Girly, not me!

You know I never blink an eye anymore when, after finding out I have 3 girls, someone asks if I'm going to try for a boy. If I try for anything it will be a healthy baby, I'll leave the rest in better hands. But I have to admit that sometimes, when no one is looking, I roll my eyes heavenward and ask "Just what were you thinking?" Here's a few reasons why...

-I do not know how to french braid, can barely braid, and am awkward with a curling iron. If I had my way my girls would sport cute pixie haircuts until they could style their hair themselves.

-I have no problem with my girls getting dirty. If they get dirty I'm more likely to give them a high five than to tell them they should not be making mud pies in their white pants.

-When my daughter tells me she would rather play football during recess than participate in "cheerleader" tryouts I can't help but feel relieved and proud.

-I can be dramatic, I've had plenty of drama over the years. But take that and multiply it by 3 more females and well, that is just too much drama. Even for a theater troupe.

-I don't do nails. If I actually get mine done, which is an annual thing, I'm thankful for the pampering, but know if I actually tried to paint my own it would be a mess.

-Crying a little is okay, a lot is not. The phrase from one of my favorite movies run through my head, "There is no crying in baseball." I want to borrow that quote and make my own like "Hey, there's no crying at home, or in the car, or in the grocery, or ...." well you get the idea.

But even though my girly qualities are limited, somehow God has granted me with three beautiful girls, who have just the right balance of feminine charm and tomboyish qualities. And Little One reminds me everyday of who she is as she prances about the house on tip toe repeating, "I'm a girl." Yes, you are and aren't I lucky!!

Note From an Extremist, Redneck TEA Drinking Mom

You know, I've had a lot of labels put on me in my life: teacher, Christian, friend, mother, volunteer, wife, writer, etc. I must say that I was very surprised to wake up the morning after going to a local TEA party with my three daughters and hear that I was an extremist and redneck. Some even called us stupid and racist. Wow, those words have never entered my mind when I think about who I am. Silly me, instead of looking in the mirror each morning I should have just been asking the media what they saw. Certainly their image of me is far clearer than anything I might see. I mean, their view from New York or LA is far more accurate then my view here in the heartland.

Having said all that I'd like to tell you what I saw at the TEA Party I attended here on April 15th. Obviously, what I saw and what people saw on the television are two extremely different versions. I'll try to recount my experience using all the knowledge I gained during my18+ years of education so I don't sound too redneck.

The first thing I noticed was there were people in attendance from all walks of life. From babies, to school teachers, to lawyers, and stay at home moms. There were retired people, veterans, Scout leaders, and grocery checkers. And dare I say it, but there were democrats, independents, and republicans alike.

A picture of the rowdy crowd.

There were smiles on people's faces, kids running around playing, and lots of American flags waving in the wind. You'll notice I said waving in the wind, not burning or being stomped on. There were signs galore. All clean (I mean no profanity), spelled correctly, and many were humorous. People were chatting with strangers and friends alike. I saw a veteran remove his jacket and hand it to a stranger who's baby was cold. Then I watched as she handed him her baby to hold so she could pull a blanket out of her diaper bag. Rednecks are like that you know.

One of my favorite, humorous flags.

My kids found their friends in the crowd.

What were we protesting you ask? Well, TEA stands for Taxed Enough Already. Those of us who pay taxes pay a lot of taxes. And here's my thing, I don't mind paying taxes. But I do mind paying for the stupidity of some lawmakers. And I do mind when my children's future well- being is being threatened because today some adults in Washington can't get their act together.

I, also, believe that we are the people. That our voices need to be heard. So whenever we have the chance to let our voices be heard, we need to exercise that right. A woman named Mercy Otis Warren was equally outspoken about her right and her opinions about government. One favorite quote is :
It is necessary for every American, with becoming energy to endeavor to stop the dissemination of principles evidently destructive of the cause for which they have bled. It must be the combined virtue of the rulers and of the people to do this, and to rescue and save their civil and religious rights from the outstretched arm of tyranny, which may appear under any mode or form of government.

I wonder if she was called names for her view, probably. But the book this quote was taken from was written in 1805 titled History of the Rise, Progress and Termination of the American Revolution. She was a fascinating woman and strangely enough, not someone that I ever read about in any of my history books growing up!

Oh, anyway all I can say is that I've really never been too concerned about what the media or the folks in Hollywood think. Thankfully, I answer to a Higher Power. And, hopefully, if you are concerned about the direction our government is taking you'll feel empowered to stand up and voice your opinion, even if you do get called a redneck, racist, stupid, extremist Momma!

Free Poster Print ....

Hey, did you all hear that Connie over at Smockity Frocks is giving away a free 16 X 20 poster print. If you haven't had a chance to sign up hurry over there and leave a comment!!

Works For Me Wednesday- Spice Organization

Everytime I went to grab a spice from my cabinet it was a disaster. Half the time I couldn't find the spice I was needing. This prompted a trip to the store for that spice, only to find later 3 jars of the same kind buried in the back of my cabinet. Other times I tried to quickly grab the spice jar only to have 10 other spices come tumbling out. I think WB got tired of me yelling, "Honey, where is the cumin!!" So he designed a nifty and attractive spice board for me.

He went to Home Depot and bought a thin sheet of metal. He proceded to cut it into a small square to fit the inside of our kitchen cabinet door. With small screws he placed it on the inside of the door. He bought these cute red containers at World Market. They have pour spouts and magnetic backs. We used our label maker to label all the little jars.

Here is the finished product:

I love just opening my cabinet and quickly grabbing the spice I need. It's also helpful because I can see right away what spice is low and replace it before I need it again!

And while I was waiting on my second spice cabinet to go up I decided to stick the jars to my fridge. Friends saw this and thought this would be great for them. The jars are pretty enough to have out and they would be easy to grab as you were cooking. Oh, just keep them up high if you have little hands around the house. Otherwise, you might find yourself cleaning cumin seeds out of the couch, and hallway, and bathroom, and bookcase. Those seeds go a long ways!!

That's my WFMW . For more great tips head over here!

Memorable Moments Monday

This weekend was full of fun that kept us busy. I would like to post some pictures, but WB still has the camera in his car so I'll have to do that tomorrow! Three of my dear friends from my old hometown came to see me Friday night for a girls night out. They arrived wearing big, red, clown noses. They just crack me up. It's amazing what just an evening with your girlfriends can do to boost your energy!

Then it was off to my old hometown for a haircut Saturday morning for a little trim and upkeep. Always, nice to have your hair done, even though I know it will only last a couple of days because I can never do it the same way. Oh well, I'm just not good with lots of maintenance, don't have the patience for all that girly stuff most days:)

Then we rushed back home to catch the end of Soph's first track meet. She did great and got some ribbons. I think they all get ribbons of some sort, but she said she came in first twice! Those long legs make a good runner. I was so happy for her, because this is the first sport since the Karate debacle that she has participated in. (Karate + elderly teacher + being 5 + sitting for 90 minutes with little activity and lots of just listening to instruction = unhappy camper!) I'll have to post pictures of the meet on Tuesday if I can snatch the camera back from hubby.
Oh, and note to self: Bring lots of blankets to ward off chill of wind, chairs, snacks, and lots of energy to chase 2 year old around for 2+ hours while meet is going on. Can't wait until next Saturday!

And finally we planted our Western Prairie Garden and booster from High Country Gardens. I'll have to give you more details on that later this week. Plus, some pictures of our 10 TON pile of manure that is starting to look a little smaller with all our work! Everyone needs to view pictures of 10 TONS of manure, don't you think?

Those are some of my Memorable Moments...what's yours?

WFMW- Out of eggs, no problem!

We used up all our eggs last week and went out of town for Easter. I still, because I procrastinate, have not made it into town to buy some groceries. But even though we were out of cereal this morning I woke up early to make the girls waffles. Added the mix, milk, oil, and then remembered I have no eggs!! The girls would be down in 5 minutes and I had no breakfast. My cupboard is bare folks, it was either waffles or crunching on some random pieces of cereal that fell out of the box and were hiding out on my pantry shelves. I quickly ran to the Internet and looked up egg substitute. Lot's of weird things popped up that I do not have on hand, but finally my breakfast saver: 2 tablespoons of cornstarch = 1 egg in baking.
I finished the waffles. Holding my breath I cooked them, they looked just fine. Then my daughter's scarfed them down before I could even ask if they tasted okay (or take a picture for my blog).
So there's my tip. When out of eggs, never fear if you have cornstarch on hand!
For more WFMW tips head over here!

Good Friday

God so loved the world he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

Little One Turns 2

Well, my baby went and turned 2 on me last week. It was a crazy week with colds, breathing treatments and doctor appointments, but she turned 2 anyway. She talks in sentences now, with big words like bookshelf, beautiful, helicopter, hippopotamus and Einstein thrown in. She is such a sweet child who loves her sisters and hates being away from them. She enjoys taking showers, at least 3 times a day and putting gloss on her lips. When did my baby turn into this little person that likes noodles for breakfast and washing the dishes with Momma?

We held a little party for her Sunday afternoon. We had so much fun that I won't even mention the store bought cake we ran to the store for Sunday after church. Let's just say my whimsical creation didn't quite live up to my expectations! But no matter, Little One blew out the candles with gusto and loved having everyone sing Happy Birthday Cha, Cha, Cha to her.

Now, I've told her she is my baby and if she insists on getting older it doesn't matter because she will STILL be my baby!

Our sweet friends who came to celebrate. Didn't Em and Soph do a good job of decorating the party table?

The kids having fun with the pinwheel party favors.

Celebrating Your Children

Today I attended "Fab" Friday at my kiddos school. Every Friday they have a morning assembly of sorts for the kids. This Friday was the end of the 9 weeks so it was award time. My kids have never gotten an award, but have been recognized for A Honor Roll. The kids who get the awards; the best manners, most improved, etc. are well deserving. My friends little boy got an award today and he is the sweetest thing. I love him to pieces and the smile on his face lit up the room. So don't get me wrong awards can be fantastic. The downside is when you're 6 year old, who is sitting beside you holding your hand, squeezing it like crazy when they are announcing the winner of an award she might get suddenly lets go when she realizes she wasn't picked.. Then 30 seconds later whispers that she feels sick at her stomach and doesn't want to go to school today. Ah, yes a momma's heart breaks just little each time her child's disappointment is so visible. And okay, I'll be honest I get a little peeved at the powers to be for setting up this whole ritual.
Now I know some would say, "That's life. Not everyone can get recognized. After all there are 200 students and only12 awards to give out the entire school year." "Shouldn't do it for the recognition, it's about doing what's right." Yep, I know. I'm 36 years old and I've figured out life isn't always fair. Heck, sometimes it's darn disappointing. But you know what? This momma's gonna protect her little ones for as long as she can. I don't' see any sense in a 9 and 6 year old, who are good, studious students, to feel like they aren't deserving. Nope, no sense at all. Even if they were little hellions, rebelled a little...I'd just celebrate the days they tried and the days they didn't we'd look forward to the possibilities of what the next day was going to bring.
So here's what this mom is going to do today. I'm going to give my girls a super big hug after school today. Tell them how proud I am of them. Tell them they are tops in my book. And then I'm taking them out for ice cream. Not because they need some sort of reward for doing what's right, but because this Momma is very thankful God gave me two such beautiful gifts.