Elf Yourself

Okay, so you'll have to do some work here, but if you copy and paste the link below to the address bar, you'll have a laugh. :) Happy Thanksgiving from us!

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com:80/view/ihd4HHTUxnvkCxKyT5lg

Starring Lincoln!

Here's what our little guy has been up to lately...
1. Eating VERY messy
2. Saying "no" to everything!

Catching Some zzzzzs...

We've been running into a problem lately...the kids wake up earlier than we do! Typical, I know, but I was destined to find a way to address this issue to gain just a few more minutes of sleep.

For Lincoln (our early riser), we found a small basket and put toys that he usually doesn't play with in it. When he wakes up early in the morning, we go in and place the basket in his crib, giving him something to do and letting us sleep in a bit longer.

With Avonlea, I purchased a basic alarm clock for her bedroom. I posted a sticky note (I'm queen of them!) on the right-hand side with a 7 on it. When the clock says 7 on the left-hand side matching the sticky note that says 7, Avonlea is able to get up. Rob came up with the bright idea of fast-forwarding her clock about 20 minutes and I'm thinking that's not a bad idea (we're so sneaky)! Also, as she's waiting for her 7s to match, she reads books that are located next to her bed. :)

Homemade Cleaning Solutions

I'm a big fan of sharing neat ideas, especially when it comes to organization, cleaning or kids. I read this on another blog today and just HAD to share this with my fellow blog readers. Just so you know, I do not give myself credit for this blog entry. I stole this from another blog (I'm completely giving her credit). Enjoy!

How to Make Cleaning Solutions
(Courtesy of http://www.myblessedhome.blogspot.com/)

You can do all of your cleaning via homemade, non-toxic cleaning solutions that cost only pennies...

What you need

- a large gallon of white vinegar

- a box of baking soda

- olive oil

- lemon juice

- an empty spray bottle

- water

All-Purpose Cleaning Solution

Fill an empty spray bottle with one half white vinegar, and one half water. Shake the bottle to mix the contents.

This solution is the best stuff I have ever used on windows, mirrors, TV screens, glass, etc. This stuff also cleans surfaces, sinks, and appliances well. If you have bug juice on your vehicle's windshield, this stuff cleans the bug juice off phenomenally well.

Toilet Cleaning

Use full strength vinegar, and use a scotchbrite type of sponge or toilet scrubber. Apply the vinegar to the scrubber or sponge, and scrub the toilet bowl, outside and then inside.

For Thirsty Wood Surfaces

Mix a few drops of lemon juice in with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Dip a clean rag into the mixture, then rub the oil and lemon mixture gently into your wood surface, going with the grain (not against the grain).

For Cleaning Stubborn Stains on Surfaces and in Sinks/Tubs

Mix some water in with some baking soda, to form a paste. Apply the paste to the stained surface/sink/tub, and let it sit for about a half hour. Then use fresh paste and scrub the area.


For Cleaning The Inside of The Oven

Make a paste of baking soda and water, and apply it to the inside of the oven, and to the inside of the oven door. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then spray pure vinegar on top of the baking soda paste, and watch it foam up. Let it foam for a few minutes, then use a scotchbrite sponge and wipe it all down. You'll have a nice clean oven, without using a poisonous oven cleaner.

For Hard Water Stains on Faucets

Put some white vinegar into a baggie, then use a rubber band to attach the vinegar-baggy to the faucet, with the faucet soaking in the vinegar. Let it soak like that for an hour, then come back and scrub it.

For Mopping Floors

Fill your mop bucket up with steaming hot water. Pour in about 1/2 cup of white vinegar. If you have ants, then this will help. When I used to have ants, mopping with commercial cleaners didn't help. When I started mopping with vinegar, the ants rapidly disappeared.

Bleach

I do keep pure bleach around, for various reasons. It is kept in a high place, behind other things - quite out of child reach. First off, my kitchen sink is porcelain, so it does seem to need the occasional bleaching, to remove scuffs left from pots and pans. In case of disaster, if you need water, but the water you have is/may be contaminated, then mix a few drops of pure bleach into the water, and let the water sit for a half hour. This will purify the water, if you are unable to boil it.

The Smell of Vinegar

Yes, when you clean with vinegar, there is quite the smell. The smell does go away as soon as whatever you're cleaning has dried. Your house will not smell like a vinegar salad. Your house should have no smell - just the smell of clean. If the smell of the vinegar bothers you while you use it, then consider picking up some scented oils from the store. Just a drop or two of scented oil in your vinegar spray bottle will make a big difference.

Happy (Early) Christmas

Two weekends ago, the four of us took a trip to get our Christmas photos taken. I must say that out of all the "professional" family photos we've had done, this one went the smoothest. There were no tears, the kids sat nicely and did what was asked of them (for the most part...Lincoln had a moment or two of squirming, but what can you do? He's 17 months old.). We showed up, dressed Lincoln (wouldn't dare have him in his Christmas clothing more than a 1/2 hour or it'd be ruined for sure!), had some pictures taken, chose the ones we wanted, were off to get some much-needed lunch at the food court, played on the mall playground for a bit, picked up our pictures and left. Piece of cake. :) So, here ya go. Merry Christmas (early).

Christmas is Coming...

Christmas is quickly approaching and we've been trying to teach Avonlea some Christmas tunes so she can sing along this year. Have I mentioned she LOVES to sing?! The girl probably knows 40+ songs (seriously). It's in her genes, what can I say? :) It's a family ritual to eat dinner and then Daddy plays the piano and we sing songs together. The video (sorry it's SO dark)is of Avonlea singing "Away in a Manger". She got a few lyrics messed up in the beginning, but I think it's because she was focusing on putting her feet on the wall next to her(?). Some sort of new gymnastics move apparently (typical around here these days...maybe I should get her enrolled for lessons...note to self - research local gymnastics places for lessons).
(Can you hear our chicks cheeping in the background?)

As for what's going on around here...

-The weather is hot (again), but we're supposed to get a nice cold front this weekend (along with possible rain).

-Rob has decided to start putting up Christmas lights this weekend (yikes!). Not that we're going to turn them on or anything (although I have seen some early birds doing this), but he wants to get a head start due to the fact that we're in a new (bigger) house that will take more strategic thought as to where all the lights will be placed. We usually go with all white lights, a few reindeer on the lawn and this year, we've thought about somehow finding a nativity scene. There's always big, blow-up Santas, snowmen, etc. to be found at Home Depot, but I've never seen a nicely-done manger scene. If you know of where to find one, please let us know. Rob actually thought of building one, but we'll see if we actually have time for that.

-Our beloved son Lincoln has officially hit the toddler era of his life. (Geesh!) He just turned 17 months old and "no" is his favorite word (I'm so serious). He wants to do EVERYTHING himself (especially if someone older or bigger than him is doing it too). This means drinking out of big kid cups (that's right, the ones with no lids and if you help him he shreeks), eating Go-gurt by himself which basically means that he's going to wear it when he's finished. People laugh when they come over to our house because he is always in a diaper and rarely clothed. People, if you could just see how dirty this boy gets, you'd understand. I'm actually saving myself laundry and mess to clean up by not clothing him. :) Don't get me wrong, I do clothe him when we're out of the house.

-Avonlea is a budding three-year-old, full of life and spunk. She reminds me so much of me. She's so kind and caring, but impatient and wants things to work the first time you try it. Things are made to work properly and they should in her and my minds. That's why technology and I aren't close friends. :) I'm lucky I have SUCH a patient husband. He makes up for what I lack.

-Our baby chicks are doing well and thriving. We have three now. We did have five, but lost two. We still have some eggs in our incubator, but hey haven't hatched yet and I'm wondering if they ever will. We'll give them a few more days though. The chicks have offically moved out on the porch in their brooding box. The cheeping is just too much. They're darned cute, but enough is enough when it comes to the noise. Avy treats them like her children. She carries them around, talking to them like a little mother. I'm wondering if she realizes that they aren't staying with us forever. That'll be the day. (sigh)

-We had a fabulous morning with Avy's friend Emily, picking oranges, making orange juice (that was some good juice!), playing outside, etc. The kids were so tired in the car afterwards that I questioned if meeting Rob for lunch was even a good idea, but we met at Panera and hello...disaster. Another note-to-self...make sure kids are in a good mood and well rested before meeting hubby for lunch!

I hope you all have a fabulous Friday and a restful weekend!

A Trip to the Fair

The four of us headed out to the fair last night. Here's a small glimpse into our night. The weather was perfect, the rides were (expensive!), the food was greasy, but we had such a blast!!

They're Coming!!!

I'll admit, I never thought this fun, little experiment would actually work, but it has! I was cooking dinner tonight (making Rob an EGG sandwich and I was warming up my leftover CHICKEN parmesean, no pun intended!) and I heard this cheeping sound. I thought I was hearing things, when I looked over and saw this in our incubator. One little guy has fully hatched and we're waiting on the others. Avonlea was extatic, but when I told her she had to wait to "play" with her baby chick, she was devistated. I had to explain to her that our new friend has to stay warm in the incubator until he dries off and becomes fluffy. When most of them hatch (not sure if we'll even have any more that do though), we'll transfer them into a brooding box, watch them until they get too big and then say goodbye as we give them away to a local farm. Fun stuff!

Garden Update

Here's a brief update on our vegetable garden. The kids are having a blast watching things grow. They help me water it every afternoon and love to go out and pluck things and eat them straight off the plant. Fun stuff!

Baby cucumbers are sprouting everywhere. I've done something different and decided to grow them "up" this year using trellises. So far, so good.


We've already had a full crop of green beans so far and I think we're a go for a second. Next year, I'll plant more. They're so good and what a difference from store bought! That goes for carrots too! I think there's the biggest difference in garden verses store bought carrots. It's not even funny!


Tomatoes are growing VERY well. As long as the squirrels stay away, we're good.


Romaine lettuce. I usually grow Bibb lettuce, but this year our rabbit got loose in the garden and ate all my lettuce. I had to go out to Home Depot and purchase already started lettuce.


Here's a great way to organically get rid of unwanted pests without having to use harmful chemicals on the food you'll be eating. Purchase some Neem Oil (I get it at our local health food store...it's around $10.00, but you use very little of it at a time), put about 10 drops into a spray bottle that is filled with water. Add some organic dishwashing liquid (remember, this is going onto food you're going to eat), shake well and spray onto your vegetable plants to prevent bugs. It works great! (I got this from my friend so I want to give her credit...thanks Stef!)

Homemade Pizza

So what American doesn't like pizza?! We sure do. I found this great recipe online from cooks.com and tried it one night. It takes 10 minutes to prep and 25 mins. to cook, plus you can add your own ingridients, toppings, use whole wheat flour if you want (haven't tried that yet) and it's so much less expensive than ordering out. It's fun too! The kids love helping. Give it a try! :)



HOMEMADE PIZZA CRUST
(courtesy of cooks.com)

1 pkg. dry yeast
1 c. warm water
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. oil
2 1/2 c. flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in remainder of ingredients and beat well. Let rest 5 minutes. Put onto greased cookie sheet and spread to edges with greased hands. Add your favorite sauce and toppings. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes.

Late Halloween Pics

So, a week later, here are our trick-or-treating pictures. Sorry they're late! Enjoy:)
Lincoln the Lion. Grrrr!! Riley participated in the festivites as well. She was a clown.

Sad Thoughts About Our Country...

I didn't even stay up late enough to see the results (I knew deep down what they'd be...sadly). I went to bed praying that God would give me patience and some sort of peace in the morning. Rob leaned over and told me that Obama had won. The future flashed before my eyes and I was speechless. So many things running through my mind, but it's out of my control (I did cast my vote on the Tuesday and that's all the control I had). I do have to say that as a positive note, I think it's exciting that a black man made it as President! Neat. What's not cool is the way he has BRAINWASHED the world (did you see all the nations jumping for joY? Since when has Japan cared about who we elect as President?). I understand that this is a big day for black Americans (I use this term only because I had a friend correct me once when I referred to her as "African American". She put me in my place by telling me that she was an American and not from Africa, even though her skin was brown.) I laughed as I watched Opera say that "Finally, there's hope". Hope for what Opera? Yes, it's awesome that someone other than a white man won. No doubt about that, but it's WHO the person is that explains why I'm scared for our country. He makes outrageous promises that both he and his campaign know they can't keep. I heard a story that other day (true story) that a landlord went to collect rent from his apartment tenants, and 6 out of his 20 tenants said that they didn't have to pay rent anymore because Obama was going to be President!!! See what I mean...BRAINWASHED!!! People are going to be so sad when they realize who Barack Hussein Obama really is. They think he's going to take care of their mortgages, their debt, their problems. Wake up people!!! He's not God! Or is that what people want to believe?

I must say that my friend Lori took the words right out of my mouth. I couldn't agree more with someone. Yes, I'll pray for Obama and his family as he leads our country for the next four years. It's my duty as an American and a Christian. I'm also scared for our nation. He has the way to influence people like no other president has before. With the internet, media, news stations (with the exception of FOX News...they're not one-sided, usually) and Hollywood backing him up, he's unstoppable. Do I think he's the anti-christ. I'm not sure 100%, but I do think he may help in weaking our country (these promises will NEVER come to be!), making it easier for the anti-christ to move in on our country. Only God knows.

The fact that our country is going to be lead by a majority-filled Democratic Senate, House and President will be interesting. I have a feeling that along the line, Mr. Obama may have some addresses to our country as President that will be disheartening, letting people know that he can't keep his promises due to the economy. People are going to continue to believe in him and continue to stand by him, believing every word and excuse out of his mouth. We need to be in prayer for our country. God's will must be done and if it's using Obama in some way or another, so be it. I'll remain steadfast in my God trusting Him and looking forward to my eternal home in heaven.