I suppose every day can’t be perfect. *Grin*

I woke up this morning and something told me to go look in on my son. I never do, he hears me awake and runs out of his room to greet me! Sweet kid, Huh? HA-HA!

Let’s just say that the good Lord knew that I would only be able to handle ONE son!

I walked into his room and he ran out. My eyes dash over to the window sill and the window. I can’t see out the window because of all the smudges. I look down at the window sill and think to myself…”I thought it was brown, why is it purple now?” I look on his bunk bed which is also brown wood and see that it is now purple. I look to his super bouncy horse, the coils all have this gooey brown stuff jammed into them. I look to the floor, Who could miss that!! There is dust galore all over the rug, the rug that I just vacuumed last night so I would not have to today!!! My ears are ringing..what is that noise? I walk over to the air filter to see bingo pieces jammed into the vents and the fan is rattling like mad….Speaking of mad..I am ripping mad and have images of the mother from Mommy Dearest…smacking the floor AND her child with the wire hangers!!!

I entertain the idea for a brief moment..Hmmmm, I don’t think I have any wire hangers..OR do I?

I walk back out of the room and into the kitchen where my son is sitting on his school stool asking me for breakfast and telling me that he is ready to start school now.

I take a deep breath, ignore him and walk back into my bedroom to pray..Pray for the Lord to remove my anger and realize that he is just a little boy with a VERY vivid imagination. He is artistic, YES, that is it!!

The little voice is still playing over through a loud speaker in my head though…BUT, BUT, He should know better! What kind of kid does something like this????? Where did MY kid go????? Whose kid got dropped off at my house???

I come out of my bedroom and ask my son about his room. He answers with  head down…I made a big mess…I’m sorry mommy.

This coming from a kid who doesn’t like to go pee in a dirty toilet or eat at the table if he sees some crumbs on it…AND, is constantly telling me that his room needs vacuuming and what day will I be vacuuming it again?

Last week, I told him that I think he deliberately peels his crayons and leaves them on his floor..JUST so I can vacuum them up..So… I taught him last week how to use the vacuum and vacuum his own room every day if he wants!

OK, so I call my husband at work so he could calm me down, He is Mr. Calm Cucumber…. and it worked for the most part.

I then did what any other mother would do…I told him to go say good-bye to ALL his toys.. I told him evidently, he was board and he didn’t need his toys to occupy him so they were all going bye-bye. I took a big black trash bag and filled it up to the top.

I must say, his room looks amazing now. He has his nightstand,  bed,  futon and his wonder horse..which if I had the room to place that some where..it would have been gone too! His two younger sisters do use it though but there is no room in their room for it.

Not a toy in site..all his trucks and race cars, play mat, even his stuffed animals.

I then spent 45 minutes with a bottle of lemon oil, Clorox wipes and Windex. Couldn’t get the purple crayon off his bed though..OH, and his walls are purple… he will have to live with it I guess. I still can’t find the crayon..maybe he ate it to dispose of the evidence for good?

I then moved his bed and then spotted  some of the the evidence in the corner. A old tube of clear lip-gloss from my daughters, now empty and a brown lipstick…I think that was mine..I still don’t know where he found it though.

Anyway, I guess we all have those days..not all days are perfect..no matter what picture we try to paint….I actually do feel better, now that I blogged about it. *GRIN*

Has anyone ever had to deal with something like this? Or is it just me? LOL

The last time I had to tackle a mess this big was almost 2 years ago..Guess it was due..I thing I wrote about it back then. My little read head was suppose to be napping and she found some diaper cream and painted it all over the babies changing table. PHEW, that was such a sticky mess to have to clean up!!

Crock Pot Spanish Beans

1 bag of pinto beans OR 4 cans (Can beans are already cooked, so just place them in the crock for a couple hours to heat and let the  bacon cook.)

4 slices of uncooked bacon

1 cup of cheese (optional)

Several cloves of garlic OR garlic powder to taste

1 t salt

1 t chili powder

1 t minced onion OR onion powder
Rinse Pintos in a strainer and place them in your crockpot. Add bacon slices, cover with 3″ of water.Cook on low for 6-8 hours until tender. If you like them mushy like refried beans cook them a bit  longer. The bacon gives these beans a very yummy flavor. After  their done remove the bacon and sprinkle cheese over the beans.

You can scoop them into bowls and serve with a tossed salad OR You can place it all in a big bowl and pass out Corn torilla chips and let everyone dip! This is very filling, and  Great for movie night!! Serves 8

I’ll be adding the picture later when DH fixes the camera dock.

I just made this delish lemon curd. I never made it before and am kicking myself now. This is so easy to make and great to add over freshly baked scones or a bunt cake. I made a yogurt bunt cake. I had some leftover yogurt that needed to be used up. I will be drizzling this over the cake when it comes out of the oven. YUM!

Easy Lemon Curd

1 cup of lemon juice (I squeezed a bag of lemons but you can use bottled if need be)

1 1/2 cups of sugar

4 large eggs

1 T of lemon zest (If you use lemons… just grate some of the skin,that is zest is.)

1 stick of butter

Heat all the ingredients in a saucepan, except the butter. After it is all warm, throw the butter in and melt it. Keep whisking over a medium heat until thickens. About 7-10 minutes. After it is slightly cooled,strain it. This removes the lemon zest and makes it smooth. I have a friend that adds a pinch of corn starch to make it extra thick. She spreads it on toast. It is optional.

1 bag cranberries, rinsed
Juice from a lemon
3 ripe persimmons, peeled and diced
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp of sea salt

Fresh Rosemary spring (optional)

Add all ingredients to a saucepan. Stir. Place pan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and cook for about 15 minutes or until the cranberries burst, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow cranberry sauce to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Now I need to look for some pecan recipes. Pecan pie is just too rich. Our pastor has 1000’s of ripe pecans all over the ground from his trees. We had fun munching them raw yesterday. I cringe that we spent 8 dollars for a bag last month at Sams!!

In these days when things are getting worst then they were during the Great Depression, we find ourselves thinking of ways to save money and have more with less. Too not depend so much on the world… in order to survive and make due. Many of us are learning how to be more self sufficient. There make very well come a day..SOON, that the only ones who will survive, are the ones that know how to make due without life’s luxuries.

Here are some ways that may help you along your journey.

1) Solar electricity
2) Limited power- house electricity with golf cart batteries,Yes, it can be done.
3) Composting toilet outside. (It is 28 degrees outside  and I just got done using an outhouse an hour ago!) Brrr, but liberating!!
4) No road to house… You gotta walk, save that gas, and get rid of that fuel guzzler while you’re at it!
5) No running water in house, not a problem, Water pumped by wind will do.
6) Showers solar heated….. outdoors.(Get in touch with creation)
7) Heat with wood. One stove in house, providing you do not live in a mansion..will be suitable.
Cook with wood in the cold months and propane in summer months. (Propane is cheaper, our grill has burners on it..so neat!)
9) Fuel-wood could be from trees that you plant.
10) No refrigerator… no problem, Buy as you need and you will never throw out another left over again and you’ll lose weight not having so much in the house. (I don’t think I could handle this, but know many who could.) Many things that we refrigerate do not need refrigeration at all such as, cheese, butter and eggs. Yes, they have  a shelf life! Most folks don’t know that. You can also brine and can your meats. Cooked chicken and ground beef is a great start. Powdered milk, mixes as you need it..What else do you have in your fridge anyways?
11) Big garden.Pick as you need! SUPER HEALTHY!
12) Eat locally when possible. Support mom and pop shops or better yet, barter with your neighbors.
14) Earth sheltered solar greenhouses (Research this!)

That is it for now!! :o)

I have been wanting one of these for a while now..Isn’t it the coolest? Does anyone know what it is?

On another side note..I have been looking all year for a white bathrobe for my son. He likes a terry cloth robe for after the shower. He had a Disney one a couple years ago with a hood but is too small now and I do not have the 40 bucks to spend right now for a new Disney one!

 It seems like they make dozens and dozens of little girl terry bathrobes in every pattern and color you’d ever need, but for little boys..they get stuck with a boring old velour one from Walmart that wears and tears after the first few washes. Well, today I came across this white terry cloth one.Like new…the only problem is..it says DAVID on it and my sons name is not DAVID. Would it be totally wrong of me to iron on a Nascar patch over the David name?   Who would know..  *scratching my head*

As my son is getting older, his tastes are changing..he wants a more big kid look.. He wants to style his hair different then how mom does it and wants to wear cool clothes! lol

I did luck out and find him 8 pairs of Gap & Old navy jeans and fleece/flannel lined pants for under 10 bucks last week. They were all pressed and ironed even.They were flawless and looked like they were not even tried on!! Just when i was doubting ebay..BAM!! I was so excited when I opened the box, it made me wish I was a 5 year old boy!!!! HA-HA Just kidding!! lol

I put them all away for Christmas and now I have 30 something days to come up with some “cool” sweaters and long sleeve shirts to match these cool pants. :o)

I refuse to pay 30 bucks for one little boys shirt at Gap, so will continue my Ebay search each day. Somethings got to give. I browsed the boys at Walmart last week and was anything but thrilled. I saw spider man and the hulk sweatshirts and a few hanes ones..but nothing my son, nor I, would consider cool. Oh, and I did not see much for sweaters other then one with a reindeer with a blinking nose on it…Wonder if it will still blink after it gets washed and dried.. Anyway…the search is on!!! If all else fails..I will have to go to Target. I just hate spending 10-15 bucks for  one garment of cheapo clothing that is not going to hold up a year. I would rather buy a “like new” namebrand that has more thread count and can withstand a beating.

Big weekend ahead of us. I need to cook for a bunch of people for tomorrow nights church event.

I will be making a lovely Tiramisu Bowl  for dessert, and Cheddar Topped Sheperd’s Pie for the main course.

The kids will be making their Chocolate homemade marshmallows .

On a side note, we watched two kid friendly movies last night with the kids. Santa Clause 3 and Mr. Beans Holiday. Both were Rated G if I recall.

Ok, off to start my cooking and help the kids finish their 1000 piece Hallmark puzzle! *fainting*

Here are a few of the the things I got the kids for Christmas. :o) I also did them each a stocking.

Everyone got shoes. The baby needed hers now so she got hers early. I got my two oldest each a pair of sock money slippers. I got my oldest a pair of Vans tennis shoes.Her foot jumped up to a size 7!!

 My son got a pair of black basketball hightops. My little redhead a pair of slip on Keds. My middle daughter a doll with matching book. Each of my daughters got a modestly dressed barbie doll too. Not shown is a tent/T-pee/tunnel thing that I got off craigs list for the baby. It will take up the whole play room. My oldest daughters had it when they were little and loved it so much. I was thrilled to find it on craigs list for only 20 dollars! It runs for $75.00. My little red head has a birthday next week too. I was blessed with a very large doll house given to me for her. Can’t wait to see her expression when she sees it!!

I also got each child some clothing and books and my oldest got a Vera Bradley wallet that she has had her eye on.

That is pretty much it. As for me…DH gave me my presents early. A dishwasher that I picked out myself..It only costs $27 dollars a year to run. And a new bigger crock pot that I have been wanting.

My Dh is just wanting some new smaller size clothing so i am hoping to get him a few Polos.

My mother and MIL will each be getting a framed picture of all five kids..

Has anyone else finished their shopping yet?

I have been teaching my son how he should treat girls. Being a gentleman to his mother and sisters will reflect how he treats his future wife.

So today I got to see him in action. He sits down to paint with his little sister and tells her that because he is a gentleman..she can choose which paint brush to use first. (They generally argue who gets the blue one.)

Then about an hour ago, they are getting ready to go outside to play in the sand box. My daughter does not like the cold weather to much. It has been in the 50’s each day here.

 So, he tells her to come play outside with him in the sandbox and not to worry about getting cold, because he will give her his warm coat and gloves if she gets to cold!! Ahhhhhh..It melted my heart…

As I was watching them outside, all the sudden after about 20 minutes my daughter tells him she is too cold. He tthen akes off his gloves and puts them over hers and then asks if she also needs his coat..

They were both so cute..Be still my heart…

h’ouderves:

Melted Brie w/toasted almonds and brown sugar,served w/crackers
Tortillas and salsa

Main Course:

15 lb organic free-range turkey
Homemade mashed potatos & Gravy
Sweet Potato praline casserole
Tossed salad w/homemade vinergarette
Corn bread stuffing
Dinner rolls
Cranberry Relish

Dessert:
My daughters birthday is on Thanksgiving so we will have her birthday cake and ice cream,a blackberry pie and
Pumpkin Flan in a Pastry Shell.

Drinks:

Sweet Tea,Diet Pepsi,peppermint coffee,hot apple cider and Eggnog to choose from.