The Extremely Long Blog Entry...

We had an incredibly productive weekend around here! Saturday morning, we started by taking a whole car load of kids toys and clothes to a local garage sale that benefits our fire department. Then, we made a trip to the dump to get rid of a few things. We gave a chair to the church. We cleaned out the refrigerator. We exchanged all the winter clothes for summer clothes in every one's closets. We had a fire and burned up some things (pyro Dan's fav thing). Purging feels so good!

I've also been on a "green" kick, making my own laundry soap and cleaners for around the house. Before you have me flipping over to the left (I'm not) I'll explain my thoughts.

The Bible says in Genesis 1:26 that God gave man charge over all the living creatures. Genesis 1:28 -30 says this "God gave them his blessing and said "Have a lot of children! Fill the earth with people and bring it under your control. Rule over the fish in the ocean, the birds in the sky, and every animal on the earth.
I have provided all kinds of fruit and grain for you to eat. And I have given the green plants as food for everything else that breathes. These will be food for animals, both wild and tame, and for birds."

We believe that this Earth was made by our heavenly Father for our use. We are to use it's resources and take care of it and it's inhabitants. The news and "others" would have us believe that we are evil just living on planet earth, that the best possible scenario would be planet earth without humans! What a dangerous way of thinking!

I Do believe that we should do all we can to help our planet. This includes recycling, reducing, reusing, looking at ways that we can change some of the things we've done in the past that have been harmful.

So to that end, I've been thinking about ways I can change some things. I'm planting a garden this year to grow some of my own produce. I'll let you know how that progresses as we haven't planted yet due to our "northness". Is that a word? :)

I've begun making my own laundry soap not just because laundry soap has lots of icky chemicals in it but because I have several children with extremely sensitive skin. Here's my recipe for my own laundry soap - thanks to my friend Angie in Texas!


1 Bar of Zote = 6 cups shredded (I freeze after shredding, or leave on counter for a week to dry out) cost $.76 per bar at Wal-Mart
3 Cups Borax $2.99 at the grocery store or Wal-Mart
4 Cups Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda $2.29 at the grocery store or Wal-Mart
1/2 Cup Vinegar in the rinse cycle HUGE bottle (much bigger than Downy!) for $1.79

I then mix all together in my Kitchen Aid or food processor and store in a plastic tub. I use 1/4 cup per load (remember I do huge loads for 6 people) when washing, and add the vinegar to my softener dispenser in the middle of my washing machine. The vinegar helps rinse any remaining detergents off the clothes, helps set the colors, and softens the clothes.

I also realized that some of the chemicals that I bought at the store to clean my house were downright harmful! Have you ever come out of your bathroom after cleaning it and had your sense of smell totally whacked out because the chemicals were so strong? Our great grandmothers cleaned with baking soda, vinegar and borax so why can't we? I did a search on the Internet and came up with some good alternatives. The one that Dan and I just made to clean the shower and other tough areas is here:

Multi-Purpose Deep Cleaner
1 cup household ammonia
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup baking soda
1 gallon warm water

Mix well. I put this in a large, plastic jug and then fill a spray bottle with it. Dan cleaned the shower with this and it has never sparkled so much!

If you are still with me and read this LONG blog entry...bravo! I will step down off my soap box now and start making supper. We'll chat again soon!

Buurrrppp

Last night, we were all sitting around the table eating supper. Levi was finished eating and he let out a huge burp. Then he said, "And that's a sign that the tank is full!" We all just cracked up laughing.

Yup, that's my boy!

split pea soup

I've never made split pea soup and really never had a hankerin' to... until I tasted some that my friend Merrie had made. I always think of one of our favorite all time movies, Strange Brew, where Bill and Doug McKenzie are on the witness stand and ask for 2 bowls of "split plea soup to go".


Anyway, I had a ham bone from the ham we had on Easter and I thought it would be a great time to try it. I picked up some split peas at the co-op and I was ready to roll.


SPLIT PEA SOUP
1 lb. dried split peas (about 2 1/4 c.)
8 c. water
1 large onion. chopped (about 1 c.)
1 c. finely chopped celery
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 ham bone or 2 lbs. ham shanks, or smoked pork hocks
3 medium carrots, cut into slices
Heat peas and water to boiling in Dutch oven or large stock pot (allow room to prevent over boil). Boil uncovered 2 minutes; remove from heat. Cover and let stand 1 hour.
Stir in onion, celery and pepper. Add ham shanks. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 1 1/2 hours or until peas are tender. (Mine were done in less time.)
Remove ham shanks; remove ham from bone. Trim excess fat from ham; cut ham into 1/2-inch pieces. Stir ham and carrots into soup. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until carrots are tender and soup is of desired consistency, about 30 minutes. 8 servings (about 1 1/2 c. each); 425 calories per serving.

The bright green color... well, let's just say it made the kids turning up their noses but it's tasty, filling and cheap to make. I made a loaf of bread and dinner was served!

Samson

We took Samson to the vet a few weeks ago to get him current on his shots. The doctor was concerned about his size (ya think?) and said that he really needed his teeth cleaned.


So, yesterday we took the beast over to the vet to have this procedure done. He was transported to another office where his dental work was done today under anesthesia. The vet called to say that his teeth are much better but they had to pull two of his teeth because they were rotten. They also ran a heartworm test that came back negative for heart worm but positive for Lyme's Disease. They also did a blood test to see if his thyroid was working ok. We found out that he's also hypothyroid! No wonder the big, old boy just laid around and slept all day!


We will pick him up tomorrow and face the vet bill with frightened smiles on our faces. He will be on meds for his thyroid, an antibiotic for 21 days for Lyme's Disease and special doggy food for obese pooches.


Shelby had already begun a exercise regiment with him and I would think by the end of summer, we may have a more lively, active dog on our hands!



We miss him terribly! So, here's to Samson... the best dog ever!

He is not here, but is risen!

Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.' "

What a beautiful day we had here to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Saturday, we went to an Easter Egg hunt here at the dam. The kids didn't find one egg...did I mention we were a few minutes late. Everyone knows that these things are over in a couple of minutes. Anyway, someone handed the kids each an egg that we then turned in for a bag of candy.

After the Easter egg hunt in town we went to some friends house. They hid eggs everywhere in their yard and the kids had a blast hunting all over the woods.

As if that wasn't enough, we came home and dyed Easter eggs. Nothing like cramming it all into one day and making the kids extremely tired right before they have to get up early for church.

I put the girls hair up in foam curlers while they worked away. I've never used them before on my children. I remember spending most Saturday nights with foam curlers in my hair so that I would have nice, tight ringlets for church the next day. They thought they were fantastic! :)

Our Easter day was beautiful weather wise. We attended church and then came home to caramel rolls I had made that morning. We had a traditional ham lunch and spent the rest of the day outside and/or lazing around on the couch.

Not the best pic of all of them but you should see the rest! They are horrible! No one wanted to smile and they were irritated with us for making them stand there, and the sun was shining right into their eyes. Yes, I could use a photography class!

workin' girl

I feel like we are starting to get a rhythm going with the working thang. I come home in the morning and either work out or take a little nap on the couch until the kiddos get up and get going.

I actually slept well on the job last night except for the scratching noises from some critter on the roof about 12:30 a.m. It woke me with a start and I lay there for a while wondering what the sound was. I checked the house and then realized the sounds were coming from the roof.

Anyway, I think this all is going to work out well. I just have to remember to get enough sleep so I'm not a grumpy, head spinning, Cybil kinda mom. I do crawl into bed and wish I was cuddled up to Big Daddy but I have to remember what a help this is to my family. All things come in seasons, this is my season to do this.

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Dan has been busy staining the top of my table and then putting a poly on it. He started on Saturday and it needs to cure through the end of today. We've been eating in the living room and all over the place. Once, the kiddos were released from eating at the table, the whole house became their chow hall! I will be so glad to be able to use the table starting again tomorrow. Here's how the stain turned out on the top. I love it! It's dark and the poly isn't too shiny... I didn't want it have that wet look. Dan carved all of our names in the top and beat the wood up to make it have character. He did such an beautiful job on it! I don't think I've ever had a nicer present!

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We signed up to help in the soup kitchen in Brainerd the other night. Everyone went and everyone helped in some form or another. On the way, I talked to the kids about how we would meet people who do not look like/dress like/ smell like us but Jesus loves them so we can too by serving them.

We served about fifty people. The kiddos handled it extremely well. There wasn't one comment about any of the people we served. I think we'll sign up to do this on a regular basis. It's so good for all of us, helps us to realize that it really isn't all about us!