Cricket's Day

We celebrated Cricket's Birthday again today. :) I guess he is having a birthday week. :) :)

The day went down kinda....well....shall we say wonky? Yes. The day was wonky.

First off....the construction crew was set to come this morning to rip out the walls. So J and I stayed up waaaaay to late last night finishing up everything we could to prepare. See...the more we demolish ourselves the less we have to pay them. (hourly rate and all) Plus, I had to make the cake last night. So....all of this led to a tired, tired morning for us. And the construction guys never made it here today at all. That is how it goes sometimes. (but don't worry, i will not lose heart)

Secondly....Cricket was really tired all morning. And he said his tummy hurt. He ate breakfast and played with his bros but he just seemed a little off. By lunch time we headed outside with a picnic lunch and he just laid on the blanket and looked at his sandwich. Now....if any of you know Cricket, you know how much that is just not like him!!!! He asked to lay down and rest. Um...okay little buddy. This all went down about 45 minutes before his birthday party was set to begin!

We had plans with friends to meet at a park to play and share cupcakes. He was really looking forward to it of course! I took his temperature and he was fine. So off we went.

We played with friends. The sun was shining. The wind was blowing gently. It was a beautiful day! But poor little Cricket was definitely not himself. He tried to play. He even smiled for a couple of pictures, but I could tell he wasn't feeling right. When it came time for cake, he didn't have any. Oh dear. He asked to go home. Okay. Then as papa and I proceeded to pack up and round everybody up.....little Cricket got sick. Oh dear. Oh, poor poor boy. Everyone was really great about it, but still. How sad is it to get sick on your birthday...especially in front of your friends? :(

To make up for it, we ran to the library and got Star Wars to watch while he laid on the couch. He requested a Star Wars Movie. He may have been sick, but the little man knows an opportunity when it comes knockin'. He said something like, "Can we get a Star Wars movie to watch while I rest since I don't feel good? It is my birthday you know." How could we say no? ;)

Anyway...here are a few pictures of the cake for those of you who requested them. :) It's a timber rattlesnake, Cricket's request.

see the dirt and rocks around it...those were Cricket's idea too. :)

the fangs are made of almonds

i'm not sure you can see it in the picture, but the rattle is standing up which is a defensive posture...so you better watch out! ;)

*sorry about all the little faces...i know that can be annoying but i'm tired and emotional today. please love me anyway. :) sorry too about the weird colored font in parts...too tired to fix it today...

To the Zoo

This past Saturday we celebrated Cricket's upcoming birthday by meeting Grandma and Grandpa at the Zoo.  It was a blast!

I hope you can tell which wild animal belongs to our family and which belongs to the Zoo!

Must go rip out cabinets now......Check back soon for an update.!

Eek! Get going!!

Yeah, talking to myself here...but get going Reba!!!!

You see....today we were informed that the construction crew is coming to rip out the walls next week already!!!! HURRAY!!! and EEEK!!!

So there may not be alot happening here on the blog for awhile because we have tons to do before they get here.  Like.....

finish packing up the dishes in the kitchen and finish setting up a makeshift kitchen in the spare room....

rip out the cupboards in the kitchen....

rip out the tile ceiling in the dining room....

clean out the laundry room and figure out where to store the machines....

take down the trim around the windows.....

take down the light fixtures....

order the cabinets....(at least we have them all picked out now)

buy the primer and paint....

prime and paint the cabinets.....

pick out a sink and faucet....

figure out what water filter to go with....

figure out how many and what kind of light fixtures and buy them....

and somewhere in there paint all the new drywall, repair the floor, and CELEBRATE CRICKET'S 6TH BIRTHDAY!

phew!  i'm tired just making the list.  

so...if you think of us in the next couple of days/weeks....pray for us!  My prayer is for us to get through this whole process with thankful hearts, calm spirits, and healthy bodies. (and perhaps a little money left in the savings too?!)

well...papa is putting the boys to bed....i'm going to brew a pot of coffee, put on my monkey pants, and get out the crowbar.  (huh...is that how you spell that? spellcheck says yes but it just looks so funny...)  i think i'm going to enjoy the ripping out part.....

Menu for the Week

Here's what's cookin' at our house....

M - Sloppy Lentils on whole wheat buns, fresh veggies & strawberry peach crisp

T - Quiche (scallion, spinach, mushroom & cheddar) w/ biscuits & the last jar of homemade grape jam!

W - Black Bean & Rice Burritos w/ fixin's

Th - Ginger Marinated Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry

F -  Vegetable Soup w/ homemade Beer Bread 

S - Lemon Rosemary Roasted Chicken w/ some kind of spuds and salad or asparagus (if enough is up by then...it's starting!)

S - homemade BBQ chicken pizza with salad

I'm also finishing the emptying of the kitchen for the remodel this week.  That means this is my last week to try to do some extra cooking or baking for the freezer.  I hope to make a couple of batches of bread and muffins and waffles and perhaps also some extra soup or chili to be reheated at a later date.  The ceiling and walls are coming down! Whoot!

10 things

10 things of a recent nature....to keep you up to date..(and because i'm sort of in a "doing" phase at present..)

1. We dyed easter eggs.

2.  We made these geode eggs. (actually grown salt and baking soda crystals)

3.  And hunted for plastic eggs filled with goodies at grandma and grandpa's Easter morning.

4.  We saw the first butterfly of the season while weeding the strawberry beds.

5.  We planned out our sunflower house soon to be planted.

6.  I wrote a mission statement.  Really!  It's an awesome idea and I'm soooo glad about it.  For more insight as to the why and how check out here.

7.  I woke up early early and had a good start to the day by a cup of coffee alone and some time to read and pray.  Followed by a trip to the bakery with Badger.  (note to self: remember how very worth it it is to get up before the kids do!)

8.  I baked a peach strawberry crisp while the 3 youngest boys napped and Badger did word searches.  

9.  Badger and I snuggled in on the couch, watched the rain and played Hangman.  His first time learning the game and he really enjoyed it.  I think it was my favorite part of the day today!

10.  We found out about the annual Sandhill Crane count and are making plans to join in.  Look into it if you wish.

That's what we've been up to.  What about you?  What's up in your neck of the woods? We'd like to know.  Leave us a comment with your news or a link to your news.  :)

25 things I don't want you to know about me

Inspired by this post from this cool blog that I've stumbled upon I've decided to follow suit and give you an honest list.  Oh, and the woman who wrote that blog has a new blog all about helping Mom's be more purposeful.  It's great!  Go ahead and check out her other blog too.  

So...here's my list.....

1.  I spend way too much time reading other people's blogs.  And thinking about what I'm going to write on my blog. 

2.  Sometimes, when the dog is quiet in her kennel, I actually forget that we have a dog.   

3.  I secretly feel a strange satisfaction when vacuuming up a lego or other small toy.  Like it's just a test of how strong my vacuum is or something....with little or no concern for the boy's feelings who owns the lego.

4.  I sometimes fall asleep while praying.

5.  I pray when I'm in the bathroom.

6.  I have been using disposable diapers for three weeks now (for the baby!) and haven't changed back because I love how easy they are.

7.  I need to lose 70lbs.  Yeah, that's a big number. 

8.  I think about my looks too much.

9.  I spend too much money on groceries and am really bad at following "the budget" in this one area.

10.  I am really bad about putting the clean laundry away and I make excuses about why I can't get it done.

11.  I am a little obsessed with the dirt that is in the cracks of the unfinished wood floors in our house.  Sometimes I waste time by vacuuming all the little cracks meticulously, all the while the dirty dishes are waiting or the clean laundry waiting.

12.  I have moments regularly where I'm only pretending to listen to my children.   You know...one of them is talking to me and I'm saying all the right things but I'm not really listening....

13.  I hate being late.

14.  I get frustrated when my kids touch me too much.  Too much hugging, nursing, hanging on, hand-holding makes me angry (or something).

15.  I love to start projects, but am pretty bad at finishing them.  

16.  The whole time I am writing this I keep thinking about the cinnamon rolls in the kitchen and how there are enough that if I ate one no one would know.

17.  I have a plant in my bathroom that I'm purposefully not watering because I "don't like it".  I can't explain why I don't like it, but I would like to use the pot for something else.....

18.  I really don't like being misunderstood, so I feel the need to overexplain things quite often.

19.  Sometimes I get tired of explaining so even though someone has misunderstood me I just go along with it.  Like that one guy who for the whole time in college thought my name was Rachel.

20.  I am really bad at returning things to the library on time.

21.  I always make a big joke about paying my fines at the library but really secretly, I'm disappointed with myself for not returning things on time.

22.  I like being "right" far too much.

23.  I like "knowing" far too much.

24.  I am afraid of bees.  And I'm afraid of my kids getting stung by bees.  (that's so random, but what can i say? it's true!)

25.  I sometimes like to watch things on TV that are not worthwhile, because I like to see the "pretty people" and see what they are wearing.  (weird, right?)

Ok.  That's my list.  See.  I'm a real person.  Hopefully next year at this time some of those things will be not on my list anymore.

What about you....what's on your list?

Armadillos and Buying in Bulk

Reason number 23 for buying groceries in bulk?

Armadillos.  

Yes, that's right.  Armadillos.  We love to eat Armadillos!  They are just the perfect snack. Healthy and sweet and some protein to keep you going! And I would've never discovered how to make armadillos if I had chosen to stay in my comfort zone and not ask the lady at the Natural Food Co-op about ordering groceries in bulk.  :)

But, now, see, I get all kinds of things in large quantities.  Which is great for so many reasons but mostly I like how it's sparked some creativity in us to figure out what else we can make with our 25 lb. bag of rice or our 50lb. bag of wheat berries. 

(the giant raisin jar...little owl's favorite thing in the kitchen i think)

The armadillo recipe we came up with in order to use two of our favorite things that we buy in bulk....peanut butter....and raisins.  Both come in a 5lb. quantity.  (although I'm thinking about making the jump to the 10lb. jug of peanut butter because, well...why not?)  

Here is our recipe for armadillos.  

1 cup organic peanut butter, preferably the crunchy variety

2 T. to 1/3 cup of honey, depending on how sweet you like it or how dry your PB is

2 T. cocoa powder

a large pinch of cinnamon

2/3 c. raisins

1 1/2 to 2 cups pecans, chopped 

In a glass bowl of medium size, mix together all the ingredients besides the pecans.  With clean hands make small teaspoon size balls of the mixture and roll them into the pecans making sure to press the nuts into the balls so they stay put.  Chill.  Eat.  Yum!

*porcupine variation** in place of the pecans use the same amount of toasted unsweetened coconut.  (super good too)

I encourage you to figure out a way to buy in bulk some of the things you use in your everyday cooking experiences.  It simplifies things so much!  It saves money, time, and packaging!  And I have found there is less temptation to order out food because of my usual excuse of "there is nothing to make" because I always have rice and beans now!  I always have wheat! I always have rapadura and oats and peanut butter!  I am so thankful that we have such a huge variety of food in our lives.  We really are so blessed.  And for me, buying in bulk is one small step toward being a good steward of what we've been given.  Plus, it means porcupines and armadillos for afternoon snack. :)