my checkbook balance
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Boiling off sap on my living room wood stove to make maple syrup
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Dreaming and planning with my husband
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Watching the littles share secrets under the desk

Adjustments

I'm home from church again. My two littles are with me. Between Sophie's still runny nose (though she is getting better and is fever free. Thank you, Jesus!) and Emma's German Shepherd barking cough, and my too tight to really breathe well without coughing and coughing even if I try to take little breaths, we decided it was best for the three of us to stay home. I'll tell you, it has been a Very Long Time since the whole family has been able to worship together. But what a blessing to be home today - the sun is shining beautifully outside (melt that snow!), the little girls are playing nicely together, I'm enjoying another cup of coffee, and I'm spending some much needed time with God. 

I have a confession to make:  I've been a grump lately. Not just a little. I've turned into the type of person I don't like to be around. Grumpy, negative, persnickety, crabby, bad-tempered, testy... Well, you get the picture. In short, I've been focusing entirely too much on me. But this morning I've had a chance to count my blessings.

Yes, it has been a Very Long Winter with A Lot of Sickness. 

BUT, our sickness is temporary. We'll get over it. It isn't terminal, so what am I complaining about? 

Yes, I've been pretty tired and still nauseous from this pregnancy.
BUT, I'm carrying a treasure. What a gift! And every time I feel this little one move I'm reminded of how blessed I am to be given this gift.

 

My oldest son will be leaving in a few months to grow his musical gift. We need to come up with money for tuition, housing, food, etc.  I don't know where the money will come from. 

BUT, my God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He gave Josh this gift, He will provide. 

 

My husband has been working A Lot, and told me this week that he has two business trips coming up soon that will take him away for a few nights. 

BUT, my husband has a job, and he gets paid on a regular basis. And he provides very well for us.

My list can go on and on. We have a home. We have food. We have children. We have a sweet granddaughter. We have Jesus. See? I just needed to look beyond me. (And I think the sunshine helped just a little.)

So now that my attitude has been adjusted, please forgive me for my very whiny last post.

And now that I'm feeling much more like myself, I think I'll go clean something, bake something, organize something and sew something. Oh yes, that's more like it.

From my corner of the world

I've lost count. Sophie isn't feeling well. Again. She has a fever. She's sneezing. She's coughing. She's teething. She's very snuggly (I like that part).  I'm so glad I didn't wean her completely in January. She's so miserable, but nursing seems to help. I am a little tired of sitting so much, but it is for a good reason - I get to snuggle Sophie. Poor baby, even when she's napping I can't put her down - she wakes up crying as soon as I do. So yesterday, last night, and today I sat up holding my baby. So she could sleep. Sitting can make a body tired. I don't know how and I don't know why, but I know that it does.

And we've had a lame goat. One of our girls was limping the other night. She was the same the next morning. Worse the morning after that. We thought maybe it was hoof rot. We checked and it wasn't. Then we thought maybe she slipped on the ice. Now she seems to be better. She's walking slowly, but she's walking. I'm not sure that I like having goats right now. Especially sick goats. Not when I have sick little ones to take care of too.

And I'm going into my 19th week of pregnancy. I'd love to be able to tell you that I'm feeling great, but I'm still nauseous and very tired. Other than that, all is well.

The rest of the family seems to be doing well. Spring still hasn't quite arrived here yet. We even had more snow today. We had lots of snow/sleet/rain the other day which made driving very slippery, but the next morning was sunny and the trees were coated with ice and sparkled and I took pictures for you but my son stole my camera again so I can't download them for you to see. But I want you to know I thought about it. And spring is coming. I have it on good authority.

Recipe: Spicy (or not) Potato Soup

Our supper last night was a family favorite. A dear friend made the soup for our family when Emma was born, and we loved it so much we asked for the recipe. And can I say, on a side note, that bringing a meal to a family is one of the biggest ways to bless them. It really is. So here's our quick, easy, budget friendly, and yummy recipe with my notes and changes. I posted this recipe on Pennywise Platter at The Nourishing Gourmet. It isn't a very gourmet recipe, but it sure is pennywise!

Spicy Potato Soup

1 pound ground beef

1 small onion, diced

4 large diced, peeled potatoes    (I usually add more potatoes)

3 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce     (I use 2 15 oz. cans because that's what I keep on hand)

4 cups water      (I add 5 because I add extra tomato sauce)

2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. pepper      (I reduce it to only 1/2 tsp. if I'm making it for people who don't like spicy food)

1 (4 oz.) can green chiles      (I leave these out most of the time because I rarely have them on hand. You could add 1-2 tsp. Tabasco sauce, or Frank's Hot Sauce, or leave this out entirely and add your hot sauce of choice to individual bowls when serving)

Directions: In a large dutch oven, brown the ground beef. Drain off fat if needed. Return beef to pot and add onion, cooking until onion is soft and translucent. Add diced potatoes and tomato sauce. Stir in water, salt, pepper, and green chiles (if using). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for one hour or until the potatoes are tender and the soup has thickened. 

Optional:  Serve with grated Cheddar cheese and sour cream. Garnish with cilantro.

Servings:  I don't know. There are 7 of us with pretty healthy appetites, and we have enough for lunch the next day.

Kitchen Tip: Cleaning up Dough

We're all still feeling a bit under the weather. Some are getting better, others are not. Last night I was pinned between two littles who weren't feeling very well, so Josh and Maddie made supper for us with a little assistance from Zach. Maddie was in charge of the soup (Spicy Potato Soup), Josh was in charge of the biscuits. It all turned out very well. (Sorry, no pictures.) I hadn't realized how little recipe cooking Josh had done. Oops! I have a lot to teach him before he leaves this fall!

I do have one tip to share that I thought was common kitchen knowledge, but apparently isn't. When you're cleaning up after you make any kind of dough - bread, biscuit, pizza, etc. - clean your bowl and utensils with cold water first. Hot water makes the dough sticky and glue-y. Cold water makes it easier to scrape off without having glued on dough stick to everything. After you scrape off as much as you can under cold water, then wash as normal in hot water. Easy cleanup!

Fighting the Battle

Thought I'd share a few interesting things I've been learning lately.

• The cold and flu viruses die at about 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
• These viruses survive best and are transmitted fastest in low humidity and cool or cold temperatures.
• A cough or sneeze can spread germs up to 8 feet.
• People with a cold are contagious for the first 3 days and up to 10 days after the start of cold symptoms - for most cold viruses. There are exceptions. People with the flu are contagious for even longer. 
• Most colds go away 7 - 10 days after the start of symptoms, but the symptoms may last longer.
• There are over 200 different viruses that cause colds. That's why the same person can catch a different cold frequently.
• Once sick, you can do things to relieve symptoms, you can do things to help rebuild your immune system, but the cold still needs to run its course.
• Cold and flu germs can live on some surfaces up to 48 hours. 

Why have I done all this research you ask? Because our family has, once again, been stricken with yet another version of the wonderful cold. This is round 5 for us this winter. That's the most we've ever been sick.  I'm tired. Really tired. Adding joy to the wonderful cold, is the very unpleasant and lingering morning (well, mostly evening these days) sickness that I'm still battling. Every time I cough, by stomach does flip flops. I won't tell you any more than that. It isn't very pretty and doesn't need to be blogged about, but it's the worst weight-loss plan I've ever been on. We missed church (again) on Sunday. We're missing our homeschool co-op day (again) tomorrow. We're staying in and containing our germs. You're welcome.

So here's my advice for everyone else. If you or your child are coughing, stay home. If you or your child are sneezing, stay home. If you or your child has a fever, stay home. (And by the way, reducing the fever with medication does NOT mean "fever-free". The fever needs to be gone on its own for 24 hours.) A low grade fever does not need to be medicated. It is your body's nature way of killing germs. 

Why is it so important that you stay home? Because your germs spread. A cough or sneeze (see above) spreads germs up to 8 feet. The germs can live (see above) for up to 48 hours. So think about it. If you go anywhere when you're sick, you just gave anyone who, for the next 2 days, touches anything within 8 feet of where you or your child coughed your wonderful cold. This may not mean much to you. But to a family of 7, it can mean a very long time of feeling very unwell. To my 9 year old, it means several doses on the nebulizer, and frequently a trip to the emergency room because she's struggling to breathe. To a 91-year-old great, great grandfather, it can mean hospitalization (my grandpa's in the hospital because someone didn't stay home). To a person, like my granddaughter, who has a suppressed immune system, it can mean hospitalization, or rejection of her heart, or worse.

So really, is that trip out of the house worth it? Do you really need milk that badly? Can a neighbor or a friend pick it up for you? Do you really need to send your children to school or church or to co-op?  It may not seem like it, but to some people a cold really is a life or death battle.

Changes

I took an unplanned blogging break. There were so many things happening around here, that I simply didn't have time to catch my breath and write any of it down, let alone try to process any of it.  I spent some absolutely amazing time with my oldest son. Six whole days. Just us. And another mama and her daughter. We headed to sunny and warm Florida to look at a school for Josh's next step. We flew from the cold snowy tundra and landed in sunny warmth. We sat by the pool, drove in TRAFFIC, saw some scary people, met some very nice people, walked around the school, ate, sat in on classes, auditioned (well, Josh auditioned, and the daughter of the other mama auditioned. The mama's sat and prayed during the auditions), sat by the pool, napped (I napped), went to church at a HUGE church, went to the beach, and flew back from the sunny warmth into the VERY cold (3 degrees) snowy tundra. It was good to get home.

Let me just tell you. If you ever have the chance to spend time with my son, you should do it. He is a blast to be around!

And we found out we're going to have some changes around here. The Builder and I discovered that we're expecting a new little one. In August. We think. Well, we know we're expecting, but we THINK it'll be arriving in August. Surprise!!

And then Josh got a phone call. From the school we visited and where he auditioned. They want him to come there next year. So he'll be leaving in August. More changes. I'm so excited to see what God has planned for him. And I'm so sad to see him leave. Having one child 2,000 miles away is hard enough. Having another one leave isn't fair. This Mama's heart doesn't want to let go. But it is right. And this is life.

Christmas Tree Recycling

Mulching our Christmas tree is so "old-school" recycling. We have a new method. 

Meet one of our methods. 

Yes, we fed our tree to our goats. It makes a great treat for them. They're happy. We're happy. And it keeps one more tree out of the landfill.

And for our entertainment, they dance, too.

Making Resolutions

I don't make New Year's Resolutions. Once in a while I will, but for the most part I don't need to. I've made a habit of evaluating what I'm doing and how I'm doing it on a pretty regular basis, so I don't need to go for the big ones on one day. 

One of the things I evaluate on a pretty regular basis is how we're doing with our schooling.  And I'm not thrilled with our current results. So out go the things that aren't working, and back in come the proven things that do work. And our schedule gets a bit of modification here and there. And we're back in business. Just a little more tweaking. Like how to keep two very busy little girls quietly busy when I'm needed by my middles.  See. Just a little tweaking.

Emma Likes to Help Me Sew

It might mean that my project takes a little longer to finish, but her help is precious.

Thankful for the Oxen

Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; But much increase comes by the strength of an ox.

Proverbs 14:4

 This verse was going through my mind as I was cleaning my house today.  I used to clean model homes part time. You know, those showcase homes that builders build for people to walk through and actually believe that they too could live like that if they bought that model from the builder.  I learned something very important when I was cleaning those houses - no one really lives like that!  We used to clean them twice a week, at night when everyone was gone. We WERE the cleaning fairies. And let me tell you, those houses could get dirty. And no one lived there. (Get it? There were no oxen, and we STILL needed to clean the "trough".) So it is impossible and completely unrealistic to try to maintain the home you live in to look like a model house.  Be thankful for the oxen - your husband, your children, your pets. Because they are blessings.  And keep that in mind when you're cleaning the trough.

A Soft White Blanket

A beautiful site to awake to this morning. Every little branch was covered. It was just enough to freshly coat everything, but not so much that we needed to spend hours shoveling out.  Just right.

New Year Birthday Supper

Our New Year's Day started out a little slow. We didn't stay up till midnight, but because the littles were up way past their bedtime, it made for a very wake-filled night. And one of the middles slept over Grammy's house for the first time. All by herself. Without her closest brother with whom she does everything. And she didn't sleep well. So Grammy didn't sleep well. When Grammy brought her home early (because she missed her Mama and Papa so much, poor thing), we were all pretty much in the same place - wishing for a few more hours of sleep. So we partook. All of us. And then we felt better.

And since New Year's Day also happens to be my mom's birthday, I made dinner and dessert. Simple but yummy!

• Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Pesto
• Roasted Red Pepper and Olive Oil Rice
• Ginormous Green Salad

And a very good and simple Madeira cake for dessert. I added a cup of wild blueberries to the batter. Because I had them and it sounded good.

To: 3,067,591,189

Our family has squeezers, shakers, peekers, lifters and shufflers. So to try to keep the contents of Christmas gifts a secret until the big reveal, I don't put who each gift is for on the package. In previous years, I write the name on the bottom of the wrapped gift in small letters. Usually I can see it, but everyone else has trouble finding it. But my children have all caught on and know to look for names or initials and then they proceed to shake, squeeze, lift, shuffle or peek. So I tried something different this year. I used numbers.

As I wrapped gifts in my bedroom, I'd place the just finished wrapped gifts with a gift tag that said something like, "To: 5, From: Papa and Mama". Then the middles would retrieve the gift and place it under the tree. Except that they had no idea what number they were. It definitely helped build up the anticipation and fun. My children all got me back though. I was given the above gift. 3,067,591,189. That's me. And they sent me on treasure hunt throughout the house and even outside (in the cold, in my robe!) to find my gift.  They definitely had the last say. But I'll do it again next year.

4 Dresses

Well, I did a better job at sewing than I did at blogging. I doubt that you were hanging on pins and needles (no pun intended) wondering if I'd get all 4 dresses done before Christmas Eve.  Well, guess what!

Done! Not without a few problems and delays along the way. (Of course I checked the length of the skirt on Emma before cutting it out. She must have grown 6 inches overnight!) 

I couldn't have gotten them finished without the help of my family - they pitched in with cooking, laundry, shopping, and cleaning while I feverishly worked on the dresses for the girls. I literally finished them an hour and a half before we had to leave for church. Phew!! I still need to adjust the back closures a bit, and the fabric for the sashes never arrived, so I quickly cut a sash for Maddie from some ribbon I happened to have. The other girls looked adorable even without a sash. My only regret was not getting better pictures of all 4 girls in their matching Christmas dresses.

Go ahead. Tell me how adorable they all look.

And since I did the sewing in the middle of all the other Christmas-y things - shopping, wrapping, visiting, caring for sick children (you mean that isn't a Christmas tradition for all families?), schooling, and trying to keep the house from falling apart, I think I'm going to settle down for a long winter's nap!