Domestic Goddess in Training

Hello everyone.

I hope your weekend has been great so far.

Today has been ok for me.

I got to watch my favorite college team, The Michigan Wolverines, play football today.

They won of course ;P

Yesterday wasn't as great as today has been though.

My daughter Hope, (Daughter #1) was able to take a "free" day off of school yesterday because she did well on her testing at the end of last year. She chose to job shadow me..the domestic queen.

I got up at 5:30 am with the hubby as he was getting ready for work and then at 6:30am I woke her and her sister up for the day. Faith (daughter #2) had to go to school. 

Hope and I stayed up after Faith left for school. She watched the news while I showered.

Then at 7:30 am Hope and I got the boys up so they could get ready for school.

Once the boys left Hope and I ate breakfast then we got started with the "job shadowing".

I explained to her what I do while they are at school and then we got started.

Room by room we tidied and cleaned the house.

We did laundry.

We laughed and danced.

We did dishes and mopped floors.

We were finished with our chores by 10am. 

A new record for me as it usually takes me until 1 pm or so when I am alone.

Once we finished mopping the floors, our final task, we came into the living room to admire our handiwork and to take a break before lunch. 

Then Hope asked me for a brownie.

When I said yes, she started acting really silly.

She ran into the kitchen, slipped on the wet floor, and slammed her shin, just under her knee  into the corner of our staircase.

She laughed at first, that is until the pain set in, then she started crying.

She hurt her leg pretty badly.

So badly in fact, I felt she needed to go to the Emergency Room.

We waited for an hour in the waiting room before we got a bed.

The doctor came in to see us right away.

We got xrays and guess what.....

No broken bones.

She does have lots of bruising including deep bruising.

She has a huge lump on her leg.

She also has a nice mark that split open when she hit the stairs.

Lord knows I am thankful she is ok and doesn't have a broken leg

However, her domestic goddess training has been suspended until further notice.

P.S. I was going to post pictures of her wounds but I didn't feel you all would want to see it. It does look pretty grotesque though.

Until next time,

May God Bless You

Erin

Baby Ripple TA-DAH

Hello again my friends. 

I am just popping in today to show you a blanket I finished this week.

My neighbor is going to be having her 5th child, 2nd girl very soon. I was in a bit of a rush to get this blanket done because I wanted to give it to her before the baby got here.

I used Lucy's pattern from the Attic 24 website. I also chose to do her "interlocking" color pattern.

This blanket is made from skeins of random yarns I had in my stash. 

I am happy to announce that my neighbor said the blanket was very pretty.

I hope her baby comes soon.

My friends, I am sorry this post is so blah and short.

My children brought me a cold from school so I'm not feeling up to par.

However, there is something I must put out there.

I cannot get into specifics about the situation 

BUT

We had a very pressing need this week.

We were very worried.

We all prayed for God's mighty intervention.

God is so good and merciful.

He has sent angels to us to help us in our time of need.

All the praise and glory be to Him!

Amen

Anyway, that is all for today my friends. 

I have to fold some clothes then I'm gonna rest and try to get rid of this cold.

Until next time,

Bless You,

Erin

The Little Black Kitten: A True Story

Hello friends.

 Today I'm supposed to have a deals post for you

 But 

I haven't even been to the grocery store yet. I may just wing it this week.

It has been THAT kind of week.

However...

I do have a story for you...

Once upon a time there lived a little black kitten. This kitten didn't have a very good life. His owners were very mean to him. They would yell at him and throw him. They would pick him up by his neck and run around with him. They didn't feed him near enough. The little black kitten didn't mind so much because he thought that is just how things were supposed to be.

One day the little black kitten was left outside all alone. He saw some kids riding their bikes so he decided to follow them. They were just going way too fast for the little black kitten to catch up so he stopped chasing them and meowed after them as he watched them go further and further down the road.

The little black kitten sat there in the middle of the road looking around. He realized he was lost and started meowing hoping someone would hear him. Someone did hear him. A stray dog came and started prowling around him. The little black kitten was frightened so he hissed and spit at his attacker but the stray dog just kept pawing at the kitten.

Then a woman with two little dogs came by and saw what was happening. She and her little dogs stopped traffic and scooped up the little black kitten. She saved the kitten from being hit by a car and eaten by a dog all at the same time.

The woman with the two little dogs held the little black kitten tight to her chest. She talked to him and reassured the little black kitten that he was safe. He quit being so nervous and started purring. He had never felt this kindness before.

The woman with the two little dogs took the little black kitten to her home and set him down in front of the food bowl. The little black kitten couldn't believe his eyes. He ate and ate and ate. He drank as much water as he could stand. Then he realized something. The woman with two dogs also had kids. Lots of them. 

The little black kitten wasn't so sure about kids. He had been treated badly by kids his entire life. But these kids were different. They were not yelling at him, they weren't grabbing him and hurting him. They were talking softly and kind and petting him gently. The little black kitten liked that very much.

Unfortunately, the little black kitten couldn't enjoy it for long as the woman with the two little dogs thought she knew where the kitten lived and she had to give him back to his rightful owners. So the woman with the two dogs took him down the road to the house she thought he lived in and knocked on the door. The woman didn't really want to give the little black kitten back because she knew he was so mistreated but she had to do what was right. The door opened and a woman said that little black kitten didn't live there but one of his owners was there. She took the kitten and shut the door.

The woman with the two dogs was very sad. She said a prayer for the kitten. She asked God to protect him and to keep him safe. 

The woman with the two dogs thought about the kitten alot after that. She wondered how he was doing and worried about his safety. She kept praying for him to be loved and kept safe.

Then about a week after the woman with the two dogs had given the little black kitten back to his owners a miraculous thing happened. She got a knock on the door. A little boy had found the little black kitten in the middle of the road, meowing and hurt. He asked the woman with the two dogs if she could take the kitten because he didn't want to leave it all alone but he had to go to school.

The woman with the two dogs told the little boy she could take the kitten. Once again she placed the little black kitten in front of the food bowl and the kitten ate and ate and ate. He drank and drank and drank. When he was full he tried to find the woman with the two dogs. When he found her he ran up to her and jumped on her lap and started loving on her. He rubbed against her hand. He rubbed against her chin. He rubbed against her neck. He purred and he purred and he purred. The little black kitten was hoping that if he showed the woman with the two little dogs how much he loved her that she would not return him to that awful place but she would keep him for ever.

You know what...the little black kitten's wish came true!!!

You see, the woman with the two little dogs didn't know where the little black kitten really lived. So, she decided that if its owners wanted him they would be looking for him and she would give him back.

But God answered her prayers and those of the little black kitten.

No one came looking for him.

So the little black kitten stayed with the lady with the two little dogs.

They all lived happily ever after.

The End

Here is the little black kitten. We have named him Yoda.

He has plenty of food, snuggles, and love.

We really wasn't sure we would get another cat after the death of our beloved Smokey but this little kitten really pulled at our heart strings. We hope he lives a long and happy life with us.

Until we meet again,

Be Blessed,

Erin

Random Saturday: WIPs, Something new

Hello my friends.

I hope you all are having a wonderful Saturday.

Today I have been running some errands, doing some cleaning, and doing some laundry.

Have you ever wondered what 2 days of laundry would look like for a family of 6?

I had all of our laundry done Thursday morning. This is Saturday.

I have a full load of light colors (in front of dryer), a full load of dark colors (in front of door), a full load of jeans, a full load of whites and 2 loads of towels. Plus 2 loads of blankets we used to snuggle under.

Who else do you know that would share their dirty laundry on their blog?

Now to the good stuff.

I haven't crocheted much this week but I do have 2 whole projects on the go.

First is this baby blanket I am making for my neighbor. She is 36 weeks pregnant right now and docs said she could have the baby anytime. The colors are maybe a tad muted but not very much.

My other project is a water bottle carrier.

You all know I have been on a journey to get a little bit healthier. 

Well, a couple of friends of mine and I walk a few days a week. When I say walk, I mean at a fast pace and usually about 4 miles. I hate holding on to my water bottle so I am making a little crossbody type holder for it. I am using cotton yarn. It is cream with red trim. The strap will also be cream with red trim. I will have a red tie on it as well that will secure the water bottle in place.

I also purchased a few things this week.

First, I want to show you my favorite bag. I stole it from my mom a while ago and I have been using it to carry my Bible and my notebook to church. I also keep a pencil pouch with pens, pencils, and highlighters and some peppermints in there. I usually just throw my clutch in it when we go to church to avoid carrying several bags.

Sadly, I have to retire my spotty, stripey bag because I have a new companion to my Bible.

This book is amazing. If you need to find something in the Bible, this book will help you!

It is called The New Strong's Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. I know this will help me as a student of the Bible.

Since my Spotty, stripey bag will not hold all the things I need, I now have this new bag.

The color isn't true as this bag is a very vivid orange and cream.

I bought it from our local Shopko store. 

You know I am a deal seeker. If I can't get it free I will try to get it as cheap as possible

So...

This bag was originally $40.00

I paid only $8 for it. 

It is HUGE.

Now for a bit of news for you all.

My darling hubby started classes this week at Ohio Christian University.

He is in Ministerial and Biblical Studies courses.

He is a bit overwhelmed right now but I ask that all you praying friends please pray and send well wishes to him.

I am very proud and supportive of his decision to go back to school.

Well that is all for right now my friends.

I have to go change out loads of laundry and do some yard work.

I love each one of you who reads this.

Be Blessed,

Erin

To diet or not to diet

Hello again!

I know! I am on a roll with this blog thing.

It's kind of funny how things are just popping in my head to talk about.

But that's what makes this blog real, right?

I have been really trying to organize my life to get everything done I want to do in a day

AND

To keep myself from just sitting around doing absolutely nothing.

Doing nothing makes me feel horrible.

I mentioned in this post how I was planning on cleaning my entire house and then doing things daily to maintain it. I have to say I have been doing a pretty good job at keeping my house neat and tidy.

It takes a lot of work and commitment to the schedule since it is so new but I know it will become second hand soon enough.

Along with organizing my cleaning I have also added in bloggy time and exercise time into that daily to do list.

I plan on blogging every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Tuesday will most likely be about my deals I found on Monday while grocery shopping.

But Thursday and Saturday could be about anything that pops into my head.

I'm really excited to get my thoughts out to you all!

I also plan on exercising 4-5 days a week. 

I may walk several miles, do yoga or zumba or even some random video on youtube.

I have noticed that when I am up and moving more than sitting around I feel tons better. I feel more energetic, my head is clearer, and I have less aches and pains.

I have also made some decisions about "diet" and my body.

You see, I am 5'2" and I weigh 154 lbs. 

That isn't too bad but I am considered obese for my height.

My ideal weight is around the 115 range.

Now, I acutally like most of my body the way it is.

EXCEPT 

my stomach. My ab muscles are weak from having my kiddos and they poke out.

I also have some fat over them that keeps my belly out further than it should be.

My measurements: chest 40, belly 33, hips 40.

I am an hourglass shape.

So, I am not really trying to lose weight. I am trying to be active and healthier.

I have come to the point that if I am exercising and eating well and I feel good then I'm not really going to worry about the astethics of it all.

As for my diet. Well what diet?

I pretty much eat whatever I want still BUT I just don't eat as much.

If we go out to eat, I will have a kids meal.

If I order an adult meal, I pay attention and I eat until I'm full or I will eat half whichever comes first.

If I want something, I eat it.

If I want a candy bar I will buy the fun sized ones and share with my family.

If I want a piece of cake, I cut half the size I normally eat.

I also try to eat fresh fruits and veggies as much as possible with meals and as snacks.

Eating them with meals is really hard as Eddie (son #1) is a very picky eater (textures) and he is allergic to some foods.

I tend to grab celery and peanut butter, apples and peanut butter, yogurt, or my favorite snack...saltine crackers with peanut butter and bananas..yum.

As far as drinking...I mainly drink water. I will have a regular coke or pepsi every once in a while.

I do drink sweet tea sometime but I really prefer unsweetened.

I love chocolate milk but limit myself.

As for results, just in trying to figure all this out I did lose some weight.

My heaviest was 167 pounds earlier this year.

So I have lost 13 pounds.

I have been stuck at 154 for a month or two.

(Oh I have noticed I will gain 2-5 lbs when it is time for my monthly)

BUT the weight doesn't bother me.

My muscles are getting stronger, I feel better, I have more confidence.

That is all that matters.

I must tell you all, accepting myself has not been easy for me.

BUT I have found that not worrying about the measurements or scales (just using them when I am curious)

and trying to be as active and healthy as I possibly can, I feel better.

I am getting better. I may not have the flat toned tummy and I may never get it but I accept me for me.

I am wonderfully and perfectly made by God. He doesn't make mistakes.

Well, That is all for today friends.

Hope to see you all soon!

Be Blessed

Erin

Deals and Steals

Howdy friends.

This week has been a stressful week already and it is only Tuesday!!

You see my wonderful hubby had an accident at work a couple weeks ago and injured his knee. 

They suspected he had a torn miniscus BUT docs found out he had just bruised his knee very deeply.

He was out of work for a week until the orthopedic doc released him to go back to work.

Most of you all know that our family is a single income family.

I am a stay-at-home mom and hubby works outside the home.

We live pretty much paycheck to paycheck.

Well, hubby will be missing a week of work on his paycheck this week (he gets paid biweekly).

That leaves us really strapped.

You see we have been really tight with our money since our camping trip way back in mid July.

Then we had to get school supplies and school clothes for our brood of 4.

So money is tight to say the least!

Anyway..I was worried about getting food for the week on the $50 I had left.

Let me tell you, it's a good thing I coupon AND have God on my side!!

The Kroger I go to (in Washington Court House, Ohio) still doubles coupons.

As a matter of fact they still double coupons valued up to 99 cents. 

That means a coupon worth 99 cents that doubles will be worth $1.98!!

Not too bad huh. 

And my Kroger's limit of like coupons is 5 in a transaction. That is why I buy  my papers in fives.

Anyway..This week the Kroger sale was right up my alley.

They had a few buy one get on on meats like pork sirloin cutlets and pork sirloin roasts.

They even had some frozen chicken on sale.

BUT the best of all was the "if you buy this...you get this free" sales.

If you buy Country Crock you got eggs free.

If you buy Knorr Rice or Pasta Sides you get Big K pop free.

If you buy Breyers Ice Cream you got a half gallon of milk free.

If you buy Ragu Pasta Sauce you get kroger pasta free.

And if you buy Hellmans Mayonnaise you get bread free!

Not too bad huh. So let me just tell you what I got for free this shopping trip!

I had coupons for free:

Playtex sport Tampons

Free box of cheerios

Free Kraft Singles cheese

Free Kroger Eggs.

Using the sales I got.

A 2nd dozen eggs free

2 Big K Sodas

4 Kroger pastas

Free pork roast

The rest of my list was fairly short!

Pork Roast

milk 2/$5

country crock

4 knorr pasta or rice sides

4 ragu pasta sauces

So to feed my family of 6 for this week I spent $48.48

The Savings for this week were $55.16

That is a 53% Savings.

Now I know this isn't as huge as those extreme couponing shows but I am stretching my weekly food budget as far as it will go and getting tons more food for way less money.

So there ya have it.

Until we meet again.

Be Blessed

Erin

I'm Back; Cleaning Again and maintaining it

Hello my faithful, furry followers.

I'm back!

This past month has been absolutely crazy!

It all started with our camping trip and since we have only had 5 days where absolutely nothing was scheduled!

We had 3 dentist appointments, 3 eye appointments, 3 doctors appointments, Vacation Bible School for 3 days, 3 open houses, School supply shopping, school clothes shopping, in town events, out of town events.

I'm telling you we were busy people. AND we still have an orthodontist appointment for Faith (Daughter #2).

So that is the reason I have been MIA. I haven't been on blogger much. I know I didn't comment on everyone's blogs. I have so much catching up to do. 

BUT

THE GOOD NEWS....

School started yesterday so I will be able get back into a routine, back on a schedule, and be able to take time to blog AND to read blogs.

Speaking of school starting, would you like to see a couple of the "first day of school" pics I took?

Here are my bouncing boys.

Eddie (Boy #1) is on the left and he is in the 5th grade and Sj (Boy #2) is on the right and he is in 3rd grade.

Here are my darling daughters.

Hope (Girl #1) is on the left. She is my 8th grader and Faith (Girl #2) is on the right. She is in 7th grade.

By looking at this picture you would thing Faith is the oldest but she is 2 years younger than her sister BUT she is an inch taller than I am!!

I just dunno how the years go by so fast!

``````

When the kiddos go back to school I always miss them so much. This year I actually broke down and cried I missed them so much (I'm such an old softy). So I try to keep myself busy until they get home until I get used to the idea of them being gone all day. 

Keeping busy is easy to do these first days though. I always deep clean my house once the kiddos go back to school. I clean, organize, get everything in working order so we can all run a little smoother.

This year the cleaning was much needed. We stayed so busy all summer I didn't have much time to truly clean my house. I did tidy and tackle out-of-control rooms when I was home but my house was screaming for some tlc.

Today I get to finish up that task. I still have floors to mop, windows to clean, ceiling fans to dust, 2 bathrooms, 2 bedrooms to tackle, and laundry to finish up.

Once I get all this done I can begin my cleaning routine which will ensure that my house stay neat and tidy.

Do ya wanna know what this routine is?

Well, I have made a list of my cleaning tasks and have decided if they should be completed daily, weekly, monthly, biyearly, or yearly. Then I categorized them and set out the following schedule.

Daily

Morning   

Make beds

wipe/tidy bathroom

vacuum

Fabreeze furniture

Through day/Evening

2 loads of laundry (or more)

dishes

Wipe counters/appliances

sweep floors

spot clean floor spills

Weekly

Sunday-Clip and organize coupons

Monday- Meal planning, cobwebs, dusting

Tuesday- deep clean bathroom

Wednesday-Spot clean carpets, windows

Thursday-mop floors

Friday- wash bedclothes

Saturday- Mow grass, pull weeds, wash dogs

Monthly

shampoo carpets

spot clean walls

light fixtures/ceiling fans

clean oven

move furniture and clean under

clean furniture

Biyearly (April & September)

Wash walls

clean basement

wash curtains

clean out closets

move appliances and clean under them

clean blinds

Yearly

Pressure wash decks/porches/house

trim bushes

trim roses

This list really breaks down the majority of my household tasks. If I follow it, my house will stay reasonably clean and tidy. This list can also be modified to suit any individual needs. It gives you a few basic cleaning chores to do every day just to upkeep your home then one bigger chore to complete each day of the week so a thorough deep cleaning doesn't have to be done all in one or two days. It also allows you to pencil in your monthly chores on a day you have the available time to complete each task. The biyearly tasks are simple spring and fall cleaning you can complete throughout those months. 

Well that's going to be all for today. It is after noon and I need to get back to cleaning. I hope to get back on this cleaning schedule no later than Monday. 

Until next time friends

Be Blessed,

Erin