Tuesday, August 16

Letting Go

On my photography blog today I talked about the summer drifting away. And boy did it ever. It was here before I knew it and then before I knew it, it was gone.

But what I really started thinking about on Wednesday was how time slips away. And how hard it is to let go to that time sometimes.


Wednesday morning, Amy started junior high. Wow, 7th grade. How did that happen? As I dropped her off, she leaned over and gave me a kiss. I told her to have a great first day. She got out of the car and ran to see her friend Robi and hug her friends the way 12 year old girls do. And as I watched her begin her new adventure, all I could think of were the days of pigtails and naps and snack time and Barney and all the times before.

As a mom, you learn very quickly that one of your jobs is letting go. When they are born, they need you every second of the day. Then they grow up a little and can start feeding themselves. Pretty soon, they are crawling and walking and don't need you to carry them every where. Everyday, your kids grow and learn and become their own person. Everyday, you learn that you have to start letting go, because one day they will be all grown up and won't need you anymore. You can only hope that even though they won't NEED you anymore, that you have left an impression on their hearts and they will always return home.

Wednesday, July 20

You know what really sucks?

I will tell you! Not having a microwave. Our fancy-shmancy microwave isn't even that old. 5 years is all. We paid a small fortune for it. I loved it! Well, I used to. One day a few months back, I was boiling some water and it wouldn't do anything. So I said shucks and then moved on. The next day it worked fine. I thought maybe it was just a glitch or random act of microwave temper tantrumness. So, I avoided boiling water, thinking maybe the steam messed with the sensor, or whatever lame reasoning I had at the time.

Well, it is done now. Don't know why. But it is. My dilemma. I can't afford one like it. Do I buy a cheapy $50 mini microwave from Target to make my life a little easier? Or do I go back to the old school way of cooking. You know? The days before microwaves were the mainstay in our kitchens? The days when if you wanted to reheat left-overs, you put them in a pan and reheated. The days before you put one cup of water in the microwave to make tea, but actually boiled the water and made tea in a tea pot. The days you used a popcorn popper instead. Hmmmmm?

I think I was in 7th grade before we got our first microwave. And do you know, that 25 years later that microwave is still working? Meanwhile, my EXPENSIVE, fancy, BRAND NEW microwave does not.

That is what really sucks!

Saturday, July 9

Flowers, flowers, radishes and lettuce

Lots and lots and lots of flower pictures. Because, everyday I go out to my garden and new flowers have bloomed. Every one of them a sunflower, but every one of them different. 







Then, if you are like me and neglect your vegetable garden, you end up with...
 Radishes
Lettuce

Have a great weekend!

Tuesday, July 5

A little more...

So, my last post gave you a quick catch up. Now, how about something exciting. Well, perhaps.

By the way, did you notice my new flower at the top? Purty, right? My first REAL sunflowers that grew in my yard this year. I have more pictures I just may bore you with. But that will have to wait for a later date.

Today. Well, today is all about cleaning. Laundry, to be exact. I've heard about making  your own laundry detergent. That you can save a TON of money. A TON, I said. So, I thought I might as well give it a try. There are all kinds recipes hanging out there on the internet. You can look up and try for yourself. You can go with liquid or powder. I chose powder and went with the simplest recipe because I knew I could remember it next time I wanted to do it.

So, here is the recipe...



And here are my ingredients...


So, why did I choose Fels-Naptha over the other soaps. Well, for one, nostalgia probably. This stuff was a staple in our laundry room when I was growing up. Got a stain, get the Fels-Naptha. That little orange bar of soap was IT! I hadn't seen it in FOREVER, but still remembered how well it worked and thought that it would be my best bet for cleaning our clothes. But, I must admit, I still have a hard time saying it.

I ended up making a huge batch. 6 bars of soap, 6 cups of borax, 6 cups of washing soda.  So, it cost me about $14.00 to make my batch of laundry soap.

First, I grated the FN with a cheese grater.(This is after I tried putting it in my food processor and the noise was HORRIBLE.)


Then, I ran it through my food processor until it was nice and fine. About the size of couscous.


And then I put all the ingredients together in a tub, and mixed well.


Now, the exciting, good and almost unbelievable part of this is that you only need 1 TABLESPOON for a load of laundry. You read right. ONE. TABLESPOON. So, for the sake of science, I measured out my tub of soap and figured out that this much soap is approximately 200 loads. Actually more, but I took into account adding a little extra for those really grubby loads. And, I have to admit I am a bit of a skeptic so I add a little more than a Tablespoon per load.

So, the scoop on the soap... It works! And I really like it. Your laundry doesn't come out smelling all perfumey like some detergents. So, if you like perfumey than this probably isn't for you. I don't use fabric softeners, and since I started using this detergent, my clothes have been MUCH softer. My whites,  are nice and white. Well, I don't think I really have a negative.

I call it Prairie Soap because as I was grating away in the kitchen I could just picture myself in an old cabin on the prairie somewhere, in a prairie dress, with my hair tied back in a handkerchief, sweating as I cleaned, surrounded by wooden tubs of laundry created by my husband working out in the dusty fields all day.

And on a side note, let me tell you how well Borax cleans grubby showers. Our shower pan is old, old, old. And, no amount of cleaning with all of those super chemically cleaners has helped. The box of Borax had all these other uses which included cleaning your bathroom and tile. I took some Borax and sprinkled it on my shower floor, got it wet enough to make a paste and started scrubbing and what do you know?! It was cleaning better than all those expensive, smelly, hard on the hands cleaners. In fact, my cleaning cabinet is slowly changing from lots of expensive chemicals to more natural, old fashioned, things you have around the house items like Vinegar, Borax, Alcohol (for windows), Hydrogen Peroxide and such. But that is a whole 'nother story!

Saturday, July 2

A Super Quick Update

My last post was 2 months ago. Wow! That is pathetic. Well, let's start with some pictures to get the ball rolling....


Abby was "Billy" in her school play about Arizona. Cutest Billy I ever did saw.


My husband tested for his green belt at the end of May. Two weeks before he turned 40. Yep, he is old now and I am not too far behind. 






Amy posed in the park for me. 12 years old and cute. Dangerous combination.


My nephew Lucien came to visit. He brought his mom and dad too. 7 months old and adorable. Not such a dangerous combination.




Swim Team - Second Year for both my kids. They won't admit to liking it. But they do.




I love this picture. Like a little baby alligator lurking in the water, ready to attack at a moment's notice.


My first successful sunflowers. So BIG and so pretty.





My other kid. Bronco! He is cute, right! Slobbers a lot!

Sunday, May 1

10 and Older

Well, it's official. I am the mom to 2 kids in the double digits. 10 and 12. Abby had a fantastic birthday with an amazing cake and putt-putt golf on Friday, and her first slumber party on Saturday night with Cheesecake Brownies, Root Beer Floats, monkey bread in the morning with fruit and scrambled eggs. What more could a little girl ask for?





I told you it was an amazing cake... If you want one, go here or here. It was beautiful AND delicious!



Best part about golf. NO TEARS! Usually we have tears from one or both girls because they aren't winning. Finally they learned, it is about FUN not about WINNING! Happy Mom!




I don't really know why Abby likes that shirt so much. It is my work shirt. Yes, I work at ACE Hardware. She wears it ALL. THE. TIME. Funny kid.

Birthday weekend is over. Next up... Andy turns 40. Cake time!

Wednesday, April 27

This Blogging Thing

I tell ya, this blogging thing is a lot of work. I have been meaning to post like FOREVER, but the time gets away from me, and then I don't have a lot to say. At least nothing extraordinary. I don't know how blog-people do it every day. Between my job, my kids, homework after school, karate at night, gardening and on top of all of it trying to start a photography business, I just don't have any time.

So, for my loyal readers... are there any out there? Just a couple pictures to tide you over. This weekend is Ab's big birthday #10, so I promise to post something. I can't wait actually. My friend is making her cake and I just know it is going to be amazing and I am gonna have to tell you all about it! It is also her first birthday sleepover. We kept it small with only 3 other girls, but it should be interesting!


Walking to the park, pretty flowers along the way


My kids. The black one in the middle is my kid too!


Because I think that this is a face only a mother could love.



Are ya comin' mom?


Always with his nose to the ground!