I know I've been MIA for way too long, I've scolded myself so you don't have too. But come on I have a 2 year old and a 4 year old, and I'm exhausted, I de

serve a break. But just because I haven't been visible to the blogging world doesn't mean I'm doing nothing :)

I'll blame my absence on my sister! My sister from Rwanda and her hubby and baby boy were just here to visit for the last 6 weeks. It was so fun to feel like a real complete family again. My girls just adored their "new" cousin. This was the first time that everyone (except my Mother and I) met Valerie's little family. Appolinaire who from the Congo and is a pastor at a a local church and Benjamin who is 6 months old with the sweetest little cheeks you'll ever find! We got together often although in hindsight was never enough for me. It's been bitter sweet watching Valerie's life unfold. Bitter to essentially "lose" a sister, brother-in-law, and nephew and only visit every 2 years or so. But oh so sweet to know that they are doing what Christ has called them to do regardless of the difficulties. A servant is a great description of them.

Things with baby #3 have been great. We found out it's a boy! I was rather stunned because I had already convinced myself that I "do" baby girls only. But we are so excited! I took my hubby and sister with me on ultrasound day. What a blessing to share that with Val. Earlier I realized that this baby just may be like 2 years old before she ever gets to meet him so I wanted her to have a first look :) I've been spending my crazy days trying to rest up and pondering names for our little man. I think we've fallen in love with a first name, but the middle is proving to be more difficult. We still have time. It's just a good feeling that he will not be nameless because I was wondering for a while!!!

So there is a quick catch up on what we've been doing. I have the house all decorate for Christmas and realized how much I absolutely LOVE Christmas! The friends, family, Christmas cards, cookies for neighbors, toffee, stockings and the list goes on. Our tree reflects my childhood along with the life I've built with my little family. It's not "designer" in any way (my first few were) and I've globbed on every ornament I could find but if you look closely you'll find "babys first" ornaments from 1981 and pretty yellow and blue balls from Philip's grandmothers tree. Everyone tells a story.

As Christmas is less than a week away I encourage you to reflect on your memories of childhood. Push aside any hurtful things you remember and find the "great" things you can remember.

New jammies on Christmas eve.

Mom and Dad in their room "wrapping gifts" (yeah right, I now know why it took so long!!!)

Waiting to come out of our rooms until we were told we could.

Running down the hallway.

Christmas morning breakfast.

The Christmas story

The anticipation of holding a stuffed stocking with the cutest tiny little presents inside.

Hoarding the "loot" in a large brown box and just gazing over the gifts and trinkets for days!

Oh the memories. Which will you hold dearly in your memories forever? Which ones will you pass to your children?

Merry Christmas blogging friends!

Baby Cube #3!

So it's about that time again! And yes I know what causes it and I plan on keeping it up so I don't need any prevention advice from anyone, lol!

Baby #3 is due Spring 2012, and we are so excited!

Alyssa's first reaction was "we are going to have a baby brother!" After bursting her bubble that it may be a girl she exclaimed with attitude "but I already have a sister." lol Yup, well if it was only that easy :) We are happy with either of course but I can't help but with for some blue for my hubby. On the other hand if I think about having a boy it makes me nervous. I don't know how to do boys! LOL

While coloring with the girls this morning (one thing I love and cherish) I suddenly realized Alyssa was singing out her thoughts (a normal routine).

"I love my sister. I love my sister. She is soooo beautiful, sooooo beautiful. I love my Mom. I love my Mom. Jesus and her made the world." Then she stopped and laughed. "You weren't born yet, so Jesus had to make it by himself!"

I had heard that your children look up to you and think that you make the sun rise every morning for them. I guess that is just short of creating the earth. :) I feel so blessed by these two cuties.

They think I've created the world for them and they don't even know they are the world to me.

Surprise Raspberries!

 We had a great walk the other day and as we were checking out some really pretty flowers I spotted them! Raspberries! Just there, growing amongst the weeds by the side of the rode. I'm pretty sure the people driving by was like "what is that lady doing?" but the girls and I had a great time picking and munching on the berries. I have proof...

I cannot believe it went this long! I'm sorry if you actually look for my posts, and I had been doing really well with them but as with your family also I'm sure, life catches up and summer proceeds.

I'm back from Africa and had a wonderful time. I'll be sure to add tidbits soon. I'm headed to the beach with the family this week. So when I return I promise I'll try my best to squeeze in some blogging time. :)

The little things

I guess you could say in the last month, which was one of the toughest ones in my life, I've had an famous Oprah "ah ha" moment. Actually I'm not sure if it really truly counts as one because it's a simple realization of how life should be. I guess it is true that we get wiser with age and I must be simply getting old. I'll see if I can put it into words but I've found recently that if people aren't ready to accept it they can't hear it.

We've all heard it... "Life is short" but do we really know what that means? Several precious people in my life have passed away recently, ranging anywhere in age from 20's to 60's. Seeing this first hand forces you to realize how short life really is. It is so so SO important that we live our lives to it's fullest. I heard someone just today saying "she lived a full vibrant 12 years of life." Wow, what a way to look at it!

We need to slow down, maybe even stop. Think about life. Think about your life. How are you living? Whose lives do you touch each day and not even think twice about it. If everyone could just take that moment to make the best of it. A positive connection to those around us, what a different world this would be. Are you continuing to trudge through your life with no meaning? No real purpose? Maybe, just maybe your looking in the wrong direction.

I personally have vowed to slow down. Moms and Dads, wake up, our children are at a critical age. What are they learning from us? What are they getting from the time with the most influential people in their lives, us? What are you giving them, blessing them with? This can seem overwhelming but start small. My girls are young, and everything around them amazes them. I find as we "explore" I learn some very important things too.

Plant a garden~ Does your child know where their food comes from? Or is it from a box in the freezer section of the nearby grocery store? Did you ever really stop to think "wow, this came from a tiny seed"? Or have you thought about how God created the earth and everything in it? That should keep you busy for awhile :-)

Open your eyes~ Did you ever notice the little things? Recently a sweet robin picked a not so good nesting spot. But it has been wonderful to hold the girls up and watch the wonder drip from their eyes. Here is a little peek...

A great place for a nest? Not for us. Cleaning the gutters will have to wait :-)

Beautiful blues ~ What an awesome color!!

Newborns

Stop caring what our president is doing or not doing, or where he is from. Does it really matter in the great scheme of things? Friends our time here is so short. Are you going to think in those last moments here on this earth "boy I wish I could've been more involved in politics."?

Stop the circles and circles of gossip. I'm sick of it! Where does it get you? Who does it benefit? When a concern comes up, and oh it will no matter how "positive" you are, go to that person and in brotherly love talk to them. Don't allow Satan the satisfaction of gossip.

So I encourage you to look at the bright side of life. Live it for real. No regrets. And touch someone else,  stop being so selfish and realize you are a gift from God and he has a plan. And your not going to find it gossiping, hurting others, being self centered and hurrying around minding your own business. Wake up and smell the roses, literally. 

I've been so absent and I'm sorry. I truly don't know that anyone reads this on a regular basis so I don't feel so bad about it. But it's been almost a month geez!

There is so much happening right now I don't even know where to begin. I haven't been feeling very creative or experimenting in the kitchen. So nothing fun there. Life has been chaotic and sad lately. I'm finding myself saying "Life just sucks right now." and it does. Now don't get your panties in a bunch, I'm great, my family is great, we don't suck, but there seems to be this dark cloud around me and the devil is doing his thing to the best of his ability. Keeping this brief...there has been 3 great losses in the last 2 weeks. All lives in one way or another have been cut short. Life just isn't fair. I've cried a lot more these last 2 weeks than I care to remember. My heart hurts for those who are missing someone. I hate to see the shock, the pain with losing someone that you love and I'm struggling to understand why. Some things in life I just don't get.

If your sad in anyway please PLEASE know that there are people who love you. People who care about you, people who would miss you like crazy if you weren't an ever present being in their lives. You are worth more than you might ever know. I've been there, believe you me! It's not pretty. Maybe I'll share more, another time, another place. But know that there is nothing in this world that cannot be solved, or fixed. And that guy upstairs who created you, loves you. His creation is always perfect, just how he wanted you to be. You are loved!

To all the others. Every conversation you have. Every wave of your hand at a neighbor passing by. Every smile just might be someones last. The last face they remember. The last conversation. The last laugh. Make it real. Make it true. Put your heart into it and mean it! Reach out and talk to someone. It may just save a life or make one happier.

As for me, I'll be ok. I wake in the mornings and take a deep breath and thank God I'm alive. Life is so precious. Take in the sunshine and breeze and enjoy it. Don't worry about tomorrow or next week. Stop and look at today and love the time you have with your loved ones. I will, so should you. And hug your kids. Hug your parents. Hug anyone who will have you. Everyone loves hugs.

On a positive note, a great thing did happen in the last 2 weeks. Amanda is a married woman! I'm so happy to see her so happy! Congratulations Amanda and Ryan!

Super Mom, I think not!

Well folks I happen to love REAL blogs. The ones that make you think, wow, they aren't perfect either. I could spend hours exploring other women's blogs with beautiful food, cute children and wonderful parenting tips. But I've found a lot of these are not real. They tend to leave you feeling like a failure. "Why doesn't my dinner look like that?" "How comes my kids don't behave like that?" "Why didn't I think of that?" Why do us as women and mothers even strive for this? It's not possible. I love looking through vintage cookbooks and magazines and giggling. Wow, talk about unreal. Or maybe I'm wrong, maybe life was like that for the Moms back then. But boy if that is the case where did we go wrong!?! Maybe somedays for a split second I may feel like I have it together. But then I blink and all chaos breaks out. Even though us Mom's may look like we have it all together don't let us fool you! So here I am displaying my failures.

Laundry. Enough said you may think. But you haven't seen anything until you've seen the "pile" that has accumulated in my laundry. I could come up with a million reasons that this is a problem for me and my family, and yes they would all be true, but the truth is I don't like doing laundry. If I get it tackled it makes it to the dryer and rarely gets folded. I also dislike folding. And if a particular load makes it to folding the chances of it making it to the dressers is slim to none. The few times I've been caught up I could count on one hand. And the times it's stayed that way for more than a few days is pretty much never. And the iron....well lets just say I don't think you could fine my finger prints on it. Yes, I could be doing some right now and it would be a much better use of my time but I don't really care to work on it. And truthfully I've come to realize that there are more important things in life. My children, our happiness. How can I resist "mommy, can we go outside?" to do wash? No way. My time with my girls is so precious. Yes friends, honesty. So for now my pile will stay and I will plug away at it when we run out of socks. :-)

And the source of the bad smell is...apples and raisins! Fuzzy ones at that! Yes, struggle number two for the week...dishes! Why is it that the minute the kitchen is spotless it's time to make dinner? Why does a homemade dinner make so many dishes? Why doesn't my hubby like touching dirty dishes? They are half his anyway! Ugh, guess it's my "job" (note the annoyance in the tone of my writing?) Yes I came home from NT this morning to stink. Blah. So off I set to find the source. And at the bottom of my sink was an apple slice and a few plump raisins. A black, fuzzy apple slice and five grape looking raisins that now had hair. Who knew how long they were there and who knew they could stink up a kitchen! Yes dishes aren't my favorite either. I have a b..e..a..utiful kitchen and sweet new dishwasher but I still can't seem to catch up. Rarely do I have to hunt for the source of stink but somedays...well somedays it's necessary. Gross. I have to hold my breath while I "dispose" of it.  Failure number two. Well it make a bit of sense to me. You atlas have to have a load of dishes before washing them by hand or using the dishwasher. But somehow they multiply overnight. :-(

So perfect mom, better yet mediocre mom is a far cry from myself or most of us out there. Yet we slap on a smile and make sure the kids look cute, cook up something yummy and head out the door and for a second feel like supermom...until I get home atleast. Here's to failure! Where is my wine?

Only the possible

Alot has been going on in my world that my blog has suffered :-( Sorry guys! I've been selling tickets like a mad woman on a serious mission for the chicken BBQ on Saturday. I feel so passionate about "Hands for Hope" and seriously can't wait to get to Africa and help organize it and watch it work. Of course I have know idea what to expect but hopefully with the help of my new Rwandan friends we can purchase everything they need to get started and stabilized. Can't wait! So if your feeling hungry for some of that famous chicken, come on out. Check out the details at www.handsforhopeinrwanda.blogspot.com

I've also been pre-occupied with my thoughts. Boy does time fly when you have alot to think about and it's usually a big waste of time and worry. Between organizing our BBQ (over 500 meals, yikes!) and thinking about trip I'm realizing that there is alot in between. Giana's surgery is scheduled for Monday bright and early in the morning. I feel really really anxious about it. It's my daughter's eye here, pretty serious. But I read something the other day that clicked...

"As a Mother we can only do the possible

 and let the impossible to God".

 This is where I hand my child over to him. Done. Such a hard thing for a person, a mother that likes to be in control but I have to or I'm going to go nuts.

We also have a wedding in KY at the end of the month. To be honest I'm so not looking forward to a 10 hour drive with the little ones but the sister-in-law is worth it. Alyssa is the flower girl and is so excited! Trying on the dress the other day she exclaimed "my princess dress". It looked great and I'm happy she's so excited. Now just to have her walk down the aisle without sucking her fingers and being shy. lol
Well there is a quick up date on my life. Now to get Alyssa to bed. She and her daddy are downstairs playing angry birds. LOL So cute to watch. Like father like daughter. Love them! Good night!

Follow our Hands For Hope project here:

http://handsforhopeinrwanda.blogspot.com/ 

My ah ha God moment

So I have been in alot of thought over the last week and toying with the scary idea of leaving my family behind and going to visit Val. Those of you who know me know that I've been fighting this urge for the last year! I think it was maybe Friday that I began to think about truly going and having a "purpose" for going. Along with visiting my sister and her family of course, I wanted to have something to do or something to take, some way of helping. I thought of raising money to accomplish that but did not ( and still do not) quite know what that idea may look like. So I had been thinking about this all weekend and chatting with Phil about it. Then last night my dad, Dennis calls me and was like I have a free spot in my bbq schedule and was thinking of doing a fundraiser for Val what do you think? Wow, now that seemed to be God telling us what needs to be done! :-) It made me smile and I knew that this was something we need to do but I was still wrestling with what my "role" was. So after many tears and alot of "I can't possibly leave my girls" and a complete meltdown last night, I realized that I'm always going to want to go, and I'm never going to want to leave my family. I decided to take a walk and then sleep on it. This morning between alot of noisy girls and breakfast I decided to open my bible and see what God may have for me. I randomly opened to a page and stared at it. Then I noticed that written in very small print, in pencil, at the very bottom was a reference. I have know idea why it was there but it said Ephesians chap 4. Ok, so I thought maybe I should turn there. I did and Ephesians 4:1 says "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." I kind of laughed and thought surely I wasn't reading it right or it really meant something else because it sounded pretty clear that God was telling me to follow my calling. With that I even said out loud "God, seriously (we chat like this all the time, just me and God) if you want me to do something your going to have to show me. And be clear what you want me to do!" So I decided to check out the Message version on my ipad and see how it read. Ephesians 4:1, "In light of all this, here's what I want you do to. (I'm sure my mouth was now hanging open, didn't I just ask him that?) While I'm locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I wanted you to get out there and walk-better yet, run! on the road God called you to travel. I don't want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don't want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere." This left me dumbfounded. I know I can be so stubborn but I guess God can still get through. So I've decided to listen, stop being "Jonah" and to go.

After making that decision, everything seemed to fall into place. I begun to think about my children. My family are in fact the single most reason this decision was so difficult. My family and friends have been more than willing to help with the girls and I am truly blessed by that. But I still dreaded having them jostled around each day and their little schedules rearranged daily. An evening conversation between Phil and I hinted on "maybe we need a nanny!?!" LOL, little chuckles and that was all that was said. But in the next 12 hours my mind begun to race. A nanny is perfect, and even better yet my sister-in-law has nanny experience and now her own business in which she may be able to be flexible enough to actually come and help me out. A long conversation later that day finalized it. She is so sweet and so much a blessing for coming here and helping my family with this transition. Thanks Julia!

I'll be leaving in June to go and follow that calling. Along with re-connecting with my sister I'm planning on seeing through a dream of hers. The church she attends, the church that Appolinaire pastors, has mostly widowed women there that have no trade, or way to make a living for themselves. Her vision began by just wanting to teach them something. With lots of prayer and Val and I putting our brains together we've decided to help the women start sewing. Hopefully we will be able to get them started by suppling some of the sewing machines, location and materials to do this. We are hoping that this will not be another "program" but something that the women can take pride and ownership in. By guiding them in the right direction and teaching them basic skills and how to run a business we hope to enrich their lives in hope.

There are still many details to finalize. So pray with us as things come together in the next few months. We are planning a BBQ fundraiser soon. More info to follow!

Blessings!

I love (sense the sarcasm?) when I stress and stress about something. Then I finally turn to the one who loves me most and he shows me the way. Usually to get through to me I have to have a ah-ha moment or more like a duh moment. This morning was exactly that! What a wake up to call that is good and possible. If you ask it will be given. And I've found that he knows exactly when to "give" it.

Chocolate Ganache

So the word ganache throws people off. It sounds so, hmmmmm so special? Difficult? I don't know but when I found out how it's made I was like wow. None of those terms apply. Here is the recipe. Try it yourself!

Chocolate Ganache

3/4c. heavy whipping cream
6 - 4oz. bars of semi sweet baking bars (yes 6. This is alot of chocolate!)

Chop up baking chocolate. The smaller the size the quicker it will melt.

Put cream into a heavy sauce pan over medium heat until almost boiling. Remove from heat and add chocolate pieces. Stir until it is melted and smooth. Cool until it is the consistency you need.

(I used tinted fondant to make the hearts and roses)

This makes about 2 1/2 cups of chocolate. I used it for my mini Valentines cakes but there was extra so be sure to either cut the recipe or have some yummy things to dip and use it up for. It can be cooled and becomes a chocolate lump which could be used again but would need very carefully reheated. Over heating chocolate will ruin it so quickly.

Valentine Cakes

I promised to give up the recipe for the little Valentine cakes that I made for our Valentines dinner. I know it's after Valentines but I made it for Valentines Day so what is a girl to do? So maybe make it for Saint Patricks Day? Or Easter? Or just because you love someone. Now knowing me and my fear of venturing out, I followed a recipe and changed a few things. I loved it because it uses a devils food cake as a base, way easy! You do need to have special pans to get the look that I got. If your nearby your welcome to borrow mine or they can be bought (by Wilton). They are available in mini or full cake size. You could also improvise with a bit of bravery and cutting. Here is the basic recipe...

Peanut Butter "cup" cakes 

(which would make sense if they were cupcakes but they are not.

 Weird I know. But they do taste similar to peanut butter cups)

1 package (18.25oz) devil's food cake mix

1 1/3c. water

1/3c. vegetable oil (I use canola, it's better for you) 

3 eggs

1/2 peanut butter

2 1/2T. Milk

1 1/4c. whipped topping

5 cups chocolate icing (this I did NOT use, Philip doesn't care for alot of sweetness but loves chocolate. I don't know if that makes sense but I decided to use a ganache for a clean look and awesome sweetness. Ganache is so easy. If you've never tried it I'll share that recipe too. Check out "The Sugar Cube" tab or it will be here on the home page too)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray pans with pam spray. 

Prepare cake mix with water, oil and eggs following the package instructions.

Fill prepared pans 2/3 full (not fuller because you will have to level them and that is a waste), reserve batter. You will have to repeat this step depending on your choice of pans.

Bake 18-20 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes and gentle remove to cool completely. Repeat.

If you desire a crisp, clean, flat cake trip off the tops of the cakes and invert on a wire rack. If you really don't care, fine, you choose. Actually Phil loves when I "trim" cakes. The pieces hardly make it off the cake!

In a small bowl, combine peanut butter and milk. Stir until smooth and fold in 1/2c. whipped topping until completely combined. Fold in remaining whipped topping. Spoon into cake cavities until level.

Carefully invert one cake upon the next. Top with chocolate frosting (or ganache!)

Makes 10 mini cakes. (Oh and let me just say these are not mini! They are too much for one person but great to share. Enjoy!)

Salmon Cakes

This recipe is from the Mount Joy Mennonite Cookbook and you know we Mennonites know how to cook! No doubt this recipe is no different. I love the quickness and the crispiness of frying these little buggers in oil but baking them would work out better for our health! I never cared for straight salmon although it was pretty good when it was from a great restaurant and so fresh. These cakes were also a great solution for trying to squeeze in more fish without the kiddos noticing.

Salmon Cakes (aka Salmon Croquettes) 

2c. Salmon (to save some $ just buy the salmon in little packs. In the tuna isle)

1 egg

1/4c. milk

1 1/2c. saltines, crushed

1/2c. bread crumbs

2 eggs beaten

additional crumbs

vegetable oil

Flake salmon. Add egg and milk and mix together. Add saltines and bread crumbs, then form into patties. Dip into beaten eggs and bread crumbs. Fry in oil a few minutes on each side or bake.

I found this recipe to be super quick and it was easy to have the ingredients on hand. Pair with a fresh salad and side of rice, voila! Enjoy!

Potty Life!

I know I've done enough posts for the day but I just have to share this with you. Plus if I don't do it right now I'll forget it and it was just too funny not to pass on the laugh.

Potty training has been a challenge. If your kids just did it, then you don't understand quite how I'm feeling right now. We are done potty training Alyssa, finally! She was 3 back in September so you can see how I thought this time would never come. Nothing makes me happier at the moment. Here is what I'm sitting here listening too....

(Alyssa runs to the bathroom and throws up the toilet seat. Must be in a hurry!)
Silence.
"I think I can. I think I can. I think I can." I'm dying with muffled laughter but the self pep talk still goes on.
Then... "oh my" she says.
Silence.
"Mommy, come here I have a surprise for you."

And again I cannot express how happy I am to go and see that surprise. 10 years ago I would've never thought, LOL. So I go down to wipe her but she's already taken matters into her own hands. I ask her if she had wiped, but I already know the answer because there is toilet paper, ummmmm, lets say a bit stuck. haha I love this kid!

Welcome to my life.

Happy Happy Valentines Day!

So hubby and I celebrated our 13th Valentines Day (actually eve.) together.

On our menu:
Boursin cheese with crackers (yummy, but will give you bad breath!)
Wine imported from Italy (oh how I wish I could go there and get it myself)
Filet Mignon (grilled slooooowly over a charcoal grill)
Baked crab cakes
Twice baked potatoes
Green beans with toasted almonds

And for dessert:
Chocolate covered strawberries
Devils food cake with peanut butter filling covered with ganache
(hubby loves ganache! Recipe to follow)

The ickier "green" me

ickier? I don't really know if that is a word but these last two things that I do, and love, but I must say they are not for the squeamish. But for a Mom of two I believe I can, and will be able to handle anything.

(I'm sad that my server is apparently "rejecting" my photos at the moment. I had some great pictures but I'll make sure I include lots of links so you can check out these products yourself, look for the pink links.)

First off I cloth diaper.  The loving term cloth mama, and fluffy butts apply. I didn't even know anyone cared to venture there until I had my second daughter and was trying to find ways to save money. A chat with a friend led to an internet search and OH MY! There is alot of people who cloth diaper and there is a ton of information out there! I'm happy to say I've been cloth diapering over a year now and I've saved over $1000 doing so.

If your interested here are a few sites to get you started...

Information and Sales
Savings Calculator
Need some green facts?

I also use homemade wipes with a homemade wipe solution. I just simply made them by sewing a piece of flannel (in a cute print of course) to a piece of fleece. The choice of sides is nice depending on what your dealing with, haha. I bought a little spray bottle from the dollar store and fill it with water and add about a tablespoon of baby oil and a squirt of soap. I love it, so so simple, not to mention cheap.

A diaper sprayer is a must! Sprayer
Add a liner for nightime. Stay-dry liners
Favorite diaper is the bum genius, hands down, but they are more expensive.
Favorite diaper bag diaper is the fuzzi bunz. (pssst, use these without the insert for a swim diaper!)
Favorite daytime go to is the econobum. Cheapest and basic pre-fold and cover with a snappi.
I've washed with the "special detergent" but found All free and clear to be just as good.

Pros:
Love the softness! Regular diapers feel awful once you've felt cloth.
No chemicals against your babies skin
No bags of diapers to go to the local landfill. (Sources say it takes 500 years for them to decompose)
Easy
Inexpensive
You'll never run out! Unless you don't wash them, haha. No more late night runs to the store!
Adorable little fluffy butts! A fluffy butt is a happy butt! LOL

Cons:
Messier
More laundry

I think I could go on and on with the pros but I'll spare you. I also don't want to preach cloth diapers. I know they are right for my family but they may not be for you. I don't hate. :-) Plus I'll let you in on a little secret... I use disposable once in a while. Mainly if we have a super busy day or the girls are in the care of someone who is uncomfortable with the idea. I'm not against them, I just know cloth is better.

Your probably tired of reading but I have one more secret to share with you... 

I am a Diva! Let me clarify because every time I say that I'm a "diva" my dear hubby pictures Niecy Nash. I am a diva cup wearing woman. There I said it, now your like "you wear what?" Introducing the Diva Cup! Photos 


Now let me explain how I got here. I first found out about this from a dear faraway love of mine. I once asked her "do you need me to send you anything?", then tampons popped into my mind. "Do you need any tampons or anything?",  oh and she's in Africa so I had know idea what was available and that's why the weird questions. With a little laugh she explained that she uses something call a diva cup. Insert major curiosity here. So I did what anyone would do...googled it, and wow. Hmmmmmm...after alot of thinking I decided to try it. If you've checked out the pictures you now know what it looks like and I'm embarrassed to say that I couldn't wait until I got it in the mail. Now I'm even more ashamed to say I couldn't wait till my next period so I could try it. I know I'm weird.

So finally it came. The cup and the period. It was in super cute packaging and a little pink and purple bag with flowers on it to keep it in. And even a Diva pin, not sure where I'd wear this so I put in on the bag :-) After reading all instructions and washing it, I attempted to insert it. Well I felt like I was 14 and in our bathroom trying out tampons for the first time. After reading instructions again, and alot of repositioning and saying "how the heck is this supposed to go it", I got it in. It seemed to be uncomfortable at first, so I took it out and trimmed it as instructed, much better! Put it back in and voila, perfect! I couldn't even feel it! Crazy sweet. Now on to the messy. Removal. For some reason this didn't bother me. I guess after you have two kids you feel like everyone has been "up there" and it doesn't bother you to "go and get it", no problem. A little tug and it's out. Now just empty it and reinsert. This may sound nasty but you can wear it for 12 hours! So I only really take it out in the morning, wash it, reinsert and then take it out, empty, reinsert again before bed. It's that simple.

Now for the "green" part. No more buying tampons. Who wants to anyway? The good ones are expensive and you just use them and throw them away, such a waste. The average woman uses over 15,000 tampons, applicators and pads in their lifetime. That is 250-300 pounds of tampons that are laying in a landfill somewhere. Not to mention the minor detail that it takes 300-500 years for plastic tampon applicators to breakdown. And even then you can't be sure they do at all because they've only been around for about 70 years. So that is our childrens > childrens > childrens > children having to deal with them. Yuck!

There are also cloth pads available, but I have to say I don't even use them. This baby doesn't leak at all! But if your afraid it will leak or just want some extra protection they are available.

Cost : $20-40, and they do recommend replacing once a year. Which I'm thinking is more often than needed but we will see. There are other ones out there "the keeper" and the "moon cup" that are the same idea but I haven't checked out the price details.

Check it out here!

Pros:
No risk of TSS
No chemicals
Cheaper (I'm thinking savings of at least $50 per year)
You'll never running out of tampons
Very comfortable, usually I can't even feel that I have it in
No clogging up the sewer line by accidentally flushing a tampon, I've don't it. Embarrassing.
No pads or tampons laying around for kids to get. Pads are not stickers and tampons are not candy.
No feminine trash. None for us or our next generations to deal with.

Cons:
hmmmmm...trying to think of one.. maybe that it just is a bit more messy and you have to empty it?

I feel like I'm babbling on and on. 

That is it, I'm done. 

If you have any questions let me know. And check them out for yourselves!

Mean Green Recycling Machine!

So I've been doing a bit more for our environment this past year. You don't need to be a non-flushing vegan chic to do little things that will help the environment, not to mention our children's children. The things I've switched go from really simple, duh things, to the harder more time consuming or even gross things. I thought I'd share just a few.

Recycling bin! If you live in town you probably have one. So do you use it or is it just easier to include the recycling in your trash can? You pay for it so use it! If you don't have one, get one. It takes a second to sort, no time at all, plus it will make you feel good. If you don't have a recycling service there are tons of locations that will take it for you, you just have to drop it off. I know a bit more trouble, but seriously!

Shopping bags! I can't say enough about these. You can pick them up at your grocery store, yes they may be a dollar but usually they give you money back when you use them. Our local store sells them for .99 cents, and gives you .05 cents back per bag each time you use them. So in a few weeks they are basically free, and can even make you money over time. More reasons to use them? They fit twice as many groceries in them and they are so strong. Instead of coming home with over a dozen flimsy plastic bags I only have five. If you dislike the green you can find them other places and some even cross into the "cute" category. These are a must! But if you forget them (which I tend to do) and have to take plastic bags home, bring them back to the store on the next trip. Chances are they will recycle them for you (there is usually a huge bin by the doors). A easy switch.

Cleaning Supplies! This change is still a work in progress. You can make any cleaning supplies you want, seriously. It is better for your health, home and wallet. I first started with a simple recipe for cleaning my stainless steel appliances and granite. 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol, squirt of dish soap and 1 quart of water. It's just that simple. Works like a charm. And it's all things I had right here at home. Google homemade cleaning supplies and get ready! Here is a good link to start with: Homemade Cleaning supplies

Pouches! These are just cute. Heck I'd use them even if they weren't awesome for the environment. I stumbled upon them at a home party and loved them. They are made with really high quality, cute fabric, heavy duty velco closure and inside liner that will keep all wetness and mess inside. You can just throw them in the washing machine or simple wipe the inside out. Pictured here is the sandwich size (which is actually larger than a normal sandwich baggie) and the snack size. The girls have their own "print" so they know which one is theirs. I love to pack them with snacks for the car that they can just sit and munch on, mess free, unless of course you have a Giana who loves to dump! They make a great bag for wet clothes or swimsuits. Need a cute travel bag? They can be used for anything! Starting at $8.00. Best of all they are local!!!! Check them out: Posh Pouches  

So there is a few to start with. If your already doing them great, if not I encourage you to. If your not interested in the environment, then save yourself some money! Next up it gets a bit more messy. Read on if I have you curious... (soon to come)

Prayer Request

Giana's tear duct is still clogged/closed. It's very common in babies and should be totally gone by 6 months old. We decided to wait until a year to see if it would correct it's self without surgery. It has not. It did seem to be better during the warmer weather this past summer but now that it's really really cold it's alot worse. So yesterday I broke down and called to set up an appointment with the surgeon at the health campus. It's not until March 9th, and it's just the consultation. And from a friend's experience it's a fairly easy surgery that only takes 15 minutes or so but they still need anesthesia. A huge concern is the money. Such an easy common surgery but I'm hearing that it's about $5000! Yes, you heard that right! Gosh, I'm pretty sure we are all in the wrong profession. So we are just asking prayers that Giana's eye would completely heal in the next month, or Lord willing the surgery be done and be successful, painless and that it would be covered by our insurance. Thanks everyone. Here is a link if your curious...

http://www.webmd.com/eye-health/tc/blocked-tear-ducts-surgery

Breakfast this morning

I have found something wonderful!

Bear Naked!

100% pure and natural granola

There is not a single ingredient in here that I can't pronounce or know what it is. 

No Artificial flavors, No cholesterol, No Hydrogenated oils, No high fructose corn syrup, No Artificial preservatives and No trans fat. 

The number one ingredient...whole grain oats. Yum.

Not to mention the recyclable packaging and cute wording. 

"Word to our Mother!" and "Look inside and see what we're made of" lol

I paired it with fat free vanilla yogurt and a few slices of banana, heaven!

Just thought I'd share. 

p.s. I found it at Darrenkamps in Mount Joy

Hope

I firmly believe that God gives us little signs everywhere. Whether we see them or not depends on whether we are open and looking for them.
I've been feeling a bit, well, under the weather. The winter blues are real and when they are given to someone like me it is quite possibly that it could be detrimental. Scientific studies show that you need to be exposed to sunlight several hours a day to ward them off. The sun hasn't shown it's pretty face around here in a while and I'm having to fight my depression daily.
Today I ventured out. Yes, it's about the worst for weather and slippery as all get out but I had to breath some fresh air. Here is what I found...

The promise of hope shows it's pretty little face everywhere. These little daffodils are determined grow and bloom into something beautiful to brighten our day. As so should we be so determined to make everyone and our own days just as promising. Thank you God for today.

I made this beautiful and delicious bread the other day and just thought I'd share it with you. I love when something that looks great is great! Best of all I had everything in my pantry. I also loved that it didn't have to rise as long as some breads do. This is a keeper!

Garden Herb Braid

4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

2 pkg quick rise yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3/4 teaspoons each:

          thyme

          parsley flakes

          basil

          oregano

         dried rosemary, crushed

         rubbed sage

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup butter, cubed 

1 egg

In a large mixing bowl combine 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, salt and herbs. In a microwave safe bowl combine milk, water and butter. Heat to 120-130 degrees. Add to dry ingredients, beat just until all dry ingredients are moistened. Add egg and beat until smooth. Stir in remaining flour to form a soft dough.

Knead on a floured surface until smooth and elastic, just a few minutes. Cover and let rest for about 10 minutes. Divide dough into thirds and shape into a 15" rope. Place ropes on a greased baking pan and braid. Pinch ends and tuck under braid. Cover and let rise until doubled, only about 20-30 minutes.

Bake at 375 degrees fro 25 minutes. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle a few left over herbs on top (optional). Remove to wire rack to cool. (yields 16 slices)

Giana just loves being in the action!

My bread making buddy

Ponytails!

"Where's Giana?"

I don't know why it excites me so much to the extent that I just have to get the camera and yell to daddy to come look but first ponytails are just so cute! I love the straggles that don't just quite fit in and fall on the nape of her neck. I love the odd, huge, ca-lick on her right side of her forehead. I love the tiny ponytails that just barely curl under. Yes I guess you can just say I'm obsessed. Needless to say, if you know Giana she didn't wait long at all to tug on them and they didn't last long. We will just have to do them again. :-)

A new hobby

 So I admit it, I'm obsessed. I'm afraid that at this point my ideas and designs way overwhelm my actual abilities but hey everyone needs something to work for right?

It started out with Alyssa's first birthday cake. There was no way that I was going to shell out our hard earned money on something too pretty to cut into and eat. And I knew I was able so I took the plunge. Hours later and a very tired me I had an adorable giraffe cake, perfectly decorated. But nope, I didn't stop there but made two other kinds of cupcakes. A white sprinkle cupcake with buttercream frosting topped with cute "African" animals, and a chocolate cupcake with chocolate icing and peanut butter cups to form "monkey" faces. Yup, that was the beginning of it all. From there I just made the girls birthday cakes putting my all into it.

This was I my first attempt at fondant. Some positives were the flawless covering to the cake. It just looked perfect! It rolled on nicely and was ready to decorate right away (although if you had time it's suggested to let it rest for a bit). The roses were fabulous to make. I had found a simple youtube clip on how to make them out of fondant and ran with it. The negatives, hmmm alot of rolling, this is thick stuff! and I didn't love the taste. It didn't taste awful, just blah. I put plenty of buttercream under the fondant so it served as more of a "safe covering" then party of the edible cake.

Happy Birthday recipients.

I think I'll keep this hobby. It's actually one my hubby has absolutely no complaints about. And I think everyone should have something to "work" on and be able to stretch their abilities on. This is mine.

A little peek into the day to day occurrences at our home

 

What a big helper!

She just loves the dishwasher.

I had to get a shot of these three.
Apparently the one on the left is Papaw and the right is Mamaw. Hmmmm

I caught the girls playing hide and seek.
Alyssa found a great hiding place but unfortunately the lid was see through. :-)

Our little library and toy nook with a bit of Rwandan flare.

I gave her raisins for a snack, she "planted them" in her garden.

I don't even know what to say here...it was just one of those days!
But notice there isn't just sauce on that face. We've had our share of "snotty" days!

Searching for ...

I'm back. I've noticed that I just way too much on my plate. As much as I love reading blogs I enjoy writing but it's often hurried or just something funny from my day, which is fine but I find myself searching for something more. My desire is to share our life, my path in life is still here. So here is to a better attempt at keeping up with my blog and actually dedicating a bit of time to it. I'm sure there will be missed days or weeks but anyone with children will totally understand.

Recently I've been following several blogs, all which are wonderful, but very different. Some are just fun cooking or baking blogs, then some are just so much more than that.  Mine has been a smattering of fun from life and kids. Pictures sprinkled here and there and little musings all around. It's been to keep some of you in touch with our lives here in PA, and other posts have just been tidbits of life. But lately one blog has challenged me to get real, to put things out there. I'd normally say I'm an honest person but I can also guarantee there is alot people don't know about me, my faith, my family and just my life. Getting "real" is what I desire, getting real is what we are put here on earth for, getting real is what God desires too. So here's to being authentic.

Well it's been way too long. I've been fighting with the question "does anyone really read this?" but I'm feeling the need to have a secure spot for my thoughts. So I'm hoping to do better at this blog thing. I'm on my iPad, (thanks honey) which is awesome but just not the same as an actual computer when it comes to typing. Our iMac crashed so hopefully things will soon be back up so I can actually type faster!

More to come soon!