Hurricane Sandy

Prayers for those affected by Hurricane Sandy. The devastation is horrible. How are my readers on the East coast fairing?

Baby Bump

Almost half way there!

 

Edited to add: My mother asked me where my other arm went. I didn't see it until she pointed it out and now I can't stop seeing it! That is a ruffle on my shirt, not an empty arm hole! My right arm is up high taking the photo! Since the batteries in my camera are dead, this picture is going to just have to do.

Clutter Control Update

I go to my midwife appointment on Monday (I'm almost half way through this pregnancy!), which means that I am working on getting another garbage bag full to drop of at Goodwill.

For those who are new, I made myself a goal of dropping off at least one bag of items each time I have a pre-natal appointment; a way to clear clutter from the house.

That's not all I've done in the past month though. Just since my last appointment (a month ago) I have dropped off two bags at the charity in own, one grocery sized bag for the "clothes closet" at the church down the street (these clothes will be free for anyone who needs them), and I'd say about two boxes worth of items to my aunt's consignment shop.

Progress is being made with the children's clothing and I am about 90% finished with paring down their wardrobe. I think all that needs to be done yet is one final sweep through their closet and drawers to weed out anything that they won't wear/don't need. It's becoming so much easier to put clothes away now without jam packed dressers.

My next goal is to implement some of those suggestions you left for me regarding toy messes. I hope to have the plan all laid out this weekend for the kids!

After just getting over a nasty two week cold I have come down with a completely different one today. My immune system always seems to be shot when I am pregnant, so I am loading up with natural (and safe for pregnant women) supplements to boost my immunity.

How is your clutter control going?

This Week

*I am sitting in front of a fan, hating this humidity. Yes, it's the end of October and we are dealing with 80 degree days and a horrible blanket of humidity. Yuck!

*I started my part-time job last night. The hardest part of it was trying to open my locker. So far, so good.

*I've read The Year of Learning Dangerously; Adventures in Homeschooling by Quinn Cummings and Purses and Poison by Dorothy Howell.

*The kids and I have been reading The Magic Tree House series.

*I've finally "popped out" and look very pregnant now. Unfortunately, my regular pants don't fit well and the maternity clothes are still too big.

*I'm fighting a losing battle with toy clutter in this house and would love suggestions. We paired way down on toys and really only have a few bins full of favorites. The favorites are tiny pieces though (LEGO, Star Wars Figures, train set, cars, etc.) and no matter how much cleaning we I do, there are tiny pieces of toys everywhere. I get a room clean and within a few hours someone has brought out their bin, played with their toys, and left it all scattered on the floor. I get the basis of cleaning up when you are finished playing, have drilled it into their brains, but it doesn't work. How does clean-up and toy time work in your house?

Fun at the Farm

We went to the pumpkin patch with Jacob's Dance Marathon Group (a charity at the hospital that brings awesome activities and support to kids and families affected by cancer). It was a beautiful fall day and the place was jam packed.

We saw piglet races. (I want a piglet now!) 

The kids wore their Halloween costumes, as did lot of Dance Marathon children.

 

Why is it that with three children one can never take a good group shot?

 

Simple Potato Soup

My camera seems to be hiding from me today so I must sadly post this recipe without a photo.

This is such a simple soup/stew (I can't decide which it really is!), very inexpensive, and great for a busy evening. The leftovers are even better the next day. My children love it.

5 lb. bag of potatoes, peeled

1 lb. raw hamburger, crumbled in pieces

chopped garlic, fresh or dry diced onions to taste

Water to cover all

Keep this at a slow boil for about an hour on the stove. Use a potato masher to mash it all together into a gloppy mess. Season with salt and pepper. Add a little milk if it looks like it needs it. Ladle into a bowl and top with some shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Yum!

Write Stuff

This past spring I ran across a project in The Creative Family by Amanda Blake Soule that I wanted to attempt: the felt pencil roll.

It was very simple to piece together and sew, the material was very inexpensive, and they have held together for months now. I also took Amanda's idea of putting together a bag with the pencil rolls (and Joe's crayon roll) and some sketch books. It's easy to grab the bag when we all want to draw or to tote it all to the park or on a car trip.

It's a nice quick rainy day sewing project that yields months of creative artistic fun!

 

 

This Week

*I'm finishing unpacking and washing loads of laundry. There is lots to play catch up on after four days away!

*So over the Presidential debates, Facebook posts, and all the bashing. Will be so glad once November 6th has passed. Both sides need to stop bashing one another and stick to the facts of their own agenda.

*Drinking lots of tea, lighting candles which bring the scents of Autumn into the home, and looking forward to the crock pot full of chili this evening. Fall has arrived (along with gloomy and soggy conditions!).

*Getting ready to start a part-time job this weekend. Extra money for winter and a chance to get out of the house some evenings during the LONG cold winter months? Sign me up, please!

*Dealing with excited kids who are itching to go to the Pumpkin Patch this weekend. We have a fun event planned with Jacob's Dance Marathon group there on Sunday.

*Getting back into crafting and planning to sign up for a knitting class here in town.

*Reading a lot recently. The most recent books being Relentless by Dean Koonz and Handbags and Homicide by Dorothy Howell.

*Smelling yummy after visiting the LUSH store in Mall of America. Their bubble bombs are seriously the bomb (Dorothy is a fun one!). Loving the soap samples I bought. Absolutely love the coconut shampoo bar - it does wonders for my curly hair! Hubby loves their solid deodorant bar (though it's kinda messy).

*Finding some fun new blogs. What are some of your favorites?

 

A Sneak Peek of Minnesota Fun

Sunshine

I'm enjoying the bright sunshine today, much like our three legged cat above is doing as she sunbathes on our living room floor in front of the window.

We turned our heat on this weekend. I hate, hate, hate to turn it on before November, and often have a contest with my mom and brother to see who can hold off the longest on turning it on but with temperatures a good 20 degrees below average it just couldn't wait when the high was 57 degrees in the house. Brrrr.

I'm stuck inside with a cold, having lost my voice, and drinking pot fulls of tea this weekend hoping to soothe my stinging throat. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I feel better and that this virus does not befall another family member as we head out for our mini trip soon.

I had a quick burst of energy on Friday and managed to get several things on my to-do list crossed off. Which may be why I am stuck in bed this weekend with my nasty cold. You will all be so proud of me that I am *this close* to being finished with sorting the children's clothing and getting rid of boxes and bags full of stuff that they just don't need. I ran across this thread which basically says what all of you told me: 7 to 10 days worth of outfits for each child is plenty. That is my goal! Our hampers are already less full and it's much easier to put clothing away with organized and not-so-packed drawers as before. I can't wait until this project is finished!

I'm kind of wishing we had space for a family closet, like the Duggar's Family Closet (especially since soon I will be dealing with 6 people's wardrobes) but in this tiny house, with minimum closet space in the first place, it's impossible. Pairing back the amount of what we have shall be helpful. I'll continue to keep you updated on the progress...it's about 80% completed!

I'm excited about several homemade health and beauty products that I am about to attempt. I'll post the recipes/how-to if they become a new favorite of mine.

Edited to add: I have to laugh and share - the moment I hit "Post" the John Denver song "Sunshine" started to play on the radio! Guess I titled this post appropriately! :)

Jacob's 3 Month Scan

...is clear!!!!

He is now off all medications, clear of any limitations (movie theaters are now a go!), and does not have to be seen by doctors for another CT scan until the new year!

Thanks to a donation from 'Children & Families Affected by Cancer' sent to Jacob for "something fun"we are planning an upcoming trip to a water park (something that Jacob has wanted to do all summer but unable to do so due to the central line that he had in) and a visit to the zoo, museum, and other fun stops!