Am I the ONLY ONE ....

with dial up??????????

I dream, I pray, I wish..... that it would come to my neighborhood! BUT alas, NO, they are not coming anytime soon!!!!!! The lines are 1 mile from me, and still........ NOT HERE!!!!!!!
SURE, I can pay $80+ for a dish on my house... but FOR REAL... UMMM.... NO!!!!

So, really, am I the only one left???

Makes me think of way back when when my hubby and I were dating and everyone I knew my age was having sex... and I kept asking him... " I AM THE ONLY 21 yr OLD VIRGIN ON EARTH?" SOOO, AM I THE ONLY DIAL UP COMPUTER??????

THURSDAY CHALLENGE!!!!

Todays challenge is going to be alittle different!!!!
Todays challenge isn't about doing something in your home,
Today you are going to do something for you!!!!!!!
Today you are going to get in a work-out!

SOOOOO.........

Today I want you to

take a walk,

ride your bike,

jog in place,

do a work out tape,

ride your eliptical,

walk on your treadmill,

dance with your children,

run up and down your stairs,

etc....

DO SOMETHING FOR YOU TODAY!!!!!!!

And then, try doing it atleast 4 more times before next weeks challenge!!!!!!!!

And the winner is......

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:9
Timestamp: 2009-01-29 18:54:12 UTC


Using Random.org, I came up with MaryAnne! Congrats!!!!!!!!
Please leave a message letting me know what prints you would like!

For the rest of you...

I am having a sale in my shop...

Spend $20 and get a FREE DOLL DIAPER....

BUT for all my BLOG READERS...

If you buy a 4 pack of Diapers,

I will send you a FREE one with your order!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just put FREE DIAPER BLOG in the etsy message area!

What's New Wednesday??!!

OH, it has been awhile since I updated my life.... so here goes....

• I finally booked a hotel for our 10th anniversary get away next month! Yeah!
• I booked a hotel for a short weekend getaway snowmobiling with my hubby and his brother for the weekend after our long weekend getaway!
• I am getting used to NOT working every weekend, in fact I don't work any weekends anymore... :-(
• I am getting sick of below zero temps and want it to warm up soon! But not too warm, I still want to enjoy the snow!
• We are getting ready to tile a back splash in our kitchen!
• I am working on sewing up enough stuff for a craft fair in March.
• We started a new budget at the beginning of the year, and so far we are sticking to it (HEY, come on... I know it is only the 28th, but still.....)
• The school year is exactly 1/2 way done!
• I am planning a long weekend getaway with a girlfriend of mine for this fall! She has a free flight for me, and I plan on selling ALOT of my things...LOL!
• We are starting to plan out our garden! Only 4 more months till we can start planting outside... 3 until we start some plants inside!!!!!!! I AM SOOOO EXCITED! And, just 5 mo. until we can pick fresh strawberries!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gratituesday: SNOW!

I know, what a silly thing to be grateful for today... but here is the scoop....
About 10 yrs ago, right before we got married, my hubby told me he was buying a snowmobile... WHAT, WHY, Why are you brining Debt into the marriage???? UGH, but of course, there was NO stopping him.... Then 2 years later, I bought him a used one he had his eyes on. I surprised him with it and he loved it!!!!!!!! We went on a snowmobiling trip when our oldest was just 7 mo old (YES, that was 8 yrs ago... SAD) and didn't really go anymore that winter of 2001. Then in Jan. of 2002 I had my 2nd baby and finally got to do some snowmobiling... Ever since then... there has really NOT been enough snow to hit the trails.... sooooooooo our sleds just sat there.... not being used... BUT this year.... we are taking a weekend away with my hubbies brother. We actually got to go just a weekend ago for a few hours on my brother inlaws snowmobiles! It has been great fun, and for that I am grateful! I love snowmobiling and wish every year there was enough of the white stuff to go!!!!!!!! THANKS LORD FOR THE LOVELY SNOW THIS YEAR!
To read more gratituesday posts, head to heavenly homemakers

Bloggy Giveaways...

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS BEEN GIVE AWAY!!!!!!!!! CONGRATS MARYANNE!

So there is this AWESOME Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival going on, and I have decided to give away 2 Doll Diapers for the give away, in any print you like! SOOO, visit my shop sewinlove and look at all the great prints I have! Then leave a comment here, telling me WHO you would give them too, and why!!!!
Then visit dont try this at home for LOTS more giveaways!!!!

Random # drawing will be on Thursday!

Mission Monday....

SOOOO, did you all get your mission done this week?????




Here is my basket now.... there is only the $4 TARGET prescription list in there, and about 7 recipes yet to be filed..... NOT BAD!

TODAYS MISSION:
SEEK AND DESTROY CLUTTER IN ONE CLOSET!
PICK A CLOSET, ANY CLOSET.....

did you pick your closet????
Now you need to figure out your plan of ACTION!

Where do you start?

What is our GOAL?

Does the stuff have a real home or do you need to make one for it???

What do you NEED to get the job done???

Here is how my mission will pan out!

ACTION: Empty out the closet and re-organize it!

GOAL: A more functional Front Entry Way Closet

NEED: I need NOTHING...

Make your PLAN OF ATTACK -----ACTION!

Decide what GOAL you have for the PLACE you are working on!

What will you NEED to get it done!!!!!

THEN tackle it.... Maybe it will take just 10 min, or maybe you will need to split it into a few sessions!!!!!! Only you can decided....

YOU HAVE ONE WEEK TO COMPLETE YOU MISSION! SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO COMPLETE YOUR MISSION, YOU WILL HAVE A NEW CLUTTER FREE AREA IN YOUR HOME!
JOIN ME AGAIN NEXT WEEK TO TACKLE ANOTHER MISSION on MONDAY!

THURSDAY CHALLENGE!!!!

OK, for todays challenge, I am asking you to get down on you hands and knees! Yes, you may pray while you are down there, but really what I want you to do it SCRUB ONE FLOOR IN YOUR HOUSE! YES, a good ol'fashion cleaning with a bucket and a rag!
While you are down there, wipe the baseboards and up the walls some! Clean the corners good too!
I for one and going to work on my laundry/mud room. This floor gets sooooo dirty this time of year with the kids going in and out! They usually beg me to let THEM mop it, and they usually do the job, but for today I am going to be the one to give it a GOOD CLEANING!!!!!!!!

I know you have 15 min to do this to bless your home today!

I can't believe I forgot to share this...

OK, I have to share something super funny that my kids said this past weekend!

Story setting is this.... Lucas and 3 friends and our other 3 children are all sitting around the kitchen table starting to eat pizza and applesauce for the birthday party

Lucas-" This apple sauce is homemade, we made it this summer! So is this Pizza Homemade, my mom made it from scratch! The Cookie cake we are eating later is Homemade too, my mom made it, I asked her to!"

Friend- "YOU ARE HOMEMADE!"

I turned and said "HE IS HOMEMADE!"

My oldest than said "I AM ORGANIC!"

I said "YEP, RIGHT FROM GOD!"

Oh, it was so funny! I always tell my kids that some other kids never have homemade food and that they are lucky to have me...LOL, I know, I am brainwashing them, but whatever works, RIGHT!!!!!!!!

By the way, here is the COOL HOMEMADE cookie cake Lucas asked for!

(Of COURSE, WHY would it NOT flip my photo??? CAN ANYONE HELP????)

May I scream????

WOW, I just wanted to brag for a moment! Remember my new BLOG feeding6 , well, yesterday I had 106 hits and today I am ALREADY UP TO 80! I will let you in on the secret though... I linked up to another blog for their Freezer Meal recipe Carnival! That helped A TON I am sure! But either way, I AM SUPER EXCITED about all of it! That is more hits in a day than I could ever imagine!

THANKS for letting me brag! Here is a fun photo to make you smile today! This was take 2 yrs ago. Makes me smile whenever I look at it1

Gratituesday: The Child Called It!

I don't know if this is really something to be grateful for, but I started reading the story "THE CHILD CALLED IT" yesterday when my back hurt so bad, I couldn't function anymore! (FEEL PITY? LOL!) I cried though the chapters I read, and my son asked me "MOM, are you reading that story about the boy who was beat by his mom?" "YES, trev I am..." "MOM, why did she do that to him?" "Trev, I have no idea?" "MOM, where was God when he was being beat?" UGH, I didn't have an answer.... Where was God? WOW, what a profound thought for an 8yr old (this is the same boy who when I told him he could swear all he wanted as long as NO ONE heard him, he said to me "MOM, but God will hear me!" )
SO, today I am grateful for all my friends here who can help me out and give me something to say to my son who wants to know "WHERE WAS GOD MOM?"
THANKS so much!
To read more gratituesday, go to Laura's Blog

Mission Monday....

OK, so I am going to try my hand at a new MONDAY idea...

MISSION MONDAY!!!!!

Your Mission, SEEK and DESTROY....

CLUTTER!!!!!!!!!

Unlike your Thursday Challenge, YOU get to CHOOSE when you will DESTROY CLUTTER!

I will just TELL you what to do when you get there!!!!!!!!

OK, Here Goes!

TODAYS MISSION:

SEEK AND DESTROY CLUTTER IN ONE AREA!

PICK A HOT SPOT, SOMEWHERE THAT IS BUGGIN YOU!

(mine will be the basket on top of my Toaster Oven, this is where I shove Recipes to be filed, the big basket on the right.... The one of the left is where we shove Box Tops For Education and such.... It had a haul over a few weeks ago!)

SOOO, did you pick your place????

Now you need to figure out your plan of ACTION!

Where do you start? What is our GOAL? Does the stuff have a real home or do you need to make one for it??? What do you NEED to get the job done???

Here is how my mission will pan out!

ACTION: Clean out basket and file the recipes away where they belong.

GOAL: Empty or ALMOST empty basket when I am done.

NEED: I need NOTHING... I already have a great Recipe Filing system in place, I just might need to get my hands on some more Plastic Sheet cover thingies! For now I will just place them in the inside of the 3 ring binders I use.... If I don't have enough Plastic Page Protectors.

Make your PLAN OF ATTACK -----ACTION!

Decide what GOAL you have for the PLACE you are working on!

What will you NEED to get it done!!!!!

THEN tackle it.... Maye it will take just 10 min, or maybe you will need to split it into a few sessions!!!!!! Only you can decided....

YOU HAVE ONE WEEK TO COMPLETE YOU MISSION! SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO COMPLETE YOUR MISSION, YOU WILL HAVE A NEW CLUTTER FREE AREA IN YOUR HOME!

JOIN ME AGAIN NEXT WEEK TO TACKLE ANOTHER MISSION on MONDAY!

THURSDAY CHALLENGE!!!!

Ok, since I am in a deep freeze where I live.... and I can't go outside... I am going to choose a little longer challenge today! Maybe one that might take you an hour or so all together.....

TODAY WE ARE GOING TO CLEAN OUR FREEZERS OUT! I am going to work on my basement freezer... here is my before photo....

NOW, take everything out...boxes and coolers (use the coolers if you are in a warmer place... I plan on putting my outside, since it is WELL BELOW ZERO HERE!) Next, un-plug and defrost it... I used my hair dryer and a flat head screwdriver to get off the ice. This went much faster than I thought it would, 10 min max! Since it is so cold outside where the food was, I could have just let it thaw itself while I went about my day, but then I would have had to drain it somehow or wipe up all that water!

(why does it flip my photos sometimes??? GRRR!)

When you are done, wipe the inside dry and then RE-Organize your things.... This is a great time to do a FREEZER INVENTORY SHEET... You can use this one or this one or even this one (scroll down to #2 PDF file) or you can make up your own! Knowing what is IN YOUR FREEZER will make MEAL PLANNING much easier!

Sooo, here it is, my clean out and organized freezer! Isn't the Frozen Pumpkin on the Left side wonderful??? Had so much I had to share it! AND the great news is, I only threw out a small package of 3 brats (they were well over a year old) and a tube package of turkey, I really don't even know where it come from!) Although I will have to admit, we cleaned out the freezer last april when we got a 1/4 beef!

(FOR REAL, WHY DOES IT DO THIS?????)

Now I am NOT going to do this to my OUTSIDE freezer right now... HA, the thing would never thaw anyways, and for the most part it is already organized... THANK GOODNESS! I will let you know that out in that freezer is our garden stuff. The Tomato sauce I made, frozen veggies from the garden, anything we had to freeze from the garden. (except for the pumpkin in the basement freezer!) Also this is where we keep the container to make Ice cream (the kitchenaid attachment) and where we keep the ice cream if we don't eat it all! LOL!

I also keep the muffins that I made out there along with cookies and such. Sometimes I think maybe we need ONE MORE FREEZER!
______________________________________


So, what was the strangest thing you found in your freezer or what things did you end up throwing out?????????

It's HOW COLD HERE????

It is cold enough to CANCEL SCHOOL! That is HOW cold it is.... Tons of schools in MN and WI are closed or have late starts today due to COLD COLD COLD weather.... As I sit here is is -22 outside, and that isn't the wind chill which is like -40 or something around that. SOOO a whole day with all 4 kids, inside, without a chance to go outside......I better figure out a plan!!!!!!!!! To bad I am down to just 1 C of flour in the house (I KNOW, HOW DID I LET THAT HAPPEN????) because we could have done all of the baking and prep work for next week! Maybe they can help me do some menu planning or something "FUN" like that, HA! OR maybe a huge REVAMP on their bedrooms, NOW that is a great idea!!!!!!!!!
Is it cold where you are at?????

OH, Look What I Just Made....

Caramel and Chocolate Popcorn

All without Corn Syrup!

Gratituesday: A NEW BLOG!

OK, so can one really be thankful to have a new blog... I mean really, MORE WORK, is that something to be grateful for????
BUT REALLY, I am very thankful to have the internet to be able to blog! After all, I would have never met most of you!!!!
SOO, I have this new blog that I started yesterday that I am going to show how to eat healthy on a FOODSTAMP budget.... if My family were on FULL FOODSTAMPS we would get 600-650 a month in foodstamps... SOOO I took the number 600 (which is what we spend anyways...) and am using that.... which is $3 a day for each of us..... Just like the government says... $3 a day to eat on!
THANKS to "LAURA" who is such an insperation, who has taught me alot in the last 8 months or so.... and thanks to the internet once again who has taught me about all the nasty stuff in our food! OH, and thanks to recipezaar where I find alot of my recipes!!!!
OK, so here is my new blog.... http://feeding6.wordpress.com/
I am super excited about it..... teaching people how to eat healthy food and keep a budget makes me feel very good about myself..... considering it is NOT coupon foods (mostly processed foods full of JUNK) that we eat at our house.... but good old fashion homemade things!

See Laura's Blog for more gratituesday posts!

PIZZA RECIPE!!!!

here it is... the recipe you have been waiting for (or maybe not!)

Pizza Dough

3/4 tablespoon yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons oil
4 cups flour (we prefer half white, half wheat)

In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over warm water (I add a pinch of sugar) and allow to set until it begins to foam, about 5 minutes.
2Stir in salt, oil and half of flour. Gradually add remaining flour, mixing well.
3Knead 8-10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl and let rise until double (1/2-1 hour) Punch down and divide. Pat out on two pizza pans.

Spread with SAUCE:

2 C. Tomato Sauce
1 t. Oregano
1/2 t. Salt
1 T. Olive Oil
2-3 T. Parmesan Cheese

Mix and heat until it starts to bubble.

add your toppings and cheese. Bake at 400 for 20-25 min!

YUMMMMM!

OH, I am sooooo excited!

FINALLY I have done it...
I have started another BLOG! One about feeding my family on a budget!
I am super excited about this since I HATE seeing how people on Assistance WASTE thier foodstamps on JUNK and then complain that they CAN'T eat healthy because they can't afford it!
I have been wanting to SHARE how we eat for under$600 a month, and it is 95% healthy choices (we do splerge sometimes on some snack foods) but for the most part I MAKE our snack foods!
I am not sure yet if I want all my info (kids names, and such) linked somehow to the other blog so for now... you will have to ASK for the blog address! I don't know, I think at times It might get heated since I really have strong feeling for people what abuse the system and for those who THINK they have a right to EVERYTHING... even if they CAN'T afford it, even on someone else dime!
OK, enough of that for now.....
I just wanted to share my happy news!

PIZZA! FOR UNDER $6!

OK, so last weekend on our day OUT.... we bought 2 family size Papa Murphys Pizzas for my sisters house... they cost us $22 ... OUCH!!!!!! almost 1/2 of our OUT TO EAT budget GONE in PIZZA!

SOOO Trev had a friend over on Friday after school and wanted Pizza... SO, I of course made Home Made pizza as always (Recipe will be posted tomorrow)....

Either way, here is the break down of cost....

-$1 for crusts

-$4.50 for cheese (we LOVE CHEESE...LOL, we would have done about $1.50 in Pepperoni, but didn't have any on hand.

-$.50 for Misc (seasonings for sauce, Olive Oil, etc...)

-$0 for tomato sauce (from the garden)

SOOO, $6.00 for 2 Pizzas that fed 7 people... (ignore the fact that the rectangle one is darker, a few of us like it that way!) Plus we had some apples ($2) and some carrots ($1) and some milk ($1)

I mean really I could make almost 8 pizzas for the money we spent last saturday....

AND lastnight the kids and I made Snickerdoodles (Jims Favorite cookie EVER)!

The break down... $2.55 and it made 84 cookies! SOOO a small $.03 a cookie YUM!

THURSDAY CHALLENGE!!!!

AHHH, have you missed these???? HAVE YOU???????? COME ON, TELL THE TRUTH!!!!!

Todays challenge is a simple one....

If you haven't finished cleaning up christmas around you house.....

DO IT!!!!!!!

I mean really, New Years was 1 week ago!!!!!

While you are cleaning it all up and packing it all up.....you should-
~Throw out the things you DON'T LOVE
~Throw out the broken things
~Get rid of anything you haven't PUT OUT in the past 2 yrs
~Write a list of things you NEED for next year
~Label your totes or boxes if they are not labeled yet

Doing all of this will make next christmas so much easier to decorate for!

HAPPY UNDECORATING!

TIME FOR A CONFESSION....

I am IN LOVE....
IN LOVE WITH A TV SHOW.....
I AM IN LOVE WITH THE BIGGEST LOSER!

I have NEVER missed a show in all the years it has been on.... Even if it meant I had to record it (yes, on VHS) and watch it later (missing a show doesn't happen often).
I will NOT answer the phone while it is on, I will NOT make plans for Tuesday nights, I will NOT do much of anything... except watch it..... I WILL however use my eliptical during it (makes me feel good about it!) for the second half of the show.... (Kids watch the first half of it with us before bed) I WILL take time to tuck them into bed during the 8pm commercial..... but only the commercial time..... NO MORE NO LESS!

SOOO there you have it... a true BIGGEST LOSER JUNKIE!!!!!!

Oh, I feel so much better knowing that you all know now!

Gratituesday: Face Book

OK, is that a weird thing to be thankful for????? I mean really.... Face Book?????
OK, but it is something to be thankful for!
In just a few days, I have gotten contacted by 5 old friens.... 2 friends I haven't seen in over a yr, an old neighbor friend I haven't seen in over 15 yrs.... and MY BROTHER...LOL!
I couldn't figure the whole thing out at first, and WISH there was a way to ADD my maiden name, (because I didn't do that in the beginning, so if you know a way, PLEASE let me know!)
BUT now that I figured it out... I am loving it! I am alittle afraid to click the FRIENDS button, because they have to CHOOSE to be your friend, and what if they ignore you???????
Either way, I am enjoying it for now!
Go and sign up if you haven't, it is really fun!

Read more gratituesday at heavenlyhomemakers

What did you do this past weekend???

SOOO, it was my very first WHOLE WEEKEND OFF OF WORK! WHY, because I LOST MY JOB... remember from a few posts way back when???? Remember that I would be JOB LESS after the 1st of the year..... well, here it is..... ME, JOBLESS!

So, for fun, I gave the kids to my mom for friday night (she brought them to my sisters Saturday Morning) and me and my hubby had a few drinks and played scrabble all night! Then on Saturday we headed to the Science Museum of MN.... to do the CSI exibit... which was not as great as we thought it would be. BUT we had fun hanging out..... we then picked up Pizza's and had supper at my sisters house... it was fun! The NOT so fun part was driving home in the Ice STORM, but we made it!

Yesterday was chilly, but We sent the kids outside and then got the itch to head out there ourselves! SOOO this is what we did in the cold tundra AKA: backyard! (Kaylin in the shadown in the sled behind Lucas in the green coat... Shayla and Trevor are at the bottom of the SMALL hill!)

And afterwards, we (except for the hubby who can't stand it) drank homemade hot chocolate!

100th post and an AWARD!!!!

WELL, what exciting news to share on my 100th post!!!!!

A wonderful woman from momsfrugal, Donna.... gave to me a Kreativ Blog Award! What an honor! and what a wonderful way to start out the new year!!!!!!!!!! THANKS so much Donna!

If you want to see how a mom of 6 children who homeschools, keeps it all together... Donnas Blog is a great place to find out!!!!!!!!!!!

For details about the award, click here!

The assignment; 6 THINGS I'M THANKFUL FOR:

#1- Above all, Our Lord!!!

#2- My husband of nearly 10 yrs! No matter how mean I might be to him at times, he always loves me unconditionally!

#3- 4 healthy, happy children! In this day and age, 4 healthy children is something to be VERY THANKFUL for!!!

#4- Friends, friends, friends.... all sorts of friends.... Not tooooo many, and not tooooo few! But just the right amount! Real life friends and Blogging friends!!!!!!

#5- Wealth greater than anything money could buy!

#6- A wonderful home for raising my family in. Plenty of room to run and be free! Everything from a place to sit, clothes to wear, land to garden on, a kitchen to feed us, etc.......

Here are my nominations!!!!!!

oneacrehomestead
inspiteofmycrazyself
3bloomingbuds
UGH, and the other blogs I follow, already received the award.... so there you have it.... passed on to just 3 blogs instead of 6.... GRRR!

Happy Happy New Years!

HELLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

2009

I wonder how long it will take to remember to write 2009 on papers and checks????

Did I make any New Years Resolutions?

NOPE, I don't believe in them....

I believe that all year long you can make changes!

No need to wait for the new year to start all new!

I am however starting a new HOUSE BOOK!

A new way to organize our household.

A new way to get through each day!

A new way!

Do you have any New Years Resolutions?

Wanna Share?????