ADORABLE!

This is SO ADORABLE!

If you have 3 minutes and 41 seconds, it is worth the watch!

MY CHILDREN...MY BLESSINGS

ONE WEEK is all I have left! Ahhhh…!

As I have posted before, I will officially be without ANY children living with me as of next Thursday. :/ It’s a sad sad day. I am SO not looking forward to my dear boy leaving. He is my friend, someone to make me laugh, and just a charming person all in all.

I love that he brings his friends over…I love that he WANTS to show me his new car-stereo system and his newest martial-arts moves…I love that he gives me a hug if I really need it…And I love that he put his snuggly head next to mine tonight when asking how to make Jello Jigglers…:0)

It is the greatest blessing of all…To have children as great as mine, and I sincerely thank the Lord for them…

This is such a momentous turning point in my life after having children for 25 years and 8 months EXACTLY! My oldest was born on August 17th 25 years ago, and when we get home from taking DB to college, it will be April 17th…

Sigh…

I’m not sure how the bear side of the picture relates here, but the sad woman with the bird flying away looks like I feel…

My last little birdie is flying away…



I wonder…

Are there other mothers out there who DO NOT rejoice when their nest is at last empty? I almost think that it must be a minority…I never hear anyone talking of it…

A few people have said to me, “Well, your house will be quiet now; you’ll have some peace.” No! My son is no trouble at all, and I enjoy being around him! There is nothing unpeaceful about it, and it isn’t as if all of a sudden one day, I will be going from having a passel of needy small children to the next day having a quiet house! He’s 20 years old, so NO, it’s not okay!

Well, we’ll survive…I just may moan a bit. ;)

Yesterday, I had my littlest grandson with me for a gramma-boy day. He is so very adorable, and we had a grand time! I had something to take care of at the hospital and while there we walked all over and took MANY elevator rides. He got to push all the buttons (I don’t think he even knew about that until I showed him, as older brothers always get to do it). He loved it! Each time we would go in, he would say, “Button?”…



He was so cute…

While we were standing at one such elevator, an older woman walked by, and in a somewhat exasperated tone said, “Been there done that!”, as if to say that it was some sort of a pain…

I replied…It’s wonderful!

I thank the Lord for my grandbabies and doubly that they live in town. And, I am so grateful that I have good family and that they allow me to be a part of their lives.

SPRING AND CLEANING A CAN OPENER AND A MICROWAVE

Spring has sprung, and the yard work has begun (weather ;) or not we’re ready for it…

I mentioned before that I need a plan, as it is a struggle keeping up with work and home let alone yard…

Well…It is almost formulated; I have a couple of things left to figure out…

So far…

Hubby spent a couple of days, or a good portion of them anyway, within the past week...



Power raking, aerating, and fertilizing…



The day before that, he put 128 gallons of beetle-killer mixture out for the Chinese Elm tree…Those beetles get us every year!

Now that we have gotten a day or two of rain, we're off to a good start!



Cleaning a can opener…

For years, I told my kids to wipe off the can opener and toaster every time they did the dishes…When there are splatters that are dried on, you can’t just easily wipe them off…But, if it’s done each time it’s used and evening after the dishes are washed, you won't have any problems…

I don’t know WHY that is such a hard task for kids to do, but it still doesn’t get done…That was the way Mom had us do it, and it seems that we got it done (after we were told a time or two ;)…

At any rate, the time had come…I could stand it no more!

I like to make work easy whenever I can, and I also like to go natural if possible…

One product that fits the bill…And one which my husband and son hate…(but it doesn’t matter, as they aren’t the ones cleaning ;)…

Is vinegar…



Vinegar has 1001 uses…You can drink it (and I do)...



Use it topically on your skin...And a host of other things…

Also, a very important quality is that it is nontoxic to the lungs and skin…

So, the other day, as I was cleaning the kitchen, I sprayed the can opener (ours is mounted underneath the cupboards) with a vinegar/water solution and let it soak……Every so often, I would come back, scrub it with a soft netted sponge and then spray again…



I did this about three different times…The cutting apparatus detaches, and I put it in soapy water to soak until the dishes were washed…And, voila, a clean can opener!

Excuse the blurry picture...I'm still trying to figure this camera out...It looks focused on the screen, and then I find out later that it is blurry...



I believe this vinegar solution that I used was 3 parts vinegar to 1 part water...I put it in an old spray bottle and labeled the back with a permanent marker...



Just remember to shake it each time before you spritz…

When using it to clean my glass and windows, I don’t spray quite as much as I would with Windex…It doesn’t have a drying agent, so less is actually better.



Cleaning a microwave…

I’m sure that this is no trade secret; yet, it IS a very easy way to clean a microwave…And, ease and cleanliness are what it's all about!

I fill a coffee cup with water and microwave for five minutes…Do NOT use a new cup, as the hot water can explode out after the cup is removed…



Our microwave is old, so yours may not take as long…In fact, my husband had gotten it as a Christmas present the year before we met...

He received it in 1980, so this Christmas, it will be 30 years old…Wow, I thought that planned obsolescence came about earlier than that, but apparently they still made some things to last at that time.

My kids were always on me to get a new one…One that cooked faster (and probably one that looked better)…”Why throw out an appliance that still works and spend money needlessly on something that will be dead in five years or less”, I would reply…Besides...It doesn't look bad just out of style, and I don't care about that...

Back to the cleaning…While I go about my other chores, I let the water heat and then wipe out the steamy microwave…Sometimes, I go a second round for just a few minutes being sure not to boil all of the water out… Ours has a glass insert, which I take out and scrub with soapy water…

This system really does work quite well!

Well...Those are my tips for the day…

Have a Wonderful Wednesday!

THE BLESSINGS OF WORK

SCORES FOR WEEK OF MARCH 29, 2010...

There are six days in the week…I have decided not to do anything...Even putting out my laundry on Sundays…(I may do it but am not requiring it of myself)…It is the day of rest…

There are three chores a day…Morning tidying of bedroom…Specified Evening chore…And...Night-time tidying of living room…

There are a total of 18 chores a week…

This week, I got 15 out of 18 of them done for a total of 83%...I have noticed that with such low numbers...

I can only miss one chore a week to be able to obtain a 90%...There is not much room for error there!

I actually did Thursday’s Night chore on Friday, so with that figured in, I did a total of 16 out of the 18 for a total percentage of 89%.

It helps to keep a running daily tally, as I can see where I did well, as above, and where I need to improve the next week…

This week’s improvements will be in eating more healthy and exercising.



Today, I will be focusing on working women…Since I must do it, I am spending some time on it here…

Work days are indeed busy…The pace of the day…The pace of the world is quite unlike that of the housekeeper or housewife who can make her own schedule…



I am lucky in that I have two different jobs, each of which requires a different attire…

At one, I wear tennis/working-on-your-feet-all-day shoes…



At the other, I dress up…



I am so thankful that I don’t have to work in a sweat shop…

And that I get paid more than these poor workers do…(Something to think about when I am bemoaning the fact that I have to work)…



It is, indeed, a fine art combining Fashion and Work…



With taking care of the Animals and Housework…

AND…Making time for Family, Exercise, and the like…





Many women enjoy working…

It is invigorating for them, after previous decades of repression…



Some women like to work…

To get them out of the “drudgery”, as they see it, of house…



A few women have to work…

Disabled husbands, deep debt, and other maladies...

Or...

Just an unwillingness to live below a certain standard of living…Drive these women into the work-force…



Regardless of the reason, there are many of us out there fighting our way up the ladder, battling the female jealousy (And believe me…There is a LOT of that), and trying to keep some semblance of normalcy to our lives and pride in ourselves…

There are perks for sure…

When I worked at the Estee’ Lauder sales counter, my makeup closet was filled to the brim!

All sorts of lipsticks and creams adorned my dressing table…We were sent to school every few months and given free products…

And...Who doesn't like free stuff?!



Uniforms were supplied…And I ALWAYS smelled pretty for my husband!

Their products really were divine, and Estee’ Lauder herself was quite the woman…



As we were placed at the front of every store (a requirement of Estee' Lauder) and amid the other cosmetic and perfume counters, there was opportunity for goodies of all kinds…



The Hospital...

Working at the hospital…I have been able to get Free Health Screenings…Gifts…

And most importantly…Free advice ala immersion…

I hear so much from the experts just by being around them, that my knowledge has exponentially increased over the years…Now THAT is a Benny!



My other job...

At my other job, I am fortunate enough to get free textbooks and am able to learn an unlimited amount on the human body, it’s anatomy, and physiology, and pathophysiology…

Being able to do this and to share it with others is a GREAT advantage that I am blessed with…



Next week, one of the students will be having a cyst removed from her lung and has asked the surgeon if I may attend the surgery to video tape it…I am quite excited about the prospect and am praying that he will agree…

So…As they say…(Whoever “they” is)…

There is a GOOD SIDE to everything…Even work!

Have a wonderful and organized Tuesday!

It was a successful week and now onto another…

I find it very difficult, especially after having such a wonderfully blessed and restful weekend, to go back out into the world…

I popped over to Jia's blog for a visit and found this quote, with which I resonated...

I know what happens when I work outside of the home. My home is destroyed. And I don't mean the actual house. I mean the peace within it. The love in my marriage. And yes, the dishes pile up. Bitterness rises. Lethargy kicks into overdrive . . .

www.colormeuntypical.blogspot.com



My desire is so strong to stay in my house, delve into the domesticities, and make a home...





That it is very distressing to walk again, among the muck of the world.

As I have often said, I feel as if I were born during the wrong time on this earth. There is much good to be thankful for, indeed; I just feel as though I am a piece from a bygone puzzle trying to fit into this modern one…A template from another time…



(Studio EM Creative Junque)

I do not see an end to working outside of the home, as bills will always need to be paid, prices will always rise, and retirement must be saved for. Thus, my constant internal struggle to make some sort of peace within…That seems afar off, particularly at the start of the week when I have been fed and nourished and feel such a strong kinship with the role of womanhood…

It feels just the opposite of the innate feelings of homemaking…To go out and be a provider…I do a fine job at what I do, and indeed while doing it, I become engaged…Nonetheless, at the end of each day, another hat must be donned, another outfit put on, and it is then that I struggle once more, as I attempt to plunge into my house, and create (while tired and worn) a home…



Continuity evades me. Too many hats…Too many suits…Wear down the attire of the soul.



So…I pray for resolution within myself, as that is from where it must arise…Resolution and peace…

Strength…

Strength to conquer all that must be conquered!

My outfit is laid out…My book bag is packed…Materially, I am ready…

It is now that I go to prepare my mind…

SMALL VICTORIES (PART TWO), CLOTHES PINS, AND AN EASTER STORY

It seems like the longer we put things off, the more daunting they seem…

I had made such a big deal of the insurance paper work that I put it off for…well, a very long time. Once I finally did it yesterday, I chastised myself, as it was really quite simple. My husband, on the other hand, is ultra efficient. I am STILL learning from him…It’s just too bad that it’s taking so long!

One thing that I absolutely love about this new Organizational Goal that I have is that it makes life so much simpler! For instance, tonight, DD and I hosted a Lia Sophia jewelry party. Generally, whenever I have something at my house, I dread the getting-ready part. You know…the cleaning and setting up, etc.





Well, since I have been following my program, my living room was already clean, my bathroom was already clean, and all I had to do was to set up some extra chairs, which Hubby had gotten down from the attic for me. It really was a snap!

My cute niece, Ryanne, showing the jewelry...





My beautiful mother (left) and mother-in-law (right)...



Nieces Ryanne and Shannda...



Lovely niece Kylie...



So…Hard work really does pay off, and small victories really turn into large accomplishments! I still struggle with keeping up, but I am getting better and better, and by the end of the year (or sooner), I will be quite efficient.



As I love to hang out my laundry, I have wanted a clothes line for a long time…

And…Since I haven’t had one in years, my clothes pin supply was gone…

I decided to make due for now with a cable we had originally strung for the dog…It can’t hold much, but a little is better than nothing…

So, without pins, I tucked the ends of the two sheets under the blanket on either side…We had such strong winds that day that by the evening when I went out to get the laundry, I was down to ONE sheet and the blanket…

The other sheet has never been found! :/

Needless to say, among today’s purchases was a package of clothes pins… ;)





I had the little people over the other day and wanted to combine some fun with the real reason for Easter…

I had some little eggs, which when opened, contained a little chick…



When put in water over a couple of days...



They will grow…



While they were playing with the chicks, I read them this book…

Let’s Celebrate Jesus on Easter…



It is sad to me that Easter is just one more commercialized holiday where baskets, candy, and now even gifts are bought…

We do the baskets and the egg hunt, but I really like to teach the little people the real reason for Easter…

After the story, we went down and watched He is Risen…

This was put out by Living Scriptures…They have a wonderful way of telling the scriptures that keep the children's attention...When my children were young, I collected all of these animated videos...







Little people are so very very special that we HAVE to teach them and we need to love them…

May we all realize the blessings of Easter this weekend...