Friday's Chocolate Therapy

My youngest son woke up this morning hungry for breakfast, and showing no signs of fever. You can't even believe how thankful I am for that. It has been a long week. Thank you all for your prayers!!

He is easing into solid food again after the "bug". But not me. I'm celebrating, big time!!!

This here totally chocolate donut from Entenmenns is my breakfast, courtesy of my wonderfully thoughtful husband. Along with more 7 Up for the household, he set this on the counter for me last night. "These are for MOMMY only, guys." He loves me! :)

A quick prayer request before I go on, though. My two older sons are going on a winter retreat tonight and taking a friend each from school. They have been so excited about this and have everything but the kitchen sink packed.

That said, last night my middle boy developed a really bad headache. That's exactly how my little guy started out. Now, this morning, I saw no signs of fever, but then, it's morning.

Please pray that he doesn't come down with the bug. He and his friend would be crushed if they couldn't go along on the retreat.

O.K., now back to breakfast, which in turn brings me to my contribution to Home Steader's Heart's Friday Funnies.

I'm not sure how funny you'll find these. Most just seem like good common sense to me. :)

Chocolate


1. If you get melted chocolate all over your hands, you're eating it too slowly.

2. Chocolate covered raisins, cherries, orange slices and strawberries all count as fruit, so eat as many as you want.

3. Problem: How to get 2 pounds of chocolate home from the store in hot car. Solution: Eat it in the parking lot.

4. Diet tip: Eat a chocolate bar before each meal. It'll take the edge off your appetite and you'll eat less.

5. A nice box of chocolates provides your total daily intake of calories in one place. Isn't that handy?

6. If you can't eat all your chocolate, it will keep in the freezer. However, if you can't eat all your chocolate, it may be a sign of a deeper problem.

7. If calories are an issue, store your chocolate on top of the fridge. Calories are afraid of heights and they will jump out of the chocolate to protect themselves.

8. Equal amounts of dark chocolate and white chocolate are a balanced diet.

9. Two phrases: Money talks. Chocolate sings.

10. The preservatives in chocolate make you look younger.

11. Q. Why is there no such organization as Chocoholics Anonymous?
A. Because no one wants to quit.

12. If not for chocolate, there would be no need for control top pantyhose. An entire garment industry would be devastated.

13. Put "eat chocolate" at the top of your list of things to do today. That way, at least you'll get one thing done.

Boots and Buckets. . .And All Things Deep

What's wrong with this picture?

If you are thinking that my child is inverted, guess again. That's normal.

Give up?

The bucket. The bucket is back. The terrible, low down, despicable BUCKET. (See it on the right?) Yes, the little guy (4) is going through round two of the "bug."

How bad is it?

See his favorite cowboy boots NOT on his feet? It's that bad.

It started last night as we were getting ready for bed. Have I said I need a carpet shampooer?

After several rounds of "clean-up", I decided to make him a bed on the floor next to mine.

He dosed off and on, looking up and me with half closed eyes, and we had deep meaningful conversations.

I love deep meaningful conversations.

"Mommy, why does the "Die-co" money got no arms or no legs?"

"I don't know."

"Why does he just sit there? Looking like this?" (Making big eyes.)

"That's a good question. I guess because he has no arms or legs."

"But how does he get from one place to another? Does he just misappear, and then he is someplace else?"

"I guess so."

"Why does hair grow?"

"It just does."

"How did you get to be a mommy. . .Were you a daddy first, and then your hair went like this (hands going down his cheeks to his shoulders) and then you were a mommy?"

"No."

"Does God love me when I spit?"

"Of course He does, Honey."

"Does He talk to us?"

"Not in a voice we can hear. He talks to us through the words in the Bible."

"So, is he in the Bible?"

"No, He's in Heaven."

"But, Mom, I thought you said he comes to live in our hearts."

"Yes, Honey, but just a part of him."

"What part? Is it just his head?"

"No, honey. His spirit. Kind of like his heart, but you can't see it."

"Why does Tewy (???) have those things on her head?"

"Who?"

"You know. Tewy (Telli?). She has those two things that stick out on her head. Like this." Makes horn like things with his hands."

"I don't know who you're talking about."

"On Sprout, Mom." Long suffering sigh.

"I guess you'll have to show me."

"Not now. . . I'm tired."

Thank Heavens.

I'm so Thankful for sleepy little boys. Big T totally intentional.

This post is linked up to: Thankful Thursday at Grace Alone, and Things I Love at The Diaper Diaries.

Star Wars

This morning, it was my turn to gather the neighborhood kids to take down to the bus stop. The bus picks them up about a mile down the road at the highway. It's not a long distance. . . unless your car is packed (literally) with elementary kids yelling to be heard.

Usually, I tune out the conversation since 99% of the time it is about Star Wars Clone Wars. I can't even say the names of the characters, much less follow what they're talking about.

But my boys are ALL ABOUT Star Wars.

This morning's conversation went something like this...
and I apologize in advance for destroying all the names, and their spellings. I can't help it. I'm Star Wars-Challenged.

"Hey Guys! Guess what!! I saw Star Wars on the news this morning! There were real guys with painted faces and ALL!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! I saw Luke, and Anikan, and. . .your FA-vorite guy."

"You saw PROCLUNE?" Gasps all around the car.

"Yep!"

"Why were they on the news?"

"I don't know."

"Maybe they were talking about some anniversary, or something."

"Like the thirtieth anniversary of when Star Wars came out."

"No, that couldn't be, because that would have been in 2007."

"Oh, yeah, that's right. If it came out in 1977, then that's (counting by tens on fingers) 87, 97, 2007. It would have to be the 32nd anniversary..."

Right there they lost me.

I was immediately transported back in time to another place. I found myself sitting on my neighbor's front porch up on the hill with my three girlfriends. We were huddled around "Teen" magazine, staring at pictures of Luke and Princess Leah. Giggling, of course.

I never saw the movie back then. But it didn't stop me from joining in the awe of such a handsome guy and the beautiful princess.

That was THIRTY-TWO YEARS ago????????????

The wrinkles ad that Google threw up at the mention of my birthday last week didn't do near what hearing that conversation in the back of my car did to me.

It brought back memories.

It made me smile.

It made my mouth drop, my back ache, and my brows furrow.

It made me think about putting my headphones on tomorrow morning.

Works For Me Wednesday: Creative Toy Box Idea

For those of you with little ones, this idea is for you!

This is actually a kitchen corner cabinet which we picked up 10 years ago for around $10 on clearance at a cabinet outlet. Don't see it? Picture it (minus the door, of course) turned up on end and positioned in the corner of your kitchen over the counter.

There were several things that I liked about the idea when I saw it on the warehouse floor.

First, it is actually kind of pretty, and the light maple wood matched the crib.

Second, it had no lid to fall on a little guy's head or trap him inside (though, sometimes that might have been handy!).

And Finally, the (new) top of the cabinet was wide and deep enough to place a few books, stuffed animals, or select toys on for display. When they were really young and their room was tiny, I even had a small bookshelf sitting on the back of it. My husband (of course) screwed through the back of it into the wall as a precaution against it tipping forward.

Not that boys would climb it. . . heh-hem.

This is my firstborn tickled with himself for making it into the box. Wow! Could it really be 11 years ago already??

All my boys have found it fun to play inside! Much more fun than putting their toys in it. Naturally.

We still use it in the playroom. Only now, instead of containing cute chunky toys and stuffed animals, it has a bazillion toy guns, light sabers, and army dress up clothes. Well, I wish it WOULD contain those things!

Don't forget if you are looking for more Works For Me Wednesday posts, that it has a new host! You'll need to head on over to We Are That Family to get your tips!

Quick And EasyChicken Enchilada Bread

Yesterday, I got out some bread dough to make Pepperoni Bread. However, not until after it was thawed, did I realize that several 2 legged mice had devoured the pepperoni.

So, I donned my mad scientists hat and tried something totally new.

Usually, my experiments are met with wrinkled noses. But not this time. How can you go wrong when you start out with pre-made dough?

Ingredients:

One loaf frozen bread dough, thawed to room temp
Olive Oil (2-3 Tablespoons)
2 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
Chili powder (1-2 Teaspoons, more or less to taste)
Salsa (1/4 cup)
Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese (about a cup)
Sour Cream

Dice the chicken and brown it in a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add 1-2 teaspoons of chili powder and roughly 1/4 cup of salsa and simmer on low till tender. Add a small amount of water if it needs it.

On a cookie sheet, work the dough out into a rectangle.
Add the chicken mixture in a line down the middle.
Top the chicken mixture with shredded Monterey Jack Cheese ( I used about a cup).

Bring up the sides of the dough and pinch or roll at the top to seal it. You should have a long roll. Pinch and seal the ends well.

Bake at around 375 till the bread is golden brown. I didn't time it, but probably in the neighborhood of 25-30 minutes.

Serve immediately.

The bread was pretty spicy and a dollop of sour cream went nicely with it. Next time, I might try adding 1/4 cup of sour cream to the chicken mixture before I add it to the dough. Just a thought...

I might also cook the chicken in the crock pot next time to make sure it is falling-apart tender. In that case, I'd just cook it in a little broth and drain it when I'm ready to add the chili powder, salsa and sour cream together.

I served the bread with a tossed salad. It turned out to be a quick, easy and fun meal that I'll definitely be doing again! It even filled up my crew of bottomless-pit-two-legged mice!

If you are looking for more food related ideas, don't forget to check out Tempt My Tummy Tuesday over at Lisa's!

Just Call Him Casper

While I'm experimenting with Paint Shop Pro, I'm also experimenting with my camera to see how I can take the best pictures in different settings.

This has got to be one of the most bizarre pictures I've ever taken. In case you are wondering, this photo is unedited except to crop out some of the spectators.

Blurs, I get. Actually, blurs are usually all I get when I'm trying to take pictures of my boys. Lol!

But this image cracks me up. If I had wanted to create a transparent image on Paint Shop Pro, I'd be forever and a day trying to figure out how to do it.

I had my Olympus C-730 set on the Night Time Capture mode (the one with the moon and the star) so I could take pictures in the gymnasium. It would seem that the Night Time Capture mode is double talk for Ghost Busters.

Maybe they should have used a ghost icon.

Just call him Casper...

Suggestions for Servicing our Ornery Pella Casement Windows

In a January post entitled, Frost, Frost Go Away, I wrote (O.K., whined) about problems with our Pella Windows.

To briefly recap, we are the third owners of a 13-year-old home and over half of our 17 Pella casement windows will not crank closed without someone pushing from the outside. Of those, some won't even close all the way with help. That makes for cold winters, hot summers, and naturally, higher energy bills.

As a result of my January post, a Pella Correspondence Specialist contacted us with a desire to help. He arranged for a representative to come out and look at the windows, which took place this morning.

The serviceman looked them all over and speculated that problems arose because they were not installed correctly.

In a nutshell, he said our windows were probably "sagging".

The theory is this: If the windows are not properly shimmed during installation, they can sag over time at the verticals. This then leaves the bottom middle slightly raised, or bowed up and can create problems where the sash hits the frame. The sash is the movable part of the window, by the way.

Our sun room windows are wide and span 4 feet, and if that is how they were installed, we could see how there could be some sagging. Still, what he said he could see right away, was not obvious to us.

Whether or not the issues with the rest of our windows (which are much smaller) can be blamed on sagging (due to installation) was (in our minds) a harder sell. However, we're not the experts, and he may well have hit the nail on the head.

We are appreciative that Pella offered us even this much help.

The service man left us with two suggestions to try:

1. Shim the window at the hinge. He pointed out that there is a tiny amount of play in each window vertically. In other words, if you are standing outside with the window open and you lift straight up on the sash, the sash can be raised a tiny fraction of an inch. He suggested that placing a cedar shim under the hinge joint (my own technical translation of the place he pointed to) was worth a try.

2. If that doesn't work, move the hinges. He suggested moving where the hinges are screwed to the sash an eighth of an inch down (in the awning style) or over (in a casement style) to see if it corrects the problem.

Either of these two "fixes" might enable the crank to do it's job, or they might simply create a new binding place at the top of the window. But, they are relatively simple to do (with two people) and worth a try.

We'll give it a shot with the smaller windows. If it doesn't work, we'll simply live with the hassle of needing two people to close them if we should choose to open them.

For the larger awning style windows (which we presently can't even close with two people), my husband will enlist the help of a friend to try to move the hinges on one.

If that doesn't work, there is one more thing we could try...if money, time and hassle are no issue. (Right.)

We would need to remove all the trim--inside and out, cut or pull the nails, and attempt to pry up the window and place shims at the corners. He recommended shooting a few nails down through the middle to keep the center of the frame down while prying up on the corners.

This is a job that would take a couple of carpenters (which we are not) a bundle of time... And even then, there is no guarantee that it would solve the problems.

Yikes! That's a lot of work and money to spend on a gamble!

I'm afraid if that last suggestion doesn't get the windows working, we will be using a pry bar to see if we can force them closed once and for all.

Then, alas, I'll give my husband permission to screw and caulk them them closed for the final time.

Paint Shop Pro 8 Experimenting With New Header Designs

We're still having a Bucket Party around here. My middle son could have used one (a bucket) last night around midnight. Too bad he didn't have one assigned yet. If you aren't sure what I'm talking about, you're probably better off.

But if you can't sleep till you know, read here.

Naturally, we're trying to keep our germies to ourselves and stick close to home.

One would think that I would be industrious enough to clean the house, or straighten up, or even finish the yucky laundry.

But, nah. That's no fun. Besides, my wonderful husband is taking care of the laundry our latest bucket party generated.

Instead, I've been playing around with Paint Shop Pro 8, experimenting with different header designs. The header above is one of my new versions.

This is another one. But it's harder to choose colors to go with it.

Don't be surprised if you see several more versions pass overhead. The one at the top of my page is actually the fifth one I've tried over the last two days.

It seems that when I find a header design I like, I can't find blogger colors that coordinate with it. Or, I learn something new that my Paint Shop program can do, and I have to try it out.

Although I love playing around with it, this is not something that comes easily to me. I might as well be reading the manual in a foreign language for how well I'm able to follow its directions.

There's another thing, too, that keeps frustrating me. My blogger template does not allow me to delete the header background color. Part of it still shows around my image and it often takes away from the design. I took down the silver framed version because there simply wasn't a good choice of color from blogger's palette to put with it.

So many of your blog designs out there look absolutely beautiful, and I think, hmm. I wonder how they do that...

Maybe I'll get really brave and try out a whole new template.

But for now, I'm just playing around. If you have a secret formula for making a beautiful blog header (and want to share it), I'm all ears!!

Seek And Find: Hope

Look! Do you see him? What a thrill to see our first Robin of the year!

My high school bus driver used to make a grand occasion out of seeing her first Robin of the year. Driving a full size bus on the snowy back hill roads of Pennsylvania will do that to a person!

But even here in Indiana, where we don't have as many hills and not nearly as much snow, seeing a Robin still makes me smile and thank the Lord. I love spring!! And this little bird just told me its on its way!

The three grand essentials of happiness are something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for.

Barbara Johnson

I'm thanking God for all the little things today, including this little Robin and the hope he brings of Spring!



Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

20 Free 4x6 Prints at Walgreens Today!

Today, (Friday February 20, only) you can order 20 4 x 6 prints at Walgreens.com and enter the coupon code ONEDAY to get them for FREE! Just make sure to choose in store pickup, or there will be a shipping charge.

I just ordered mine 20 minutes ago and Walgreen's emailed to say the pictures are waiting to be picked up already!

Thanks Budget Helps! If you don't regularly check here for great deals, you should!

The Final Game

My friend took this great picture of my son heading down the court. In an effort to protect the privacy of the players, I cropped it and converted it to a charcoal drawing so the proud momma in me could share it with you!

This was the first year that our elementary school boys had enough interest in Basketball to form a team. As in the case of my oldest son, many of the players brought no prior experience. But they worked hard. VERY hard. As a result, they had a decent season.

I don't know what the stats were. They weren't important to me. (Shoot, I was lucky to know what was going on half the time! lol!) But there was something pretty special about witnessing the transformation of this group of boys into a close group of friends, and a cohesive team.

The friendships they created through hours of tough practices and many hard games will last long after the Closing Ceremonies wrap up on Saturday.

There was a lot of growing up on those courts.

We're all proud of you, guys! Great work!

We're also pretty (dol-gone) excited about sleeping-in again on Saturdays. . .at least until Soccer starts.

Works For Me Wednesday: It's A Party! BYOB!

As it turns out, my oldest son would do about anything to get out of going to his Orthodontist Consult appointment.

We had one scheduled for this morning, first thing. Instead, we're having a party, and its BYOB! That's Bring Your Own Bucket!

My youngest started with the stomach thing yesterday, and my oldest is now in the throws of joy. We know how to party!

That brings me to my WFMW tip: Save those Ice Cream pails!

Ice Cream pails make hosting parties like this a WHOLE lot easier to clean up after--definitely easier than what I went through yesterday before I knew I was hosting a party!

Simply give each participant a bucket, tuck a grocery sack into it, and assign them their own part of the couch. Plug in a movie, and let the fun begin (or continue, as the case may be).

Buckets are going fast, so if you plan to join our party, please Bring Your Own Bucket.

Ads By Google...Prompted by "Birthday"

Did you see Google's ad on my page? I mentioned having a birthday yesterday and what does the Google Ads program generate?? An add on WRINKLES! LOL! Jimmity Crickets!

Now, I really do recommend Google AdSense as an no-brainer way to generate a teensy-tiny income. They usually post ads closely related to the content I post, and many of the ads are helpful in providing additional resources to my readers. (In case you are wondering, I'm not getting paid if you click on the link in this paragraph.)

How the program works, as I understand it, is that you get paid for each click registered on an actual Google Ad on your site. In other words, if any of you actually clicked on that ad about Wrinkles (I won't tell), I got paid a fraction of a penny.

Well, I may get paid someday. They pay in increments of $100 dollars. Since my blog is relatively new, and I have only light traffic, my whopping total so far is only about $20.00. Maybe in a year or two, I'll have accumulated enough for a real honest-to-goodness paycheck.

I can live with that. It's writing I enjoy. If my hobby generates a few cents, that's icing on the cake.

But seriously, getting back to the ad in question, I said nothing about WRINKLES!

Why couldn't they have put up an ad on "Youthful Places to Visit", or "Fit Moms Running Marathons" or something??

Sigh.



I do have a few wrinkles.

But are they that obvious?

Don't answer that.



And, no, I'm not posting a picture and poll. . .

. . . not on your life!

If you have Google AdSense running on your site, what's the craziest ad they ever generated for you? Just curious . . .

Helpful Savings Blogs List Added

The list of blogs out there which can help save you money are endless. But in the interest of keeping my list short and sweet, I've picked out my very favorite seven to share with you. You can find them down a little ways on my right sidebar (as opposed to the non-existent one on the left which I dream of having one day).

These blogs offer tips for finding good deals, matching coupons with sales, and living frugally. For the most part, I've tried to pick the sites which are not region specific.

If you are in the Indianapolis area, though, I highly recommend stopping by Frugal Indy. Candace blogs about some great deals and events going on here in Indiana, as well as elsewhere. She is also the friend who ushered me into the "World of Blogging" with her inspiration and encouragement. Thanks Candace!

Double Holiday!

Here at our house, we are not only celebrating President's Day, we're celebrating my Birthday! Unfortunately, everyone but my husband has the day off!

President's Day has often given me my birthday off, and it always made me feel extra lucky as a kid!

Yesterday, at Kroger's, my husband picked up a Valentine's Day Cake (on sale) so that I wouldn't have to make my own cake. Wasn't that sweet (not to mention frugal!)??

Actually, I wouldn't have minded. I'd probably have made a pan of brownies and had the boys help me decorate it.

But this cake looks heavenly: A Chocolate cake, with rich chocolate frosting. The sides are coated with crushed Oreos. Mmmm.

I'm thinking of posting a guard at the table to ensure it makes it to dinnertime--not because of the boys, but because of me!!!

We also cooked a turkey last night. So, tonight we get to have all the turkey fixings without the mess. (Love that!) It was a big bird, so we were able to freeze two big packs of meat and still have enough to give us several meals this week.

Anyhow, Birthdays have never been a really big thing for me. But recently, I had a friend's daughter ask me to write a letter to be included in a birthday gift for her mom who was turning the big 4-0.

Having lived through that day last year myself, it was a fun project, and I thought I would share excerpts from it with you today.

The Fortieth Birthday is, in my opinion, the very best year of one's life. (If it gets better after this, I'll let you know. I'm just finishing up my fortieth year.)

Here's why: You are old enough to have earned a few grey hairs and the respect to go with it. But, you are still young enough to catch the kids when they are being ornery and soundly beat them in whatever game you're playing.

You get to claim your "advanced age" when there is a foot of snow and the driveway needs shoveling; or when you need help with lugging a heavy bucket of mop water from room to room; or when you forget something important like...well, I'll tell you when I remember.

Yet, you are "still young enough" to do absolutely anything you want--like ride a roller coaster, take a hike, sled down a hill, or what EVER the spirit moves you to do!!!

But, do you know what the best part is? In this life stage, you get to do everything WITH your kids.

Let's face it, in the past, you had to find a babysitter in order to do something fun with your husband--or even get anything done! And, in the future, they'll be thinking about college and caught up in a world of their own.

But right now--right now, it's all about family togetherness.

O.K., so sometimes all that togetherness can be a bit over-rated...

JUST KIDDING!!

Seriously, at this age, it's wonderful to joke with and carry on with your kids--but still be the boss.

It's a shame, though, that just when you start to really enjoy having the kids along on all the excursions, you have to start paying "adult prices" for them at restaurants and tourist traps. That stinks!

Anyway, make the most of every day. This is a special time of life that comes only once.

So, with two boys pestering for me to join them in UNO, and one who desperately wants to learn how to play, I'm going to get off this keyboard and go take my own advice. I'm going to enjoy this day (and age) that only comes around once!

Happy President's Day!

What are you all doing to celebrate this day? What do you normally do to celebrate your birthday?

Oh, yesss!! The game of choice just changed to Trouble! Let the competition begin!!!

Do You Speak "BOY"?

Life with boys requires a mom to make certain adaptations in communication that may not come naturally.

Take Valentine's sentiments for example. Scoops of chocolate in toy loaders is "BOY" for I love you.

We also have to remember not to hug them in public (at least the older ones). Public displays of Mom Love are "not cool" and mean you don't really care about them...or you wouldn't have embarrassed the life out of them.

They'd much prefer a batch of cookies.

Cookies speak to them. (I spoke volumes with my Peanut Butter Pops yesterday!)

But little boys . . . now, they can challenge the whiskers off my chin to no end.
Take this morning for example.

Out of the clear blue--over his bowl of Fruit Loops, my four year old says to me, "Can you squeeze a chicken's neck?"

It took some some time, but I finally connected the dots.

Take yesterdays hug where I had to choke out, "Don't s-q-u-e-e-z-e my neck so hard!" plus the recent episode of Dirty Jobs at the Chicken Pluck'in Plant, and you get (drum roll, please), "Can you squeeze a chicken's neck?"

Just another typical day, trying to speak "BOY". LOL!

For more laughs, hop on over to Kim's place at Homesteader's Heart and join her fun Meme!

Happy Friday, Friends!!!

Peanut Butter Cookie Pops

When I was teaching (a number of years ago), an incredibly-super-wonderful room parent brought these in for one of the parties, and I was immediately hooked. She wrote up the recipe for me and I am forever grateful! Thanks, Mrs. H!

Now, I make them as a special treat for my own kids! The fun is the in surprise which you tuck in the middle.

That day, they came to school with Rolo's in the middle. Oh-my-goodness were they good! But I have someone in the family who doesn't like carmel. So for this batch, I cut up chunks of Snickers Bars to put in the middle.

Peanut Butter Cookie Pops

1 Cup Sugar

1 Cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar

1 Cup Crisco

1 Cup Peanut Butter

2 teaspoons Vanilla

2 eggs

3 Cups All Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

Snack size or funsize candy bar with soft center (Rolo's, Milky Ways, Snickers, etc.)

Popsicle sticks (Be sure to use a good grade to prevent splinters)

Heat oven to 375. (My oven is hot, so I cook them at 350)

In a large bowl, combine first 6 ingredients. Beat well. Add7-9. Mix well.

Insert stick into candy. Form a golf ball size ball of dough and surround the candy, patting around till it is smooth and completely covered.

Place 3-4 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 13-15 minutes until lightly golden brown.

*Cool 7-10 minutes on the cookie sheet and then remove and cool completely.

This recipe makes around 32 of the snack size pops, depending on how large you make them.

You don't have to use the popsicle sticks. You can simply roll the balls in red sugar and press a Hershey's Kiss into the top when you remove them from the oven. They make wonderful Valentine's Day Treats. I mixed this batch up and did a few of each, even rolling a few in raw sugar (something I love!).

Wrap a pop up in colored cellophane and tie with a red ribbon and it makes a fun teacher gift!

Visit the Sweethearts Treats Recipe Swap for more great recipes!

Now, who's coming over to help me eat these??

Free March and April Issues of Family Circle Magazine

You can receive the March and April issues of Family Circle free by going here and signing up.

Thanks Budget Help$!

Wordless Wednesday:Rain, Rain. . .

My little guy found a cozy nook on the window seat to trace the streaks of rain. I thought he might fall asleep. . . but he didn't.


You can find more Wordless Wednesday snap shots at 5 Minutes For Mom.

Works For Me Wednesday:Valentine's Day Opportunities

As we draw near to Valentine's Day, images of hearts and love birds dance in our minds. Parties and cards and the blessed class list each take their time from our schedules.

If you have boys, picking cards is a nightmare. Your options revolve around which ones are "cool" and have the absolute least gooshy word phrases on them (so no one will get the wrong idea).

I ask you, do any such cards really exist??

And if so, why bother???

Lucky for me, my 9 and 11 year old have renounced the tradition of giving cards to classmates this year. I say lucky, because tonight, instead of overseeing the writing of the Valentine's cards (which is never a fun thing to do), I had time to just sit and think.

Naturally, I thought of Valentine's Day. . . a day all about showing love to the people we care about.

The best example of love I can think of is the sacrifice Jesus himself made on our behalf. How awesome to know that Jesus paid for our admission to Heaven with his blood.

How humbling as well. Most days I feel like the majority of the sins he died for were all mine. I'm ever grateful for His unconditional, undeserved love.

But His love doesn't stop with the Cross. It goes on in the fact that he has a plan for each and every one of us, including our children. God sees them as battle instruments against our enemy, Satan.

Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are the sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.

Psalms 127:3-5

That makes us Arrow Makers.

So what kind of arrows are we fashioning? Will they be straight and strong, and ready to be used by God against the enemy? It is sobering to realize that God wants to use our children to destroy Satan's plans for evil!

It's like we're making little "smart bombs" (in today's terminology) . Or maybe not.

Smart Bombs armed with the Love of God. An interesting thought.

Perhaps I should stop thinking.

Anyway, taking a moment this Valentine's Day to remind our kids of who loved them first, and most, is What Works For Me.

The Story Of How We Got Here...To the Land of Corn Fields, Hogs and Tornadoes

Just six years ago, I never would have dreamed I'd be living in Indiana.

I grew up in a small Pennsylvania town between Philadelphia and Harrisburg. Going to see the Pennsylvania Farm Show was about as far west as I traveled.

The only folks I knew who moved to Indiana had gone to start a hog farm. So naturally, when I thought of Indiana, I thought of hog farms. . .and flat land. . .and corn fields. . . and tornadoes (of course).

When my husband was contacted about a job here, my first response was to wrinkle my nose. But I told myself that I was going to remain open to whatever God had in mind. And at that time, there were no other doors even cracked open.

His first interview with someone from the actual company was near the end of March, 2003.

I remember the turmoil inside as I began to research the area.

But before I knew it, we were boarding a plane bound for the Midwest. We had the name of a contact, a list of properties to see, an unsigned contract, and a million questions to ask. We were asking God to help us make all the right decisions.

To make a short story even shorter: In a whirlwind of events which only a sovereign God could orchestrate, we sold our house, packed up our belongings, and headed west. We arrived in Indiana to settle into our new home on May 14, 2003. With much help, and tears all around, our friends, family, and even neighbors pitched in to make it all happen and see us off.

With our move came many changes.

We've learned some new vocabulary, developed some new skills, and had to adapt to the subtle differences in the culture of the Midwest.

The first time a store clerk offered one of my boys a sucker, I had to ask her three times to repeat the question. In exasperation, she finally sighed, reached into a basket and held up a lollipop. "Oh!" I said, "You mean a lollipop!"


We've been here almost six years now and, still, I smile when I hear the candy referred to as a sucker. I look at my son's poster, the beginning of a student council advertisement for the Valentine's Sucker Sale, and I crack up. Seriously. Does this look right to you?

Granted, the little lollipop pictures were yet to be added, but still. . . Back east, you probably would have faced suspension for hanging something like this!

Anyway, groceries are put in sacks, not bags.

Kids drink pop, not soda.

We have fish fries at the local firehouse, not Chicken Potpie. (Being hundreds of miles from the nearest ocean, this one makes no sense to me.)

If you are in the mood for a good American Hoagie, you'll need to make a road trip. . . 12 hours east. After hitting what seemed like every deli south of Indy, we gave up. If you live in the east, and you want to send us some hoagie buns, you'll be our friends FOREVER.


We don't have to rake leaves out here. By the time Thanksgiving rolls around, every last leaf has been blown to the next county over. Saying it can get windy here is an understatement.

It's funny. During our first month, we actually thought someone was playing pranks on us. We'd leave on a sunny afternoon, head into town, and return to find our lawn furniture blown clean off the porch.

You'll now find most of my porch furniture either tied or weighted down.

We were surprised to find there are no car inspections in Indiana. Cars held together with bailing twine and duck tape are free to roam the streets. The only bad thing about it (says my husband) is that we didn't know that before he took his old car and pickup to the junkyard in prep for the move.

By the way, he's a mechanical marvel. He can squeeze another 20,000 miles out of just about any hunk of car. (You thought I was going to say junk, didn't you?) "That's when they're just getting broken in...," he says. Yes, well. . .where was I?

There are no dog licences. Well, there is, we were told by our vet, but no one actually buys them and he wasn't sure how to apply for one. We did, however, receive a dog TAX bill. And a tax bill for our Kayak. I'm told anything in my yard--moving or not--is taxable.


We rarely have snow days during the school year. Instead, we have fog and flood days. No kidding. I had never heard of fog delays, but sure enough, they exist--and for good reason!

We do have plenty of Storm Warnings. The spring is notorious.

One day, a particularly dangerous storm was approaching right about the time I needed to go meet the school bus at the highway, (3/4 mile down the hill).

With the electric gone out, and the sky dark as night, I got in the car and went down with my (then) infant son to wait. I prayed that the storm would either miss us or hold off till I could get the boys and return home.

As it turns out, the school had gone into lock down mode with the children tucked into tornado shelters. A kind neighbor, who had word from the school, came out to tell me so I could go home and wait it out.

That was a stressful day.

We take storm warnings more in stride now. I've learned to put a few plans on the books for different scenarios. Now, they are actually kind of fun and exciting. Sick, I know.

I think I'm adapting. I might even be accepted as a real Hoosier some day.

For the record, there may be some hog farms out here, but I haven't seen any.

There are plenty of corn fields and flat land to the north. But on the south side, where we live, there are hills and ravines and beautiful country sides reminiscent of our home back east.

And as for Tornadoes? I haven't seen any, yet, but can now do the drill in under two minutes.

This has become home. And we are happy to be "grow'in -n- bloom'in" here.

Pulling Our Behinds Off The Fence

Our two older boys have struggled through being the "only boys" in their Sunday School classes for more than a year. I say struggled in the sense that, at 9 and 11, being the only boys in a sea of girls is traumatic.

I know because, to hear them talk, they will need therapy for years.

We've listened. We've laughed. We've prayed. We've invited their friends and we've gotten more involved ourselves. We've even told them that some day it will work in their favor. Needless to say, they're not buying that.

Can they learn and grow without buddies at church? Certainly.

Do they have friends in other circles that they can lean on? Yes.

Is there anything wrong with needing or wanting buddies to "hang" with at church? No.

Is it a good enough reason to explore other church families? Maybe.

Don't you hate maybes??

My husband and I have been prayerfully sitting on the fence over this question for months. Yet, that's really a misnomer, because sitting on the fence implies that one could swing either way with ease.

In reality, we've been resisting any sway at all and clinging to the rail as if we had sat in super glue. Why is it such a hard decision to make?

Because we are torn between the good friends we have there, and the struggles we see our kids going through.

But no more. We are pulling our behinds off the fence and seeing where God leads. We truly are open, in spite of the fact that the whole church hopping thing ranks right up there with getting a root canal.

Yesterday morning, we visited the church of one of the boys' friends from school. We figured we would start by looking at churches where the boys had known friends.

In spite of the unfamiliar surroundings, the boys (all three of them) jumped right into the routine and seemed to enjoy themselves. If I'm not mistaken, the buddy was pretty excited to have them there, too.

In fact, it was comical, when, after the service, the two older boys slipped out the other end of the row with their buddy to Sunday School without even a look back.

Can you believe they just left us there like that? All alone? lol! My husband and I eventually found suitable classes for ourselves and my four year old. But it had us chuckling all the way.

All three of my boys said they would like to go again. When I asked them how much of their enthusiasm was for the church itself, as opposed to how much was based on going with their friend, they said, "70% friend, 30% church." So, we'll see.

We'll go again, and we'll visit some other churches as well.

But next time, I'm finding out in advance where my Sunday School class is.

Hidden Message in Big Letters

No one is claiming authorship, but I'm pretty certain the writing on this fridge is not God's.

The empty space above the proclamation held the letters which spelled my oldest son's name.

So, assuming that my husband didn't step out of character, and considering my four year old can't spell, and my oldest would not insult himself, that leaves my Number 2 son.

I'm not altogether as clueless as my "tweens" seem to think. The funny thing is, my Number 2 son just got done memorizing and writing a verse on controlling his tongue. I see that although he has made great strides in that area, his thought process has not changed, lol! So that leaves this outstanding member of the WMPC to come up with a fitting consequence.

It has to be good. Something a kin to erasing the offending group of letters and making the world a better place. Here's what I'm thinking...

Have him take the letters off in backwards order of the way he put them up, and what do you get?? TTUB. The tub! I think I'll have him clean the tubs! The connection is clear to me, and that's all that matters. Besides, the tubs need cleaning. Hee, hee!

These letters are neat, by the way, at least when they aren't being used to insult each other. Lakeshore has a set like them for sale in sets of 40 for $8.95! They are about 2 1/2 inches high and perfect for little hands. My four year old loves to play with them while I cook. My set came with a large magnetic display board/wipe off surface so he can play with them over by my desk.

Edit: Lakeshore could not tell me who manufactures their letters. But I did find the actual Battat letters (which I have) on Amazon for $12.95, and I know that these are a nice quality. Unfortunately, Battat customer service told me they no longer manufacture the Magnetic board we have.

We play tons of games with them like:

• Put the letters in order,
• Find the letter that says...,
• What does...begin with?
• Which letter comes before/after...?
• Lets make a word, etc.

The site posts a Warning saying they are not for children under 3 because of small parts that pose a choking hazard.

Maybe they should post another that says:

Not for tweens due to irresistible urges to insult one another.

Membership: WMPC

Some days I'm a psychotic member of the WMPC. Today was one of them. If you've never heard of the special club, my story outlines how to join.

I began the day as usual. Grabbed some coffee. Woke the boys. Made lunches. Kissed my husband goodbye. Emptied dishwasher. Signed papers. Checked hair. Checked teeth. Applied chapstick x 2. Checked for hats, gloves, lunches, and homework. Coordinated schedules, and sent the boys out the door to the car pool. Sigh.

Usually, if I'm lucky, I'll have a few minutes to find and reheat my mug of coffee and check my email before my lap is taken over by a sleepy snuggly four-year-old. Not this morning. I barely made it to my desk. But that's O.K.

The house is chilly in the mornings and snuggling is part of our routine. This morning it was somewhere around 8 below outside, and even with the blankets wrapped around, we giggled at the chills we exaggerated. It's our special time.

Daytimes are like that. Between chores, we sit at my desk and do "fun stuff". While I work on line, he does sticker books, letter games, puzzles and whatever else tickles his fancy--as long as it's near me.

When I get my shower, he comes down to the bedroom and gets to climb up into mommy's bed under the electric blanket. He watches some Sesame Street and Barney. Did I tell you he's not a passive watcher? Oh, noooo. It's laugh-out-loud funny to hear him sing with the characters. I love my little guy.

When I'm making dinner, he's right there "helping" me, usually counting down the minutes until its time to go get his brothers at the bus stop. He is a joy, and I find myself just smiling sometimes at how loving he can be.

Then we hit 4:00 and everything changes.

My loving four-year-old becomes a wild Indian wrestling on the floor and sitting on the head of my middle son. There's giggling, screaming, pinching and kicking, till one breaks loose and runs to a new location to be tackled again.

At some point, the mean mom has to break it up and plant someone at the table to do his homework. It's a rotten job. But someone has to do it. If I'm lucky, there won't be math, and there won't be any Social Studies, and we can breeze through with a word find.

But, tonight was not a lucky night.

He not only had two pages of triple digit multiplication with money, he had serious spelling studying to do. Half way through that, he mentioned that he probably might have should have told me before today, but he kind of has a Social Studies Chapter Test tomorrow. A big one.

From there on out, this mom's attitude went down the drain. Besides finishing up dinner, and carting my oldest (and his friends) back and forth between Math Bowl practice and Basketball practice, I now had a mountain of delightful (not) studying to climb with my middle boy.

Of course, my husband was held up at work. That's almost predictable. There's no such thing as a little stress around here.

It's either cool but hopp'n, or its wild and crazy. And when it's wild and crazy and my husband is late, it's wild, crazy, and dangerous!

My four-year-old, who has the happy nice mommy to himself all day, practically stands on his head on the tallest kitchen stool he can find to regain my attention. Sadly, he got it tonight.

After pointing him towards the play room and his movie for the 50 zillionth time so I could help my number 2 with his work, I snapped. "Please, please, PLEASE, GO AWAY. Your brother needs my help right now. I'm BUSY!"

Ugh!!!! Right there. That's where I joined the infamous WMPC.

For the 10 Zillionth time.

Did you guess what the letters stand for? It's the Worst Moms on the Planet Club.

The tears welled up, the chin dimpled, and his shoulders slumped. "But, Mommy," he said, "I need you to love me."

This child can bring even the most frazzled of moments to a dead stop.

A long hug later and the arrival home of his Daddy saved the night from further destruction.

But the guilt is still rumbling around in my belly threatening to undo the Tums.

As Barbara Johnson says, "The end is not near . . .you must learn to cope.

Cope, indeed! I had a healthy start at the school Gym an hour later. As I waited for the Basketball team to finish practice, I joined a few ladies for some girl talk. There's nothing like the confession of a psychotic moment (or lifetime) to friends who understand. It is like balm on an guilty heart, because they've been there.

I love my friends. Sometimes, I honestly don't know what I would do without them. We jokingly formed the WMPC at one of the last games. It's so WONDERFUL to be able to share our struggles and failings and know that we won't be judged. Laughed at, maybe. But not judged. No sirrrreeee. We moms stick together. (Besides, quite possibly, no one else will have us!)

I think its time we do more than chat on the side of the court. Maybe we should have a real meeting, say, at Krispy Kreme's! WMPC members, only. Care to join us?

I thank my God every time I remember you.

Philippians 1:3

DRINK Your Tea

No, I'm not ordering you around. As it turns out, "DRINK-you-tea" is the call of this black-hooded bird as described in the National Audubon Society's Concise Birdfeeder Handbook. Too funny!

I owe a big thanks to Karen, who I think correctly identified him! She suggested that this guy was a Spotted Tohee. At first, I didn't think it could be, since I didn't remember white spots on his back. But after looking at some other pictures I took, I found spots on him! See?

I say him, because the female is supposed to have a brown hood.

According to the little map next to his picture in my handbook, we must be on the very northern reaches of his range.

He is also part of the Sparrow family. I'm guessing that we don't usually see him because his normal feeding habit is to scratch for seeds and insects under cover. Unfortunately, for him, the ground has a thick crusty coat of snow on it--even under bushes, thanks to the wind. That, and temperatures below zero must make it pretty tough on the birds. But how cool to see him!

I think Christina is right, too, about the other little bird being some sort of a sparrow.

I went back and looked more closely at the sparrows in my handbook and found that this little bird is an American Tree Sparrow. The tell tale mark? A little blotch on the breast that I missed before! Thanks, Christina for pointing me in the right direction!

You guys are great! Since I often find myself talking to the birds, it's nice to know their names. :)

Too Old for Hot Dogs

Last night I had an odd dream. I remember three things about it.

1. I sat through a church service where the main event included watching two men roll boulders across the platform area.

2. There was a shoot-out between the police and a city gang(?), during which, I hid under a pew.

3. My 6 lb bull frog (???) kept climbing up on my MIL's dining room table. (For the record, she was very gracious about it.)

There is only one thing to conclude: I'm simply too old to eat hot dogs and get a good night's sleep.

Works For Me Wednesday:Birdfeeder On The "Cheep"

I love to feed and watch the birds at this time of year. This Cardinal is one of two sets that visit us often.

This cold little bird was all hunkered down in the bush. He seemed to be holding on for dear life as the gusty wind whipped the snow in sheets down off of the roof. Anyone know what kind of bird he is? He doesn't seem to fit any of the pictures in my field guide. The closest I see is a Tree Sparrow.

Or this one? This is the first time I've seen one like this at our feeder. He (or she) was fluffy and beautiful, and about the size of a robin. I can't find any birds in my book that come even close.

Check out this Three Foot Cardinal!! We grow them big here in Indiana! Just kidding. My son just happened to be rounding the bend and coming up the sidewalk while I was snapping pictures of the birds. Through the lens of my camera, it looked for all the world like he had dressed his little brother in a big fat cardinal costume!

The next picture puts things back into perspective.

This is the platform feeder I wanted to tell you about. A friend of ours from Pennsylvania used an old window screen on a wooden frame as a platform feeder outside his kitchen window. "Humph, I can do that," I said. What a cool idea!

Not having an old screen, but having plenty of scrap wood, I made a no frills square frame and cut a piece of screen to fit. You can get a roll of replacement screen at Wal-mart for pretty cheap, by the way. I stapled the piece of screen to the top of the frame, and Wallah! A platform feeder. The screen is good because it lets the bird feed dry quickly.

I attached the feeder I to the window trim beneath my kitchen window. That didn't work so well. Raccoons climbed up and made short work of the food, and to my horror, our cats made short work of the birds. I still feel guilty over luring those little birds in for their last supper.

So I decided to mount the platform differently. I screwed an eye hook into each corner, then hung it with fishing line from one more eyehook in the soffit (which is not in the dictionary, by the way) outside our kitchen window. I liked it so much, I decided to make a second one and hang it from the first one. Pretty nifty, eh? The neat part is, even with the second level, it's too high for the raccoons or cats to raid, but still close to the window for us to enjoy!

I stabilized it with more string between an eye hook on the house, and a shepherds hook in the border bed. It keeps it from whipping in the wind and smashing the window.

That's always nice.

The cats walk forlornly by...so close, and yet so far. They still have their effect, though. As you can see, they can clear a feeder and ruin a photo op like nobody's business.

Oh! One more thing! You can go right up to this window and the birds can't see you! You see, the first year we were here, we covered the window with this energy saving film made by Gila. The Platinum one isn't cheap, but it acts like a mirror so that if it is lighter outside than inside, all the bird (or neighbor, or peeping tom) sees is a reflection. That's especially good if you have modesty challenged boys parading through the house! (is there any other type of boy??)

Allowing the birds to eat without getting eaten is a good thing. Making a cool bird feeder on the "cheep" is also a good thing. Being able to watch so many beautiful birds right up close and personal is just way cool.




Check out other great tips and ideas on "Works For Me Wednesday" hosted by Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer.

Honey Ginger Pork

My creative juices are down to a trickle, and I'm feeling totally blank today. So, I'm taking the opportunity to share another of my favorite recipes. Keep in mind, I'm not a great cook. But when I find an easy way to make a delicious dish, I get to pretend I spent hours...

This is an incredible (and easy) pork recipe which gets raves every time I serve it. It is also adaptable to different cooking methods and time frames as well.

Note: My boys aren't real fond of the ginger taste, so I often reduce the amount down to around a half teaspoon. A little ginger goes a long way.

Ingredients:

• 4 Pork Chops or Pork Loin Slices
• 1/2 to 1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 1/2 Cup Honey
• 2 Tablespoons Butter, melted
  
  

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan. Add the ginger, garlic, soy sauce and honey, and stir.

Marinade the meat from two hours to overnight. Bring the chops to room temperature, remove from the marinade, and grill. You can put the leftover marinade in a sauce pan, bring it to a boil and use it to baste the chops each time you flip them.

Or,

Put the chops in a baking dish, pour marinade over top, cover, and cook for 1/2 hour at 400 degrees. Uncover, cook another 15-30 minutes till done, turning several times to coat and glaze each sided of the meat. I did it this way over the weekend, and it was DE-licious!

Of course, anything that has honey in it is right up my alley. It's like having desert...for dinner!

It goes wonderful with rice or mashed potatoes and a tossed salad.

Speaking A Foreign Language

This weekend, without a single (recent) grumble-nag-fit from me, my husband sorted through, straightened up, and cleaned out his computer room (AKA: The Computer Artifacts Museum And Complete Spare Parts From A-Z Warehouse).

For those of you who have seen this room, you will understand how much effort went into it when I say that there is now nothing on the floor--nothing--anywhere--and the kelly green carpet has been fully exposed and vacuumed.

That in and of itself was huge. But he didn't stop there.

He vacuumed the entire house.

He made the boys clean up their room (including their disgusting bathroom sink which had petrified globs of toothpaste dotting the terrain).

He sucked the dust off their ceiling fan.

He supervised the cleaning of the playroom.

AND, he picked up dish washer detergent at Wal-mart on his way home from church (I had a meeting afterwards). Praise The Lord!! I was down to my last two load's worth of powder!!

He even shoveled the heavy wet snow off a flat part of our roof to keep the water from backing up under the shingles.

And the icing on the cake? He remembered to pick up a Sunday paper for me since they would be all gone by the time I left my meeting.

Wowsa!

To me, it was a birthday present come early. It was a giant Valentines Card--No, A big box of chocolate! An "I love you!" in neon lights. There is absolutely nothing he or the boys could have done that would have spoken "love" to me more--because my love language is Acts of Service. I feel loved most when someone does something to help me out.

My husband's is different then mine, so it made the work he did extra meaningful to me.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, I'm speaking of what Gary Chapman defines in his book The Five Love Languages.

In his book, he suggests that we each convey and receive love primarily in one of five ways:

• Quality time
• Words of Affirmation
• Gifts
• Acts of Service
• Physical Touch

Often, the giver and receiver express love in different ways (as in the case of my husband and me). If you don't know and speak his or her special "love language" you might as well be speaking a foreign language to them.

Understanding this can be life changing--for husbands and wives, for parents and children, and virtually every kind of relationship.

To find out your primary love language, or that of your loved ones, you can take this 30 second quiz .

I highly recommend his book, or any of the others he has written on the topic. If you go here, you'll find all his books on the topic, including one on the love languages of children, and teens and their audio book versions on CD's--which are awesome! My favorite is the one for children. I'd highly recommend it not just for parents, but for anyone who works with children.

Incidentally, any of these would make a great study for Small Groups, as well.