Today was a little rough. As I've mentioned before we have been driving an hour each way to church each Sunday. We have to leave by 8 a.m. to get there on time. We didn't get up until 7:30 am last week, so this week we made sure to get everybody bathed Sat. night, but I forgot about gathering all their clothes. It didn't actually take that long to find them all, but it was just more than I could bear. I'm just running out of steam. We were very late again this week. It would be easier if we knew that we would get the lot we want and build the house we want on it to be in that ward and that neighborhood. I hate this uncertainty. I broke down and cried on the way there and held back tears when everybody was so friendly to me and wanted to know about us.
It's nice but it's hard to be so uncertain. I can't really tell them anything yet. It is a great ward, and they have all been really nice to us, but we aren't really a part of them yet. We can't move our records until we get our lot, and the builder/owner is being the same way with our new builder that they were with us- not returning calls, not making appts., etc. so it is moving way too slow-- it has now been 2 weeks since we signed with them and now it's Thanksgiving so we probably still won't hear from them this week. Day after day we wait, day after day, there's nothing new to report. Meanwhile, it's getting colder and snowier and later in the year. Plus the new ward isn't perfect. I'm very sensitive to picking out people's tendencies to be cliquish and mean and this ward does have a few of those. So it's hard to go, but I always leave feeling very thankful and glad that we did go (we did skip nursery and sunbeams though- the twins and the 4 yr old won't go to their classes without us-- we just drove around and talked/complained).
The other kids are very happy there. They all have friends. They all feel included and supported. I think the people are genuinely caring and kind overall, so we will continue going for the kids. It makes it worth it. I can hang on and keep going for them. I will just have to step up to the next level of organization again. I would never be well organized without all these cute kids. They have made me better than I every though possible and I guess there's still plenty of room for growth.
I do hope we will have something more definite soon. I hope we get that lot so that they can finally start the process of getting the permit and getting started on the house. Life is really tough sometimes. It's hard to fit everything in with all this driving. I think my cleaning time has suffered the most. I just have to make the kids follow through on their chores better. I think our new house will work out, but this is definitely the roughest transition we've ever had to make. Patience, faith, ENDURANCE. I will really try harder to not murmur.
Showing posts with label home maintenance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home maintenance. Show all posts
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Make your own lalundry detergent
We had been using products from this website Cal Ben soap products which I do like, but we ran out of laundry soap so I just started using Arm and Hammer and then Sun. Meanwhile, my skin was so itchy and I had a bit of a rash on my back, I thought it was hormones, but then my lower arms started itching too when I wore a long sleeve top and I started to notice that some of my kids were itchy too, so I realized it must have been the detergent. So I did a little research and found this great site on making your own and it is cheap and easy. So far, so good for us. I feel a lot better and my skin is healing although I still itch sometimes.
Here's the site I used from tip nut, but it looked like most the recipes are pretty similar.
This is what I did:
I bought a bar of Fels-Naptha soap and washing soda from Arm and Hammer both found in the detergent aisle.
I grated half of the bar of soap and boiled it in water until it dissolved, then I poured that mixture along with 1/2 c. of the washing soda into a cleaned out honey bucket and added a few drops of tea tree oil and a gallon of hot tap water. I mixed it all together and started using it!! It geled and it was kind of fun. The kids grated the soap and thought it was pretty fun. I'm going to try Ivory soap next time. Pretty cool!!
Here's the site I used from tip nut, but it looked like most the recipes are pretty similar.
This is what I did:
I bought a bar of Fels-Naptha soap and washing soda from Arm and Hammer both found in the detergent aisle.
I grated half of the bar of soap and boiled it in water until it dissolved, then I poured that mixture along with 1/2 c. of the washing soda into a cleaned out honey bucket and added a few drops of tea tree oil and a gallon of hot tap water. I mixed it all together and started using it!! It geled and it was kind of fun. The kids grated the soap and thought it was pretty fun. I'm going to try Ivory soap next time. Pretty cool!!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Simple Baked Lentils -- and Gardening
In an oven safe pot or casserole dish that you can cover well combine:
2 1/2 c. lentils
4-5 1/2 cups of water
1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
3 chopped carrots
2 onions
5 cloves of garlic
1 t. Real salt
1/2 t. black pepper
2 bay leaves
about a half cups worth of fresh sage, oregano and thyme mixed and chopped
Cover the dish and put it in the oven at 375 F for about 1 1/2 hours or until the lentils are soft and cooked through. Take out the bay leaves before serving. That's it!! Even my picky eaters ate it. It had such a good flavor, it's kind of like a stew.
I got the fresh herbs from my garden and believe me, if I can grow herbs, you can too, it's totally worth it. Herbs are so incredibly forgiving and easy to grow. I have killed everything else imaginable and grown really sad tomato plants that produce like one tomato and I have even ruined zucchini, but my herbs are wonderful, so that tells you how easy herbs must be to grow. They don't need much room or sun or even water. Of course, if you actually take care of them they'll grow better, but you don't need that much of them to make a big difference in your cooking. So I just thought I send that tip.
By the way, I'm hoping for a decent garden this year, I'm being more proactive than I've ever been with it and I am being a conscientious waterer which I think will help. The sad thing is that I love plants and nature and I even have a degree in horticulture, but I have had the worst time growing vegetables, but I will not give up. I love vegetables, and I will learn how to grow them well. My garden is looking O.K. now, and now that the sun is finally coming out, we'll see!! Any advice is appreciated!! I hope to have a good report at the end of the summer!!
2 1/2 c. lentils
4-5 1/2 cups of water
1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
3 chopped carrots
2 onions
5 cloves of garlic
1 t. Real salt
1/2 t. black pepper
2 bay leaves
about a half cups worth of fresh sage, oregano and thyme mixed and chopped
Cover the dish and put it in the oven at 375 F for about 1 1/2 hours or until the lentils are soft and cooked through. Take out the bay leaves before serving. That's it!! Even my picky eaters ate it. It had such a good flavor, it's kind of like a stew.
I got the fresh herbs from my garden and believe me, if I can grow herbs, you can too, it's totally worth it. Herbs are so incredibly forgiving and easy to grow. I have killed everything else imaginable and grown really sad tomato plants that produce like one tomato and I have even ruined zucchini, but my herbs are wonderful, so that tells you how easy herbs must be to grow. They don't need much room or sun or even water. Of course, if you actually take care of them they'll grow better, but you don't need that much of them to make a big difference in your cooking. So I just thought I send that tip.
By the way, I'm hoping for a decent garden this year, I'm being more proactive than I've ever been with it and I am being a conscientious waterer which I think will help. The sad thing is that I love plants and nature and I even have a degree in horticulture, but I have had the worst time growing vegetables, but I will not give up. I love vegetables, and I will learn how to grow them well. My garden is looking O.K. now, and now that the sun is finally coming out, we'll see!! Any advice is appreciated!! I hope to have a good report at the end of the summer!!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
My Life Progression -- Marriage, Homemaking, Health
Life has been very interesting to me. Some things in my life have turned out way better than I could have ever imagined and some things have not turned out how I thought they would at all. I turned 34 years old last Monday, so I'll try not to make this a memoir since I hope I won't be dying anytime soon. But I do want to recognize how far I've come in my life and how grateful I am for progression and learning and improvement, and especially for the love and mercy of God in being patient with me and blessing me tremendously and many times through other people.
Marriage
My most treasured blessing is my darling family, my husband and children. I had some attitudes as a teenager that could have easily interfered this blessing that I now treasure and enjoy so much. There was a lot I had to overcome personally in order to be ready to receive this blessing. Getting married was probably the hardest thing I have ever done. I had zero desire to marry after watching the sad problems of my parents who divorced a year after I married. But I will be eternally grateful to my Father in Heaven for guiding me and placing me with people and in situations that would help me change my attitude and perspective on marriage. The bottom line when I met my husband though, was that there was no other way to be with him than to marry him, so although I didn't like the idea of being married, I really liked the idea of being with him now and forever. This blessing is the one that has turned out to be way better than anything I could have imagined on my own. I thank the Lord everyday, because I know how close I was to missing it. And I know how sad and lonely it is to not have confidence in your family. I will post more on this subject in the future for the few out there who may be a little like I was. Getting married to the right person at the right time in the right place is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo worth it!!
Homemaking
The reason I originally started writing this post was for the cleaning part, but I had to put that plug in for marriage first -- so anyway--- .. My life has been a huge progression. I have learned a ton every year. Most recently, I have rediscovered FLYLADY. She has taught me how to get control of my house and my life and be able to accomplish all my lofty goals.
I started in January after my homeschooling sister-in-law raved over what a difference it was making for them. I had read the FLYLADY stuff before, but didn't follow it to the letter, just took the things I thought applied to me and left the rest like dress to your shoes every morning. Now though, I was desperate and in serious need of some help if I was going to be able to eat healthy, grow a garden, homeschool 5 kids and clean the house. I had pretty much given up the idea of ever having a clean house, but I decided to follow everything she said to the letter, and she was right--- I CAN do it!!! She is so encouraging too which was so helpful to me so that I wouldn't give up when I couldn't do everything. It took me a while to get the daily routines down, but over time I got them and was then able to add more. One little Babystep at a time as she calls it. My house looks and feels so much better. It's amazing what getting ready in the morning will do for a person. It's amazing how much better the kitchen looks when I close all the cupboards and take 2 minutes to clear out the hotspots around the house. I feel so much better. I can do a lot of things, but I was definitely failing in this area. I grew up with a maid and I get sidetracked very easily and I was not born organized. It has never seemed appealing to me. But I am overcoming, thanks to Fly Lady and her clear explanations and lists of what to do. To a person who this does not come naturally to, lists are very important even including things like fix your hair, put on your make-up, figure out what you are going to make for dinner, etc. I have a ways to go, but I think I am on the right track. I just love it. Thank you Fly Lady.
Progression
Speaking of tracks, I think that is the important part of life. It's not where you are that is important so much as which direction you are headed. For example, someone could know and be doing a lot more than I am at this time, but if they are letting things slip or not improving and moving forward, then they are not headed in the right direction and eventually things will start to fall apart. My house may not look ordered and cared for, but if I am on the right track and improving each day, then eventually things will all come together and stay that way as I continue to improve and move forward. Maybe that's a little of what we're witnessing in our country today. We have been the greatest country, but we have not been on the right track that made us great, and now we are finally reaping the consequence of not being on the right track. I hope that makes sense, just let me know if you are totally confused.
Health
Lastly I wanted to talk about cleansing the body. For me, changing my diet has been life-saving. Basically what I do is focus on eating lots of dark green leafy salads, at least 2 a day and a green smoothie in the morning especially for the kids, and cutting out most dairy, meat and chemical laden products. I pretty much have to make everything, but it is easy now and we enjoy our meals. I could tell that my body was run down and not functioning properly. So this has been the other blessing I am truly thankful for. My body is not perfect still, but I am so much better off than I was. And I am on the right track. It was an extremely difficult transition and especially hard on extended family who show their love by sharing their food. Unfortunately it was that kind of food that was preventing me from accomplishing my goals and desires because of the undercover damage it caused. I've gone pretty slow, and I had to remember that although I wasn't perfect, I was a lot better than I had been the month before, and I was on the right track. So although it was a tough transition, now that I am benefiting so much from the results, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. I'll post more on that also sometime. I have a couple recipes on www.greattimetolive.com which I'll try to update and organize a little better. this also deserves a much longer explanation and post, but that will be for another day.
Thank you to all the all the people who have helped me so much in so many areas. I hope I can reciprocate by sharing and helping others.
DAG!!! (That means hello, good-bye, greetings, in Dutch)
Marriage
My most treasured blessing is my darling family, my husband and children. I had some attitudes as a teenager that could have easily interfered this blessing that I now treasure and enjoy so much. There was a lot I had to overcome personally in order to be ready to receive this blessing. Getting married was probably the hardest thing I have ever done. I had zero desire to marry after watching the sad problems of my parents who divorced a year after I married. But I will be eternally grateful to my Father in Heaven for guiding me and placing me with people and in situations that would help me change my attitude and perspective on marriage. The bottom line when I met my husband though, was that there was no other way to be with him than to marry him, so although I didn't like the idea of being married, I really liked the idea of being with him now and forever. This blessing is the one that has turned out to be way better than anything I could have imagined on my own. I thank the Lord everyday, because I know how close I was to missing it. And I know how sad and lonely it is to not have confidence in your family. I will post more on this subject in the future for the few out there who may be a little like I was. Getting married to the right person at the right time in the right place is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo worth it!!
Homemaking
The reason I originally started writing this post was for the cleaning part, but I had to put that plug in for marriage first -- so anyway--- .. My life has been a huge progression. I have learned a ton every year. Most recently, I have rediscovered FLYLADY. She has taught me how to get control of my house and my life and be able to accomplish all my lofty goals.
I started in January after my homeschooling sister-in-law raved over what a difference it was making for them. I had read the FLYLADY stuff before, but didn't follow it to the letter, just took the things I thought applied to me and left the rest like dress to your shoes every morning. Now though, I was desperate and in serious need of some help if I was going to be able to eat healthy, grow a garden, homeschool 5 kids and clean the house. I had pretty much given up the idea of ever having a clean house, but I decided to follow everything she said to the letter, and she was right--- I CAN do it!!! She is so encouraging too which was so helpful to me so that I wouldn't give up when I couldn't do everything. It took me a while to get the daily routines down, but over time I got them and was then able to add more. One little Babystep at a time as she calls it. My house looks and feels so much better. It's amazing what getting ready in the morning will do for a person. It's amazing how much better the kitchen looks when I close all the cupboards and take 2 minutes to clear out the hotspots around the house. I feel so much better. I can do a lot of things, but I was definitely failing in this area. I grew up with a maid and I get sidetracked very easily and I was not born organized. It has never seemed appealing to me. But I am overcoming, thanks to Fly Lady and her clear explanations and lists of what to do. To a person who this does not come naturally to, lists are very important even including things like fix your hair, put on your make-up, figure out what you are going to make for dinner, etc. I have a ways to go, but I think I am on the right track. I just love it. Thank you Fly Lady.
Progression
Speaking of tracks, I think that is the important part of life. It's not where you are that is important so much as which direction you are headed. For example, someone could know and be doing a lot more than I am at this time, but if they are letting things slip or not improving and moving forward, then they are not headed in the right direction and eventually things will start to fall apart. My house may not look ordered and cared for, but if I am on the right track and improving each day, then eventually things will all come together and stay that way as I continue to improve and move forward. Maybe that's a little of what we're witnessing in our country today. We have been the greatest country, but we have not been on the right track that made us great, and now we are finally reaping the consequence of not being on the right track. I hope that makes sense, just let me know if you are totally confused.
Health
Lastly I wanted to talk about cleansing the body. For me, changing my diet has been life-saving. Basically what I do is focus on eating lots of dark green leafy salads, at least 2 a day and a green smoothie in the morning especially for the kids, and cutting out most dairy, meat and chemical laden products. I pretty much have to make everything, but it is easy now and we enjoy our meals. I could tell that my body was run down and not functioning properly. So this has been the other blessing I am truly thankful for. My body is not perfect still, but I am so much better off than I was. And I am on the right track. It was an extremely difficult transition and especially hard on extended family who show their love by sharing their food. Unfortunately it was that kind of food that was preventing me from accomplishing my goals and desires because of the undercover damage it caused. I've gone pretty slow, and I had to remember that although I wasn't perfect, I was a lot better than I had been the month before, and I was on the right track. So although it was a tough transition, now that I am benefiting so much from the results, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. I'll post more on that also sometime. I have a couple recipes on www.greattimetolive.com which I'll try to update and organize a little better. this also deserves a much longer explanation and post, but that will be for another day.
Thank you to all the all the people who have helped me so much in so many areas. I hope I can reciprocate by sharing and helping others.
DAG!!! (That means hello, good-bye, greetings, in Dutch)
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Talk about Tuesday
I was just trying to post a comment on my good friend's blog and ended up joining her Talk about Tuesday project by accident so in case anyone links over from that, I thought I'd better at least acknowledge it.Let's see.... a new project or habit?
My goal for this week is to teach the kids how to mop the floor on their hands and knees and then dry it with their feet. They'll each get their own section with their own rag, spray bottle and drying towel. The dishes are done and the counters are clean and wiped and the family room is vacuumed and clutter mostly put away, so the prospect of this happening tomorrow look good!!
Work is good and I am very grateful for friends like Lazy and websites and books like www.flylady.net who have taught me how to clean and how to teach my children to clean in formal settings. I'm also grateful for the good examples I've had from many of my friends in informal settings. Having grown up with a maid and a very clean, love to clean mother, cleaning up after myself and teaching my children how to clean up after themselves has been a huge struggle for me!! But I think we're getting it, one baby step at a time!!
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