Working Mom

Well the word is in and I will not be able to take the severance. I will continue to be a working mom.
For those of you out there who are there with me....you know how hard it is. You get up in the morning at the butt crack of dawn and try to fit in a little alone time with yourself. Maybe you exercise or try to catch up on the news. Then you get in the shower, get dressed for work, get the kids up and dressed and then you feed them breakfast. You try to fit in a little housework and then out the door you go. You hurry the kids to school, we pray and read the Bible in the car on the way. You drop the kids off and silently pray another prayer that they will be safe and properly cared for your absence. You trust someone else to teach your child and take care of them for the 8+ hours you will be away from them. Then it is off to work. You change "hats" and put on the business woman hat. In the office you go. You answer a hundred emails every morning and the phone starts ringing with this problem and then that problem that needs your immediate attention. You work and work and work. Your brain is ready to burst! If you and your family have doctor and dentist appointments that need to be made you try to sneak that in at your desk by calling the offices in between the other calls that are coming and going. You pay your bills and balance your checkbook on your small 30 minute lunch break. You try to fit in anything you can during the few breaks you get during the day. Never taking the breaks or lunches to actually relax. If the cars need repair you also try to arrange those from your desk as well. You use your personal days and vacation days not for the purpose they were intended but to fulfill these appointments at the dentist, doctor, mechanic, etc. At 5PM, if you are lucky, you have finished your work at your desk and you can leave the office. On the way home you must stop to get gas, milk, bread,etc. You walk in the door at home and are met immediately with the what's for dinners, help me with my homework, and the "honey did you call and take care of that one thing for me today?". Ah....you get all the answers taken care of as you hurriedly try to prepare something, healthy, fast, easy, frugal and tasty for your family. Several times you find yourself shedding a couple of tears because there just isn't enough of you. By the time you get supper on the table it is at least 6:30. Now if there is a game or practice or church or somewhere else thing you have to be at....well you somehow juggle this faster to get there on time. You eat and try your very best to put your most beautiful smile on your face as you talk with your family about their day. After all even though you work....you want them to know that you love them and are concerned about their day. No one asks about yours....but that is okay....afterall you are the mom. Then you clean up the supper dishes, pack tomorrow's lunches....as the children complain that they don't want that for lunch. You sweep the house, clean the bathroom, put away the laundry, and then it is time for baths. You get jammies out and toothbrushes ready. Help them all get ready for bed and then you realize that you didn't watch any special movie with them, or play a game with them yet. So you sigh deeply and pray that God will give you just a little more manna because your day isn't over yet. You smile, snuggle and play for awhile and realize that the kids must go to bed if they are going to be worth anything the next morning. So off to bed you send them with kisses, prayers and if you are blessed that day....a story. You put your own jammies on take the animals out for one last time before bed. You make sure everything is locked up tight and you layout some meat for tomorrow's dinner. You go and crawl in beside your already sleeping husband and try to relax but then you realize that you forgot to call that friend who is sick. You jump up and lay out an extra meal to fix for your sick friend's family and realize that in the morning you must get up a little earlier to fix their dinner as well. As you walk by your child's homework is sitting out so you check that and note any problems to go over with her in the morning. You realize that you didn't put make any laundry detergent and your are almost out so you grate soap and get all the ingredients together. You boil and stir and mix and ta dah you have laundry detergent to sit out overnight so it will be ready for the next day's wash. You lay out ingredients to make bread tomorrow and feed your sourdough starter. Now you are ready for bed. You crawl back in the bed utterly exhausted only to find that hubby has woke up and....well you pray for even more manna from heaven as your day isn't quite over yet.

For us working mothers everywhere....let us pray for strength from heaven.

Change may be coming!

Well I did it! I put in for the severance package at work. Now it doesn't mean I will get it but there is a good chance I will.
How are we going to make it? I don't know....but God does.
What am I going to do? Well first and foremost stay home with my girls. After this year of school I will homeschool them. We are also going to take those foster parenting classes we have felt called to take for awhile.
I want to open my home to medically fragile foster children.
Pray for us and these decisions come in our life. Pray that God's will be done.

Right now I just finished making about 60 peanut butter no bake cookies, two big batches of super moist brownies and one large batch of deluxe loaded brownies to take for a friend's daugher's wedding. Whew I am pooped. I have ran ever since getting off work. I picked up my jeep from the mechanic - yah new tires- then came home and started baking.

The diet is going well. I have lost 13lbs. I need to loose at least 10 more. I only have two more weeks to do it in. I don't think I will make goal. But at least I have lost some. It was really hard this time as my body just fought me every step of the way.

Valentine's Day and lots of love for my family!

Ah Valentine's Day! A day just to show you love someone. How wonderful is that?!

Well yesterday hubby and I went up to Huber's Orchard and Winery, just the two of us!!! We did a wine tasting in the attic of the winery and then we were off to lunch at Huber's Family Farm Restaurant. We went back to the winery for a little while and spent a few bucks at the country farm market. It was a wonderful day spent together.

Last night hubby, the kids and I watched Evan Almighty and ate some yummy valentine goodies. Such a sweet day it was.

I love my family so much! They mean everything to me.

Here are a few pix that I have taken recently. Some of the ice and some of oldest daughter playing vollyball. Enjoy!

Big Ol' Full to the Brim Saturday!!!!

Today is going to be a CRAZY day!!!! We have SOOOO many things to do today that I honestly don't think I will get done. But I know that God doesn't give me more than I can do in one day. So as soon as I finish posting a note on here I am off to begin my Saturday morning chores.
First I have to clean the kitchen, straighten the entire house, sweep and mop all the floors and clean the bathroom. I have been doing laundry by hand for the last week because my washer blew up.....boy the washing isn't hard but trying to wring out the water....whew.....it just wears me out. When I get a new washing machine I will probably marry it. I won't have time to do laundry today though.
I also have to straighten the pantry today.....when you pull something out it all falls around you. Something just has to be done there. However I am so blessed that my pantry is full. God is good!
Hubby has to go move furniture for my mamaw and papaw. They are moving into an assisted living home. It is really nice and we are so happy for them. They are excited and that is important. He only has a couple of hours that he will be available because he has to be back home at 12 to get ready for the ballgame.
Yep let's throw an AWAY volleyball game in there today. And not just a little away A LOT AWAY. About an hour drive there and back. I won't be able to attend the game with hubby and the girls.....because.....
Add in a wedding today. Yep at 2 I have to be at the church to help my friend Dottie get ready for her wedding at 4. Then after that is the reception and hopefully not too long into the reception hubby and the girls will show up.
The reception is going to be a good time but I won't be able to stay real long. There is still too much to do at home. So anyway hopefully you will have more of a restfull Saturday then I will.
Oh well....idle hands are the devil's workshop. No idle hands today!!!

Power Outage, Ice Storm, Family Staying over and more...

Whew! It has been a crazy few days! We have had a huge ice storm here in KY. We lost power Tuesday night and it just came back on at about 2 today. We are a complete electric house so it has been an adventure. WE have a generator because we have to keep our sump pump going. We were able to hook up a TV to the generator so we could watch the news, etc. We also had a kerosene heater and it did a really good job. I cooked all of our meals on top of that kerosene heater. I have fixed beef stroganoff, chicken dumplings, and more on that heater. We have not gone hungry.
God has truly blessed us during this storm. We have had heat, a few lights from the generator, food and clothing. So many people in this area have not been so blessed. Many are in shelters or hotel rooms. We are so thankful for all that we have been given.
My grandma and grandpa are staying with us. Their house has been damaged and is unliveable. They were trying to heat with a kerosene heater and something went wrong and it smoked out there entire house. They have soot everywhere.
Well I have to go. I will blog more tomorrow.

Veggie Stew and Snow on the way

Mmmmmmm.....I just finished a bowl of yummy veggie stew and a corn muffin. It has warmed me all the way to my toes. Which is a good thing since it is SO cold here in KY. We are in a winter storm warning and it is to start coming in at 10 PM and stay until Wednesday.
The kids have already been told....no school tomorrow. They have brought their paces and goals home for a homeschooling day tomorrow.

Usually I am not home from work yet but they gave me and another gal in my team a lack of work at 1PM. I was able to come home, eat a quick salad, shave the dog, trim the dog, bathe the dog, clean myself back up, fix veggie stew and cornbread, and eat with my family....and it is only 4:30! Wow....if only I could be a SAHM....I could accomplish so much for my family.

I know they will offer the severance again at work....at least I think they will. I have crunched the numbers, crunched the numbers, and crunched the numbers some more....but I just can't get end a to meet up with end b on just my husband's income. I will keep praying and keep trying. If it is in God's will then a way will be made.

I have put my quick recipe for veggie stew and cornmuffins below....

1 lb of ground turkey browned with 1 medium onion diced. Add 4 carrots cubed and 2 T fresh ground pepper. As that is browning nicely chop up 1 head of cabbage and three potatoes. Add this to the browned meat mixture in the large pot. Next add 4 cans of stewed tomatoes, 3 cans of corn, a cup of beef stock, salt and more ground pepper to taste. Let it all cook together with cover on pot until potatoes and carrots are tender.

Meanwhile mix a package of corn muffin mix according to package directions and add one can of corn. Cook in muffin pan until done.

Serve soup hot with corn muffins. Yummy! And good for you too!!! The kids and hubby gobbled it right down.

Well stay warm and as we say in Kentucky, Be Careful.... hee hee that would be my stab at American Idol judges for their craziness towards the KY hillbilly that told them to Be Careful. We all say Be Careful in Kentucky....it is just what we do.

Snow SnowSnow

As I sit here this afternoon catching up with you on blogworld, I have a clear view out my large bay window of the snowflakes falling on our little piece of Kentucky Bluegrass. When the cold winter came, my barrier of leaves that separate me from the interstate left. So behind the beautiful snowflakes I see the cars, trucks and semis speeding down the interstate. My view out my front is not the greatest but I find it calming to me. It is almost mesmerizing to watch those vehicles go by...over and over again. I can just stare and not have to think. I enjoy it. Don't get me wrong I would rather be staring out my front window at my field full of cattle but so is my lot in life....the semis. Every once in a while someone will come off the exit ramp...we live RIGHT on the exit ramp....and blow their horn wishing me a happy hello. Since we got our new windows put in we really don't hear them unless we are at the far side of the house and even then it is difficult. But when I am outside I hear them loud and clear.
Anyway, back to the snow. It is falling so beautifully and slowly. Isn't God good? He blesses us with beauty through all the seasons....even winter. When all of the lovely colors of nature have closed up and fallen asleep and the world seems dead and cold....God will cheer us up by giving us a beautiful shower of white flakes to watch fall. Thank you Jesus for reminding me that there is beauty in everything.
It has been terribly cold here in KY this week. I mean not north Michigan cold but cold nonetheless. I don't like cold. For that matter I don't like hot either. You just give me my spring and fall and I am a happy camper. I like it to have a little nip in the air....maybe that you would wear a sweatshirt with your shorts....now that is my kind of weather. The kind where you go camping and actually enjoy it outdoors during the day and then at night you have to lite a fire because it is just a little chilly. That is my kind of weather.
Speaking of camping we made our first reservations of the year! Yahoo...now that is a sign that this cold will come to an end...eventually. We have two weekends coming up in May that will find us happy rolling along the interstate with our home on wheels hitched up behind us. We will head to the lake. There we will sit and eat and sit and eat and stroll then sit and eat. I don't expect it to the warm enough to get in the lake but in KY....well you just never know.
Today I feel a little gloomy. I have the old Jan blues. I enjoyed the weekend but Monday is coming sooner than I anticipated or wanted. Work, work, work. Is there ever an end? Yes, one day there will be. One day when my Father comes to take me home....then I will rest. Until then I will keep on working and remembering every step I take is one step closer to sweet rest in the arms of my Father. Ahhhh I await on baited breath.
These times we are living in now are tough, very tough. And my dears they are just going to get worse. I must say that our comfortable lives we are used to are coming to a screeching halt. But don't be afraid!!!! It all must happen to give birth to the coming of Christ. We should be happy,rejoicing. Knowing what the world does not....that He is coming and this all must happen before he does. So REJOICE oh child of Christ. Know that He is near!!! Don't loose sight of the goal. Press onward!!! Now is the time that you need to be focusing on winning people to Him. Time is near. Get yourself and your family back into church if you have fallen out....get yourself and your family back into family devotions, family prayer, and Biblical training. Do not be lukewarm!!! Either be hot or cold!!!! I pray that you are hot...are on fire for Christ. Time is short...repent now and live for Him. There will be a day....soon....when ever knee will bow....but blessed are those who CHOOSE to bow now!!!
Oh Lord I pray that you will help me through each day. Help me to be a good wife and a good mother but most of all help me to show your love in my life to all those who are hurting. "I was thirsty and you gave me drink, hungry and you fed me, naked and you clothed me"....I am not doing that now....help me Lord for I know that if I do it to the least of these, I have done it to you.
May God bless you today. May He show you His beauty. We may be in the cold of winter but....spring....lovely spring is on the way...in more ways than one.

Sniff Sniff....Is it really over?

It is hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone again. We work for weeks...no, months... to make everything just "perfect". We shop, plan, bake, decorate, wrap and more.

Our houses are beautiful and our kitchens smell of gingerbread and cinnamon. Then in a matter of seconds....poof...it is over. We sit there in the mist of balls of discarded paper, tape and those ever loved gift bags looking around at the shell shocked zone wondering what just happened.

Then we vow, or at least I vow, to not kill myself next year and to make it a more simple Christmas. I always have the best of intentions but somewhere around the 15th all of my common sense goes out the window and I start frantically making plans, doing additional shopping that was not planned (or budgeted), baking more than I anticipated and stress stress stressing about the "perfect" Christmas.
On December 26th, when I magically regain my senses and I have all of my wits about me again, I begin to plan next year. Yes, you heard me right. I tell myself that this commercialism is going to stop and everyone is going to realize that it is Jesus' birthday and we are celebrating that wonderful gift.

Oh to think that a King in all of His glory would step down from his wondrous throne to be born a baby of a virgin girl. To be born in a stable to parents who had nothing to speak of as wordly posessions. To walk this earth,living to die. My darling Christ, the sacrificial lamb of the world was born on this night. Why do we need to complicate that?


But 2009, this year's Christmas, I think people will stop and realize this. I think they will be forced to. The economy has crumbled and we have not even seen the tip of that iceburg. There will be no extra money for the "extras" that we think are so necessary for a "perfect" Christmas.
For the first time in...well, forever, I may actually stick with my vow for the simple, truly perfect, Christmas. My three gift max per person rule will apply in full force. And if you are outside of my own personal nest then a one gift per person rule will apply. It is not about the gifts!!!! It is about being together, spending time togehter, and pondering that most wonderful gift from so many years ago.


Are you sad that your Christmas is over? Well let's not be. Let's vow today, together to make it a year to remember when we tell those retailers, NO WE WILL NOT BE TRICKED into a commericalized Christmas. This is the birthday of our Lord and we will place Him first.
Then on Dec. 25th of this year when we are sitting there in the midst of a not so big at all pile of discarded paper and bows we can sigh and say

"this was the perfect Christmas".

Christmas Present

Wow Ladies! It is almost here! Christmas! I love Christmas! I love the sounds, the lights, the decorations, the smells, the family, the friends, the smiles....

Oh I could go on and on.

So what are your plans? Are you , like me filled to the brim each day with a list a mile long of things to do, people to see and parties to enjoy?

Sunday we went to church for our annual Christmas play and dinner. Our church is the sweetest little church on the planet! It is an old fashioned small church. We had our younger sunday school class' Christmas play (Jesus the Light of the World), followed by the older children reciting from the Bible and playing the piano. Then we all headed next door to share a meal together. It was delicious. Then as everyone was leaving hubby passed out the goody bags for each and every person, young and old. Inside the bag you find an apple, orange, nuts, candy, and gum. They are in brown paper sacks....just like the goody bags from my childhood.

Today of course it was back to church where we warmed up leftovers from Sunday and then after eating we all made up the baskets of food for the needy. Now these are not small food baskets. They contain about four boxes of food for needy families. We also include gifts for any children in the family. It is such a joy to give back to God's people.

Saturday we will go back to church and pick up our own Angel Food menu items from this month along with two of the food baskets to deliver to people that we know in town.

Saturday afternoon we will head out to my dad and his wife's, Nana, for our family Christmas gathering. Nana goes all out for this and bakes for days and days. And then we eat and eat and eat. After we eat and open gifts and eat again and open gifts again with the rest of the family that come later...she sends us home with bags and boxes of more goodies. YUMMY!

Sunday we will head back to the church where we will have regular service and prepare for the final week of christmas. It is going to be a joy this year. I myself have bought up a lot of baking items and will be preparing lots of goodies for my friends and family. Tonight I fixed two cherry chip cakes with cream cheese icing and a batch of brownies for the two lovely gals of mine to take to school tomorrow for their Christmas party. I love that we are blessed and are able to send our children to a Christian school where they actually have a CHRISTMAS party and not some holiday party.

The evening before Christmas Eve hubby, me and the gals will be heading to my moms for an overnight stay where we will wake up at her house on Christmas Eve morning and have a breakfast together and exchange gifts. It is sure to be a good time. Then it is off to my sister in laws for Christmas with hubby's family.

Christmas day for the first time in years we have nowhere to go and I am loving it meeces to pieces! We will get to wake up on Christmas morning and stay in our jammies while we open gifts then eat our breakfast casserole that will have been setting up overnight in the fridge. Then we will lounge around watching Christmas movies and just being together. AH what a good time will be had!

So what are you planning with your family this year for Christmas?

Cooking up some love!

It's that time of year when we ladies spend the majority of our time in the kitchen.

We shine this time of year. Our culinary skills are put to their test as we make cake after cake and cookie after cookie and a few pies here and there.

There is a party here and a party there....everywhere a party and these paries need FOOD!

Not just the parties either, our own homes must be filled with goodies at the very fingertips of all who grace our door.

Our chldren and our hubbies are spoiled rotten this time of year too. We fix everyone's favorite holiday treat. Why? Because we love them "meeces to pieces"! The way to show that love is by showering them with sugar!

It is also a great time to spend with our children in the kitchen. They can help to roll the cookie dough, mix the cakes, load the filling into the shells and more. My daughters are a great help to me....now if only I can get them to help clean up...hmmmm.

This is also a time of year for big family dinners. Those kind of "feel good" dinners full of comfort food. After all we must "bulk up" for the winter months ahead...right? At least that is what I am telling myself.

The dinners at my house this time of year include all of the favorites. We have lots of turkey dishes, mashed potatoes, dressings, roasts, mac n cheese, country hams, yeast rolls, biscuits, breads, lasagnes, stews and chilis. YUMMY

This time of year we spend time with family. Just being together seems to be enough. Finally people are spending time at home and just "being".

I love winter time for the simple reason that it forces us to spend time at home.

So mom's grab those aprons, dust off those recipes, grab your favorite mixing bowl and most comfy spoon and get to work.

Cook, bake, and love that family of yours!

It is Christmas!