Tackle it Tuesday: fall projects..

So, fall IS here in Illinois, and I love it. Have I mentioned that I love it? I love the cooler air. I can breathe again. I feel like doing things again. For a while there, I was starting to wonder if I had mystery virus whose only symptom was exhaustion. But I'm back to my old self again, whew!

So, my counter is lined up with tomatoes. We have had so much rain that I've had to pull them before they got soggy. There are still a few out there. This is the third batch that have been picked.
For the batch that already ripened, I made salsa. Very easy recipe. I purred half of the tomatoes, and chopped the other half into med-sized chunks. Then, I had a variety of peppers: green, red, pablano, jalapeno, yellow, and serrano. The amount of peppers was equal to the amount of tomatoes. (about 6 cups of each) I threw in 6 cloves of garlic, minced and about 2 cups of fresh corn. They cooked in the crockpot most of the day, toward the end, I added: 2 t. salt, 3/4 cup of vinegar, 1 12 oz. can of tomato paste, and 2 cans of black beans.
The best part? The family likes it. One big jar was consumed immediately. So, I'll do this recipe again.

And then there was a garage sale.. actually, the garage sales have been poor pickings at best. Stay home, don't go. It's not worth it. I was hard pressed to even spend $10.00!

But I did find these:
An entire "pile" of zippers for $1.00!
Nobody sews with zippers anymore. I love zippers. Zippers rock. Zippers are king.
And the only ones who sew with zippers are little old ladies who have already died and their kids are selling their stuff. Thank you Lord, for those little old ladies.
So, my dear husband asks me, how many of those zippers do you think you'll use?

In my lifetime? About 30, which means they'll be 20 left when I'm gone. And then some young gal will see my pile of zippers and say, "What a find!" Even so, if I only use ONE ZIPPER, I will have gotten my money out of the deal, since a new zipper can be around $3.00.

And the garden.. Yes, everyone is talking about a "fall garden". I have no idea what that means. Do you actually go ahead and plant more things in September?

As it is, we are planting all of our free perennials that my friend, Pauline gave me.

Here are Jo and Than planting the flowers. That whole side of the garden is going to be flowers, since I couldn't get anything to grow there. It's my perennial garden!
And so is this, except for the seeds that got planted in with them. I think those big flowers are annuals.
And could it be fall without some fall sewing? I (heart) fall sewing. This is all recycled wool.
I did not leave my trunk to get supplies. Can I help it that a messenger bag just emerged?
Yes, a messenger bag--seems to be the all-purpose bag of the year for me.
Be sure to join me on Friday, I am giving away a messenger to ONE lucky participant of my weekly blitz meme. I look forward to seeing you then! If you love this tackle it Tuesday, you're going to love the focus, challenge and direction of Blitz-it Friday.

For more tackles, visit: 5 minutes for Mom.

Loving those bigger families..

My cousin just called today. It was so great to hear her voice and especially her great news--she's expecting a baby. Unfortunately, not everyone in her circle was rejoicing. You see, she already has a girl and a boy. I mean, you already have the perfect family, why go for more? Are there any other varieties of children that you were hoping for?

And so the persecution starts. On top of morning sickness, taking care of a preschooler and a toddler, the expectant mother of her third child, gets "flack" from perfect strangers, family members as well as church people about a new baby coming. Is this really fair?

(I eliminated this paragraph--sounded snooty)

But what I do not get is why people in the church are not more supportive to bigger families? Perhaps, I am naive, but the bigger families I have met are great additions to the local churches. I am not saying that having a big family creates this aura of godliness that no one else can achieve, but I know from the few years that we did have quite a few children in very close succession that it is something that really draws you to the Lord in faith and dependence.

Not to mention--developing a sense of humor! If having a big family does not teach you how pathetic you are without God, I'm not sure what will! And if there's anything in you that thinks you have it together, God will make sure you get just the right child to put you back in alignment. (thanks, Hud!) Speaking of Hudson, he was child #3. And he's the child I'm going to live with when I'm too old to live by myself. I can't wait. I'm going to crawl up on the counters and eat treats off the top of the fridge. I'm going to plug the toilet with wads of toilet paper. I'm going to eat laundry detergent and swallow money... Oh yes, I am..

Oh, where was I? Big families. I am not campaigning for everyone to go out have a big family. Nor am I suggesting that smaller families are less spiritual. But I am campaigning for everyone to start appreciating the treasures that you have. I feel like I have a "medium sized" family, since we only have 5. I always thought I would have a bigger number, but health issues took over. That's O.K. I'm happy with my family. I think you should be also.

But I think we can all learn from these bigger families. I appreciate people with convictions. I think we ought to work harder to love the bigger families around us. It's just plain hard work. If I were to think about having more children by way of adoption, you know my gut feeling would be: that sounds like a lot of work! So, I think we ought to give respect to those who have chosen a very hard path, in obedience to the Lord. Even if we do not agree, understand or like it, I think it is the right thing to be positive, pleasant and supportive whenever anyone announces a new baby coming. A new life has been created, and we should rejoice.

And unless someone asks you to foot the bill, there is no need to make any comment about the cost, the expense or the inconvenience of it. It's really not your problem. And if it is possible for you to smile and be friendly about the announcement of baby #4, or #6, or even #13, that would be fabulous also.

Dropping in.. We just don't do it anymore!

With the end of the summer upon us, I feel wistful, almost nostalgic about the lazy, summer days of my hometown in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Was it the era, the location, or the combination of the two that made it seem so conducive to "drop in" company?

Granted, the U.P., probably like many rural locations across the U.S. and Canada is given to drop in company. People have to travel long distances to get places. There isn't a 7-11 on every street corner, and visiting people along the way was just a part of life.

I have no idea if the many people that "stopped over" called first or just came. All I know is, it was busy, lively, full of activity and food. Lots of food. You always offered guests "a little bite"..

"C'mon, sit down. Have a bite.."

Before you know it, a plate or two of food and beverages would appear out of no where.

Was the house always clean? Well, my Mom was a great housekeeper, even though she worked full time. But I can't even say that is was always "spotless", nor do I ever recall my mother worrying about it one way or the other.

I remember we were "regular drop-in guests" at anyone's home who lived on the lake! We loved to go swimming in the summertime!

It's just not the same anymore, is it? A few weeks ago, I was telling my kids what it was like to have "drop in" guests. They thought it would be so fun also. When did "dropping in" go from being fun to being rude? When did people consider themselves to be inconvenienced by having unexpected guests? Is it a thing that is long gone, like my childhood?

Well, while you contemplate those thoughts, I'd like to tell you the menu.. just in case you want to stop over.. for a bite.

Menu for the Week

Friday: burgers on the grill, homemade fries, green salad

Saturday: Thai fried rice (without the seafood, just chicken)

Sunday: Ritz chicken casserole, pasta (yes, this is fat-pill) and veggies

Monday: clean out the fridge soup

Tuesday: chicken lasagna/ fumi salad

Wednesday: Southwest chicken and rice

Thurs: Butter chicken, indian rice and lentils OR tomato pie (gooey pizza)

For more menus, visit: organizing junkie's menu plan monday

Another Giveaway

I'm making something....

Remember this cool fabric from: Heather ? Yeah. Wouldn't this make a very cool fall bag? Yes, it would. And I already have it cut out. I am making a messenger bag out of these fabrics. To enter this contest, all you have to do: is participate in my Blitz on Fridays. I will choose ONE winner from all of the participants.

How do you participate in a blitz? It's easy. You plan your week/ your weekend or anything you want. If you do not have a blog, you can leave a comment in the comment section, telling me what you did on your blitz. Remember, my blitz is very elaborate. You don't need to do anything that fancy, unless it helps you get organized better.

I do a ton of planning for my week that way. I get sooo much done! It's not about me or even promoting my blog. It's about helping people get organized and enjoy life more. Why are we drowning in our own homes? It's not a good thing. So, it is a little bit of work to think through what you want from your time, so that is why I am offering a cool bag, and I hope to be offering more cool bags as I have time to make them. I look forward to seeing how organized YOU are!

Blitzing, getting organized and motivated is what makes my home sing, also! For more great posts and a fun blog, visit Nan at Moms the Word.

Free stuff on blog giveaways..

The question being asked over at: Island Life is: Do you ever enter blog giveaways and have you ever won something?

My answer is yes, and yes. Although I am not one to enter things like sweepstakes or buy lottery tickets, I do enter blog giveaways.

I have won: 1) yoplait yogurt coupons, a freezer tote, and Brain Quest flashcards and

in a different giveaway: Turbo Tax for next year and CLR cleaner from: 5 minutes for mom. They have a ton of giveaways, it seems.

I have also won a free pattern from Craft Apple. It's a crafting site.

My best win (by far) was a pair of Keen shoes from: Rocks in my Dryer. She is very busy writing a book now so she isn't offering giveaways these days.

I recently entered a contest on Betz White's site because I really want to win: Sewing Green. It's her new book on sewing with recycled things. I love everything she does.

So, yes, it has been a good experience entering contests, but to tell you the truth, I prefer a good story anyday over a free item, except maybe that trip to Tuscany.....

Blitz-It Friday # 24

Welcome to another week of blitzing! Yes, this indeed is where you are reminded that this is somewhat of an organizing blog. Somewhat.. that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

So, on my list of tasks for last weekend, I had ironing on the list. I was kind of disappointed that on Sunday night, I only had 6 things ironed. But then I remembered that on Friday I spent all day canning, and in food preparation. On Saturday, I went the the plant swap, the airshow and closed out the night at the Winnebago County Fair, helping to man a Gospel booth, while having approximately 37 minutes in the home for the entire day...

So, I did little mini blitzes throughout the week to get the ironing in. I worked for 20 minutes at a stint. I set up a quiet spot in my bedroom, put in the ipod, and let the iron zoom...

Yeah!! Finished shirts!

And you remember all of these tomatoes?

Well, I learned something. If you process them all down and cook them for 24 hours in the crockpot, they reduce down to about half their size.

Then I added: salt, sugar, one can of tomato paste and 2 cups of parmesan cheese to get: spaghetti sauce!! I actually came up with four jars, which is less than I thought I would get. But it is a nice, thick sauce and it tastes good. As far as canning goes, I am not an expert. Even though I followed "proper canning procedures", all the jars are sitting in the refrigerator because I'm not confident about canning parmesan cheese!!

Some of the other Webbers were busy tackling projects also. Will made this beautiful gavel for the new "Gavel Club" that we are starting at Hallstrom this year. It is a public speaking club for students or anyone who does not fit into a regular Toastmasters Club. I was cordially asked (by my husband) to be the assistant coordinator. It's going to be fun!
Joanna's sewing machine was hard at work, making her sister a skirt..
And one for herself..
(Do you love the scenery in the background? Oh yes, Blitz-it Friday always involved the dungeon in some way!)

And we can not forget the favorite Webber activity for fun and frivolity: the Rockford Airfest..

Some parachutes..
The F-22 Raptor...
The Aero-Stars...

Yes, it was a good show! You can tell Rockford is a small town (compared to Chicago) because our people are just not used to traffic. We had to actually endure an hour (or more?) of waiting to get in and parked. We live about 9 minutes from the airport, so I'm sure the others were really waiting. A funny thing happened on the way. Someone said, "Hey! that looks like the Mac Adam family" and sure enough.. all the boy and daddy Mac Adams were jogging along the traffic to get to the airshow faster.. Were the wife and kids still in Belvidere, Tom? That was quite the walk! And then of course, we never saw them after that.
but it was fun! except for Emily who hates loud noises and scary things like airplanes. She didn't really cry just tucked her head in her armpit for the entire time. I'm not sure what was worse for her: hearing the "sound of freedom" or enduring the porta-potty... Oh, the trials of a princess...

So, for this week:

Weekend Inspiration: Be still and know that I am God.. Ps: 46:10

Last week was very busy, so we are hoping to be home and be calm this weekend. Also, the kids started school this week, so we are needing to make sure they have enough time to do homework.

Weekend Tasks:

1. Finish this quilt top--the piecing at least. I'm not sure how big I want it, but whatever size it is at the end of the weekend is it.
2. Processing more tomatoes. (No, this is not a new picture)..
With all of the rain we've been getting, everything is ripening pretty fast. I have to go out there and harvest tomatoes often. It's kind of funny. I think I'm a "one crop a year" kind of gardener. This year the main crop is definitely tomatoes. Last year, it was pumpkins.

With all of the rain we've gotten, my pumpkin patch would be sogged out. I was bemoaning my lack of pumpkins until I realized how God had actually spared me the agony of seeing my pumpkins die off in the rain. The few squash that I've gotten have gotten too much water and died before they got big enough to plant. I think I'll end up with about 3 or 4 acorn squash for the entire summer.

3. Make a dress from this fabric. (if I have time)

Weekend Food:

Friday: burgers on the grill, homemade fries, green salad

Saturday: Thai fried rice (without the seafood, just chicken)

Sunday: Ritz chicken casserole, pasta (yes, this is fat-pill) and veggies

Monday: clean out the fridge soup

Tuesday: chicken lasagna/ fumi salad

Wednesday: Southwest chicken and rice

Thurs: Butter chicken, indian rice and lentils OR tomato pie (gooey pizza)

Weekend Treats:

Since I did so many fun things last week, my treat will be something new and different: taking a nap...

And if you want a little packet of lists to get you organized: Martha's Organizing Lists are really well done. (Maybe over-the-top on some things, but you can imagine. This is Martha already)

Free Organizing lists by Martha Stewart.As for me, I plan to print them all out, laminate them and attach a dry-erase marker with a clipboard for each of my female relatives for holiday gifts. Useful, cute, and oh so practical. Go ahead, make your self some--for free!

Well, I hope your blitzing for the week is going well. I'd love to hear what you've been up to!

New to blitzing? Here are some links to get you started:

Basically, blitzing is forcing ourselves to focus for a set period of time on hands-on tasks.

Read about the: one hour blitz and staying focused.

Getting started with posting for blitz-it Friday.

Also, blitzing with kids is a blast if you are an airchair general.

Glad you could join us! Now you have MANY choices about using the blitz. You are welcome to do/ try any or all of them.... and so many photos to choose from!

Enjoy your nerd..

An IRL friend and I were talking (something new and different, I know... since I only have 147 million of them...) and she was struggling a little bit with something. I could tell something was amiss.

Finally she came out and confessed, "My husband is a nerd.."

Me: "And that's a problem? I think it's great. I have a nerd too, you know. In fact, I love nerds. I personally, celebrate nerds. "

Her: "yeah.."

Me: "you don't sound convinced. Now C'mon! You know they are so great at fixing stuff around the house..

Her: "yeah.."

Me: "And they never flirt with anyone. So you don't have to worry about that..."

Her: "yeah.."

Me: " And they're frugal, they're never overweight, and have I mentioned fix things?"

Her: "yeah.."

Me: " And, most importantly, they're so good at........(wink)

Her: "you know it, girl"

Me: "So, like.. what's the problem?"

Her: "it's his clothes!!" And she goes on to describe an outfit on which I can't remember the details of, but the final line was... "and he wore white knees socks with loafers!" groan..

Me: "O.K. that is quite the getup. Did you ask him where his beanie was?"

Her: "The kids and I just looked at him with our mouths hanging open.."

Me: (in the problem-solving mode now..) "O.K. the real issue is not how crazy the combination of colors, textures, eras or styles he comes up with is, but is he a good boy about changing or does he dig his heels in and insist on his fashion rights!?

Her: "Oh no, he's so good changing. He never gets upset about it. "

Me: "Well then, he sounds like a perfect man. "

Her:" Well, come to think of it, why doesn't Will wear crazy outfits?"

Me: "Well the answer is kind of complicated.." and I go on to tell her that to this day, my husbands parents have no idea what egg he hatched out of. His parents did not celebrate nerdom, and all outward evidences of it were cleverly bred out of him. His dad, for example, has indoctrinated him on proper clothing choices, and as far as I know, he has never veered from his dad's advice. For the first 8 years of our marriage, I was afraid to buy Will any clothes for fear that I would mess up a good thing. Every year for holidays and birthdays, they would send clothes. Neither of us went into a retail store to buy him clothing until the year 1999, the exact year we left the military. Up until then, he wore uniforms to work, T-shirts on Saturdays, and something from his overstocked pile of business shirts and blazers on Sunday.

If Will were somehow raised by the humpty dumpty midwesterners of the intellectual redneck variety instead of the upwardly mobile fashion-conscious east coasters, he probably would have found great comfort in wearing the standard flannel shirt (tucked in, no less) with jeans and hiking boots (with the bright red laces, mind you). And let's not forget a wide belt with some sort of obnoxiously huge buckle. As it was, he was only allowed to dream about such freedom. The fashionistas of the family are taking a bow at this very moment for their high success rate, and they should be.

That is not to say that he hasn't tried to get away with kneehigh sweat socks and loafers occasionally, but it's not a normal crisis around here.

So, after all that, I told my friend,

"Don't you think that if you had to do it all over again.. No, wait. I mean even if hubby died and somehow every available guy in the entire world wanted you, that you would go ahead and pick another one just like him? In fact, wouldn't you just go ahead and pick him all over again?"

"Absolutely!"

Me too. In fact, I've already decided that approximately three days after I publish the obituary, I'm running an ad:

DESPERATE WIDOW SEEKS MATE

APPLY FOR JOB ONLY IF YOU:

a) HAVE A DEGREE IN EE

OR

b) THINK KNEE-HIGH SWEATSOCKS WORN WITH LOAFERS IS A FASHION STATEMENT

and

c) THINK A SLIDE-RULE IS A WORK OF ART

.. that's all for tonight.

Gotta go love my nerd.

totally wired..explosively wired..

I must have been without enough socialization over the summer because everything was all abuzz today at homeschool co-op. I hardly get in the door and I'm greeted with so many friendly, familiar faces! I want to know everything they've done all summer and what's new. Are your older kids in college yet? Are your kids getting married? have grandkids yet?

And for the younger moms: Did you have that baby this summer? Where is she? he? Is that tall young man your son? He's got a new hairdo. Is that your daughter? I hardly recognized her--she's so grown up.. etc. etc. You would think I joined a social club instead of a homeschool co-op.

And last night at the mandatory parents meeting, the stern board member who was boring a hole through my head with her look and warning said, "We are here for our kids. This is a co-op, not a social club." Uh-oh.. Now what?

I'm sure I was just imagining her looking straight at me. After all, there are only 153 families in this co-op, surely I'm not the ONLY social butterfly. You know how some people only look left and down when they speak to a group? Well, I'm sure that's all she knows to do in a public speaking setting, right? Panning to the right and smiling are advanced skills, after all.

So, now that we're settled on that issue, I have to tell you that I so enjoyed talking to Jeanine, a former student's parent from writing class last year. She had WAY too many good things to say about the blog, but especially my hair! (of all things? my hair)

It's about this hair. I want to grow it out (again). Whenever I try this, I come a soon realization that my hair is a natural frizz bomb, and then I remember WHY I keep getting it cut. At least when it is short, there's less to kill in order to make it behave. Add the oppressive humidity and we have electric frizz bomb hair on steroids. So, in desperation Sunday night, I grabbed a box of baking soda and started putting it on my hair in sort of a dusting fashion.

At this point Will just hid himself and said nothing. Jamie and Hud said nothing because they never noticed, but Nathanael who notices some things but says EVERYTHING was in horror, "What are YOU Doing??"

So, I said," I read this article on the internet about going without shampoo. I cant remember exactly what it says, but I know you have to use baking soda " (Mind you, the article I read was about 3 months ago, so I don't really have any directions or amounts handy)

I grabbed the box and poured a generous amount into a bowl and ran to the bathroom. Thankfully, only Emily followed and no one took pictures. I just started covering my head with baking soda and working it in.

I looked at myself. Pretty awesome, dude.

Seriously, I thought, "So, this what I'll look like at 70, eh? Not as bad as I thought.." Then I remembered that part of the treatment was some sort of scalp massage. I tried it for a while, but got impatient.

And then I remembered.. vinegar. This thing is supposed to be rinsed out with vinegar. So I grabbed a big bottle and started pouring it over the white mass .

All I can say is: a really groovy sensation started happening on my head. It was sort of.. explosive... radical, man.

I suddenly forgot that I had frizz-bomb hair, and I was getting into this new volcano treatment on the head.. I wonder how long this will last? Should I keep adding baking soda or just let it calm down on its own? And why do I not remember reading about a head-volcanic eruption experience from the article?

or maybe I was supposed to dilute the vinegar?

So, I went without washing my hair with regular shampoo for an entire day or so. It did get some of the gunk out, but today I used regular shampoo and noticed my hair behaving very well for the regular shampoo, conditioner and styling treatment I gave it. I probably scared my hair into submission.

It's saying, "No, don't do that again. No more volcanoes, please!!"

So, that's the secret. If you want to have beautiful hair, scare it into submission by creating a volcano on your head! And I'm telling ya.. that's what totally works for me! For other WFMW, visit: We are That Family.

Why I love a new school year..

I hear a lot of moms whining about the start of a new school year. Why? I love it when school starts. A fresh look. A fresh routine. A fresh start! And I know what you guys are thinking? Doesn't she homeschool?

Well, I do. When the kids were little, I found it easier to school all year round. I think I did this for the first six years? or more. I just loved teaching the kids, I guess. Call me a nerd. You already know I'm a nerd. We've already established that fact. I love books, notebooks, reading, projects, dry-erase boards, chalkdust, the whole thing. I used to "get dressed" to teach even. Complete with shoes, lipstick and earrings. Be still my heart. As the kids have matured,
we have different routines for schoolish sort of things. Now, we do morning devotions with Dad. Although, we have been slacking a lot this summer! I hope we can get back into it this school year. And tomorrow starts the first day of homeschool co-op, which marks the beginning of the year for us. I used to go at my own schedule, which is highly recommended
if you have any amount of chaos in your life. But this co-op schedule is a good transition for them from a loosey goosey kind of schedule and the rigors of college life. So, it gives them a nice couple of years to get organized with time lines, expectations from others, grades, and all of that "schoolish stuff" before being hit over the head with it at age 18, or whenever college starts. I know my own weaknesses as a mom! I need someone else to tell them when to get the project "done". So, I am so thankful for this resource of a homeschool co-op!
I am not a strict school mom, and I make it a point to make learning fun, doable, and manageable in the early years. This may be why I enjoy it. I have a great time teaching my kids when they are young, since I love learning so much. The emphasis is on learning and accomplishing skills like reading and math facts. I encourage a lot of creativity in the learning process also. I just love seeing what their little minds can come up with! So, tomorrow marks the beginning of another school year! Our oldest four will be in the rigors of a tough school schedule with hard assignments in a classroom setting once a week. Our youngest one will be taking classes (a lot of classes!) that will lend themselves to growth and creativity.
I will continue to teach her preschool skills until she is ready to read and learn math concepts.
So, we will be laying out our clothes, packing our lunches and organizing our notebooks tonight for the big day tomorrow. I'll put something in the crockpot for dinner tomorrow, since we'll all be exhausted after the first day. But it will be good. The kids love it. Mom is still a "homeschooling mom" in their mind, even though other people are doing the teaching and grading. They do their work at home and eat lunch at home. Mom still is "around" so they can ask me questions if they need help.

It's just what works for us! Hope your school year is going well!

(Photos from our MAC photobooth!)

This is what we are tackling today!! 5 minutes for mom for more tackles

Sometimes I hit it right..

Most of the time when I go out looking for bargains, I usually can add to my ever-growing pear collection. Yes, just when you almost thought I was normal, now I have to go and confess

my fascination with collecting [cheap] pears... In fact, the average price that I pay for a pear is around $.50, but

I usually get them for about $.25. (yes, that is cents.. 50 and 25 cents) These are just a few that I've collected this year.

And occasionally the pear is so out of sorts that it needs a makeover. So, I have had to go to extreme measures and actually "reupholster" a pear, and give it a TQM (total quality makeover) and make a new sleeve. It's not as easy as it looks. You have to design a pear cover to go over the existing pear form, which could take about 2 minutes. Then you need to squeeze that thing over the pear and hand stitch it down at the top and bottom..

And no, I do not have a tutorial for such things. I have seen a pattern for a pear shape in a quilt shop, which IMHO, was far inferior to this... Oh well, what was I getting at by posting all these pears?

Well, the truth of the matter is this: all of my bargain hunting very rarely "lands" on something that my dear hubby actually likes. I mean really.. He likes pears and all, but they don't affect the quality of his life.

But finally, I landed on these: 2 woven carpets ($2.00 each) that have a very nice color scheme as well as a high level of functionality.

There is one in front of each door. I'm telling you that my sweet hubby has not stopped praising me for this purchase. It's like the best thing I've gotten all year (in his opinion).
The funny thing is that he never once told me "Hey, we need carpets by the doors" or "Be on the look out for .." So, I never knew that that is what he really wanted, and yet, somehow, I landed on it. Just like a falcon going down to catch a mouse, I pounced on those rugs.. who knew??

So, yes bargain hunting is a lot of fun, but getting a great deal for your sweetheart is even better. As a bonus, you get my menu also!

Menu planning, hosted by organizing junkie.

Last week's menu hit was Calico Beans. Everyone raved about them, which is a rare thing around here.

Friday: Grilled chicken, grilled veggies, baked potatoes

Saturday: Beans and rice

Sunday: turkey meatballs and spaghetti for lunch and homemade pizza for dinner

Monday: Smoked chicken, pasta, veggies

Tuesday: tacos/ taco salad

Wednesday: Martha's Mac and cheese

Thursday: clean out the fridge soup/ casserole

Also, getting bargains is what makes my home sing, hosted by Moms the Word.

Great opportunity tomorrow

I realize this is last minute for some of you, but I thought I'd pass on the gardeners swap meet tomorrow at Anna Page Park in Rockford, IL.

PLANT SWAP
Anna Page Park
August 22nd, 10am set-up and we will end at 4:00 pm.

Bring anything garden-related: plants, *cuttings, *bulbs, *seeds, birdhouses, feeders, windchimes, tools, books, potting soil, etc. Items can be handmade or store bought but please make sure seeds & plants are labeled.


If you don't have anything to bring you can sign up to bring food, supplies, or door prizes. ABSOLUTELY NO SELLING WILL BE ALLOWED!!!

When you arrive to the swap you will check in & get tickets for everything you bring, including food, supplies, & door prizes. You will then take your stuff (if swapping) & tickets & park somewhere, using your vehicle & any tables you've brought as your 'booth' ot park picnic tables. Once check-in is over & the swap starts, everyone will use their tickets to "buy" items from other people using their tickets. Hold on to any leftover tickets as we will use these for the door prize drawing. Toward the end, anyone with leftovers they don't want to take home can put in the "surplus" section & everyone can take a turn picking out something until everything's gone. At some point, we'll eat.

*****For people who want to bring food, supplies, or door prizes*****

FOOD: sandwiches, a bucket of chicken, whatever. We'll also want sides, desserts, drinks & ice. Remember to bring a serving utensil if your dish calls for one.

SUPPLIES: paper plates, paper or plastic cups, plastic spoons or forks, napkins or paper towels, name tags or self-adhesive labels

DOOR PRIZES: Anything - doesn't have to be garden-related. Handmade or store bought. May want to include an index card with special instructions, value, whatever.

VOLUNTEERS: To put flyers around your town, help with check-in, handing out door prizes.

That is exactly the email that was sent to me. Hope to see you there. Since I'm a new gardener, I'm bringing some craft items to donate.

Blitz-It Friday # 23

Welcome to another week of blitzing!! For us, it is the LAST week before school starts. Our oldest, Jamie started his first week at Rock Valley College taking a dual-credit class in pre-calculus. Yeah! Go J!

The weekend concert with the Northern Illinois Youth Orchestra went really well also. It was such a fun experience to have a great group of like-minded Christian young people who enjoy playing music together. I think we will miss the fellowship of it, just as much as the music training. Hint, hint.. we want to do this next year!

Another accomplishment (if you can call it that) was getting the new (used) refrigerator up and running in the house! Yes, it is smaller than our other fridge, but it has a lot less wear and tear than our other one. And for $35.00, I think it was worth the gamble. We were able to rid ourselves of the other one in 24 hours by listing it on freecycle. Yeah!!

Kids are so funny. For the first couple of days after we got the fridge in, Emily kept saying,

"I'm just not used to the brown fridge yet.." every morning when she woke up. Sorry, I forgot the new fridge indoctrination program for highly color- sensitive children...
She kept asking me, "Mommy, why do you like brown refrigerators so much?"

Me: "I only like brown refrigerators when they cost $35.00" LOL...

Weekend Focus:

Rockford Airshow, Gospel Booth at the Winnebago County Fair, Sermon prep for Will, last minute prep for school starting.

Weekend Inspiration: Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.

Weekend Tasks:

Today we made some spaghetti sauce out of: garlic,

basil,

and tomatoes from the garden:

Yes, I am actually canning tomatoes from my garden. There has to be a first for everything, you know.

Joanna was eager to learn how to do this. I just rinse the tomatoes off, cut off the stems and quarter them. I do not peel them. Pulse in the food processor for a bit and combine everything into a crockpot. So, it's going to simmer for 24 hours to cook down, and then I'll can it.

So the weekend chores are:

1) Canning the spaghetti sauce

2) ironing some shirts

3) ?? (I have a slow weekend planned)

Weekend/ week Food:

Last week's menu hit was Calico Beans. Everyone raved about them, which is a rare thing around here.

Friday: Grilled chicken, grilled veggies, baked potatoes

Saturday: Beans and rice

Sunday: turkey meatballs and spaghetti for lunch and homemade pizza for dinner

Monday: Smoked chicken, pasta, veggies

Tuesday: tacos/ taco salad

Wednesday: Martha's Mac and cheese

Thursday: clean out the fridge soup/ casserole

Weekend Treats:

First, we are all planning on attending the Rockford Airfest weekend. It's a big deal for a family like ours because we have so many kids who like this:

That's right, the F-22 Raptor (photo from Airfest site). When Jamie was just a wee munchkin, he used to go around saying, "My favorite plane is the F-22 Waptor". So, now we'll see and hear it in full explosive energy this weekend.

Now I am still working on the beloved SOCK. As you can see, I don't knit at a roaring speed.

Nor do I quilt at a roaring speed, but we have made some progress. For those of you who do sew, yes, that is freezer paper over the pieces. It's this great thing my mother taught me about sewing curves.
Basically, you trace your pattern on freezer paper, and then iron it on the fabric. You cut around the piece, leaving a 1/4" border around each piece. Then you GLUE (not pin) the pieces together. You sew them after they've been glued on. Pretty cool! The freezer pieces keep the shape true to size. Did you know that fabric temporarily sticks to freezer paper when you iron it on? Me neither. It's the greatest thing, AND the freezer paper can be reused several times!!!

Well, I hope your blitzing for the week is going well. I'd love to hear what you've been up to!

New to blitzing? Here are some links to get you started:

Basically, blitzing is forcing ourselves to focus for a set period of time on hands-on tasks.

Read about the: one hour blitz and staying focused.

Getting started with posting for blitz-it Friday.

Also, blitzing with kids is a blast if you are an airchair general.

Glad you could join us! Now you have MANY choices about using the blitz. You are welcome to do/ try any or all of them.... and so many photos to choose from!