A little more progress

Tonight we worked on the closet for the girls.

Jason had two little helpers...

One big helper...

and one conscientious objector (just kidding).

We have quite a bit to do still, but it's coming along nicely and we all are appreciating Jason's skills.

Last day of swimming with the cousins

Banana Pops

These are one of our favorite summer desserts but they're a little complicated to make (and take quite a bit of time) so I included step-by-step pictures of the process.
You'll need bananas, popcicle sticks (or wood skewers if that's what you have) and a baking sheet. 

Peel the bananas and cut in half.  Place on the baking sheet.

Invite your 4 year old to push the sticks into the bananas.

Pop those suckers into the freezer for a few hours.

Let yourself have a self-satisfied grin at a job well done!

You can make these babies extra special by dipping them in melted chocolate before freezing. 

Girls Night In

Rollin' on the river

When I was in junior high and high school, our youth group used to go on a float trip every summer down the Illinois river.  This past weekend I went on a rafting trip on the Illinois for my sister-in-law's bachelorette party.  Boy, how times have changed that place! 
When I was a kid we would run in to a few other parties but we mostly felt like we had the river to ourselves.  Now the Illinois River Survey says that some 300,000 people float it each year, most of them in the summer.  Saturday we were with other groups of people the entire time, even running into other rafts more than once because there was no where else to go.
We used to be about the rowdiest crowd on the river, with all our shouting, singing, and flipping canoes.  Now it's a mini Mardi Gras.
We did have a nice time, despite the partiers.  We spent 6 hours on the river, only going 6 miles.  We swam, talked, laughed, and all came back with sunburns.
Now that I've been, I would love to go again but next time I go I'll try to get there during the week so hopefully it will be less crowded.  

(photo courtesy of shopoklahoma.com)

Back to school basics

I realized this morning that we are only 5 weeks away from school starting.  I usually wait until the last minute to get school clothes and supplies for my children and end up shopping with the mob and being just as disappointed as everyone else when the stores have run out of a few items that I want.  Not this year! 

For the first time, our elementary school gave us the option of buying supplies through them and we jumped at the chance.  The price was comparable to what I have to spend going to the stores, plus I don't have to find individual lists for each of the grades or wade through the back-to-school crowds.  We paid for everything at the end of the last school year and they'll have the supplies for us when the kids return in the Fall.  It's genius, I tell ya!

Today I'd like to recommend a few products that we use and love. 
I've tried many kinds of reusable sandwich boxes and most of the lids don't stay tight after repeated use.  I love the Wonder Bread sandwich boxes (although you can find them at Walmart for about $3 if you don't wait until right before school starts-right in the cereal or bread aisle).
Kleen Kanteens are wonderful!  They have interchangeable tops so you can get the type that's just right for your child.  They don't leak and the kids are strong enough to open and close the sport tops.  They are pretty tough.  We've had ours for about a year and a half and they still look brand new.
There is such a large selection of lunch bags pretty much everywhere that we've never had a problem finding something that works.  Two things that I think are nice to have are zipper closures (rather than Velcro) and 2 separate compartments to keep hot and cold things separate.  I also like to have a few extras for when someone inevitably forgets a lunch bag at school or when I need to throw one in the wash.
Speaking of hot foods, our kids love their little thermoses.  They are the perfect size for some warm soup on a cold day.  Anything that is a little bit wet is safe inside these babies.  No spills, no leaks.
I use Rubbermaid blue ice to keep everything refrigerated but there are some cute ice packs available.
My kids tell me that most of their friends get new backpacks every year.  I generally just replace backpacks when the zippers break or when my daughter drags her backpacks over the cement until the bottom is shredded (hypothetically, of course!).  We had a preschool backpack from Baby Gap that lasted for almost 3 years and was a great size up through 1st grade.  Around 2nd grade they start needing a regular size backpack.  We like this one from Target.  It's pretty durable and has lots of compartments.
The only thing I have to say about back to school clothing is that great deals can be found at thrift stores, garage sales, and consignment sales if you're willing to spend a little more time shopping.  I often find brand new clothes at our local thrift stores with tags still attached.  I do always buy new shoes for my kids because I don't want any wear on the soles messing with the way they walk.  Plus, unlike clothes, most shoes can't be easily washed to get rid of germs and bacteria. 

Let me know if you have any great back to school tips!

To sew or not to sew

When the girls were babies I bought a bunch of pink toile and coordinating striped fabric (around 9 yards) because I wanted to make them bedding, curtains, etc. even though I had no idea how to sew.  I have since learned enough about sewing to be dangerous but have never done anything with the fabric, partly because it's such a big project, but also because now I feel like the pink toile is too fru fru for my girls.

Right now the girls' room is apple green with dark, medium, and light pink bedding with tiny green ribbons.  Over the years the girls have tugged on the ribbons, knotted them, unravelled them, and generally been rough on them.  

I am thinking about making bedding again, this time with the pink striped fabric (that I already have) and this fun green print and painting the room light yellow (like the yellow flower in the bottom left corner).

Another idea I have is to buy bedding.  I found a great deal the other day on some yellow, green, and blue comforters and shams that were on clearance but now I can't remember where I saw them.  Oops!  I'm going to need to find them again. 

I may do a combination of purchased bedding and making fabric headboards with the green fabric like this:

The other thing that I'm thinking about doing is refinishing the furniture to make it all white.  Right now we have two beds that are a honey maple, one metal frame bed, two matching unfinished pine dressers, and one espresso stain maple dresser.  The dark dresser and two maple beds are very old and I would probably be destroying their value if I refinish them.

So really, I haven't decided on anything.  Any bright ideas?  

Homemade salad dressing

Making homemade salad dressing is unexpectedly easy.  You can mix just about anything that sounds good together.  The best part is that it doesn't have any artificial flavors or preservatives.
Tonight I made Parmesan Garlic Balsamic Vinaigrette.  It was quite tasty.
Here's how ya do it:
1/4 c. olive or salad oil
1/2 c. balsamic vinegar (most vinaigrette recipes would call for a 1:1 ratio of oil to vinegar but I like it to be more tangy and have less fat)
1-2 T. real parmesan
1 tsp. minced garlic (about 1 medium clove)
salt and pepper

You can mix it up in any old bowl or pick up a dressing bottle that has a top and allows you to just shake it all up and then store any extra in the refrigerator.  They can be found at any grocery store with the packages of dressing mix.  One thing to note is that since there are no added preservatives, all the dressing should be used within about 2 weeks.

Another vinaigrette that I think is really wonderful is Rosemary Vinaigrette. 
1/4 c. oil
1/2 c. red wine vinegar
1 T. dried crushed rosemary
1-2 T. real parmesan, optional
salt and pepper

Two store bought combos I like mixing are salsa with light Ranch for taco salads (about 2:1) and, get ready for it, mixing light Ranch and Balsamic Vinaigrette together (about 1:1).  My mom actually came up with the second combination one time when she was about out of salad dressing.  It sounds scary but is actually very good, especially with cucumbers and tomatoes!

Closet dreams

Jason and I are building a closet for our three girls.  They share a long room upstairs that never had a proper closet.  I am so excited that they'll finally have a little more space and we'll be able to get rid of the ripped cloth one they've been using for the last few years.  I'm using this opportunity to start fresh in their room so after the closet is completed, new paint and bedding will be coming next (and hopefully new flooring as well).  I'll post pictures of our progress.
Here are some of where we're at now (of course I didn't take any true before pics):



Super Models

I bet you didn't know that I have two fabulous moms who just happen to be supermodels, did you? My mom is a super-model because she has showed me that when you do something, you should do it with all your heart. That hard work is important. That creativity is worth the effort. That God finds me beautiful. That children can't be spoiled with love.

My mother-in-law is a supermodel because she has showed me that loving is serving. That generosity is much more than just money. That spontaneity and flexibility are choices. That family is family, no matter the blood. That children can't be spoiled with love.

Old Fashioned Chicken

Recently I wanted to make a cake but was out of eggs. I searched online and found that you can use soda pop as a substitution. I tried it and it worked! I wanted to make chocolate frosting to go with it but was out of milk and cocoa (Are you noticing a theme? I got my hiney to the store today). I ended up using evaporated milk and a chocolate bar and we all thought it was quite good.

Because I had an almost full can of evaporated milk from the experimental frosting, I pulled out the only recipe that I could think of that uses evaporated milk: Old Fashioned Chicken. This is a dish I grew up with, athough I'm not sure if my mom came up with it or if it's been in the family for generations. It's not something I would typically make during the summer because the oven and stove are used, which heats up my kitchen, but once it was cooking I was so glad that I was going to get to eat it!


Old Fashioned Chicken
makes 8 servings

4 lbs. chicken, cut into pieces
1/4 c. flour
salt and pepper
cooking spray
8 oz mushrooms, quartered
3 cans whole potatoes
1 medium onion, cut into thin rings
2 cups evaporated milk, can use skim
1 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper


Mix flour, salt and pepper in a large zippered bag. Throw a few pieces of chicken in the bag and shake. Heat heavy skillet, spray with cooking spray and add floured chicken. Continue adding chicken to the bag, then into the pan until all the chicken is browned on both sides. Place in a deep pan. Add potatoes, onions, and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with evaporated milk. Cook in 350 degree oven until tender and the sauce thickens (a little over 1 hour). This is delicious served along with roasted asparagus!

The Laundry Bandit

This picture makes me laugh.

Every time I see it.

These are a few of my favorite things

Last night as I climbed into bed, I took in the fresh smell of my clean sheets and felt so relaxed, happy, and content. I started thinking about how sometimes even really simple things can be absolutely wonderful. Here's a short list of some of those simple things for me.

Coffee in the morning
Clean, crisp sheets
Little kid laughs
Naps
A good book
Sewing
Weekends
Dancing
Spending time with girlfriends
Sushi
Bedtime stories with my kids
Talking and laughing with my husband at the end of the day
Having my hair played with
Running in Autumn

Pushing buttons and Underwear

She's touching me!
He looked at me!
She took my toy.
He ate my gum!
She's wearing my shirt.
She choked the dog!
She called me a baby.

Because it's summertime, my kids are spending quite a bit of time together. We all are spending almost every moment together, in fact. The kids' conversations these days remind me of my brother and I when we were kids. He loved to see if he could get me to lose my temper. I don't think he ever failed.
He knew what to say and do to drive me up the wall. The thing that he loved to do more than anything was to pretend to open the top drawer of my dresser. This drawer contained my underwear and to a 6 or 7 year old girl, especially a super modest, neurotic girl, that was absolute torture. He didn't have to even go in my room, all he had to do was make me think he was thinking about opening that drawer and I would go ballistic.
One time, when I was about 4 or 5, my older sister had a check-up at the pediatrician's office and I had to go along. While we were waiting I asked my dad to take me to the the bathroom. When I was finished I told him I needed some help getting my pants up. He reached down to pull my pants up but they wouldn't budge. He pulled up a pair of panties. Then another pair. And another. He pulled up 5 pairs of underwear before he came to my pants. He asked me why I was wearing so many pairs of underwear. I told him that way the doctor couldn't see me naked.
Luckily, none of my kids are quite as strange as I was (or should I say am?). But they do know how to make each other crazy. After the first few weeks of summer I instituted our daily quiet time. It lasts one hour and no one is allowed to talk or make requests during that time. I try to make it happen every day when they all have had enough of each other, fighting, noise, or when they're just plain tired. They actually seem to like it, or at least accept it and the Momma loves it! This is one summertime tradition that may see a comeback next year!