The power of planting.....

"Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful: they are sunshine, food and medicine to the soul."...Luther Burbank

"Remember that children, marriages, and flower gardens reflect the kind of care they get." H Jackson Brown Jr.

I sent Wes off to his first day of preschool.  To say I have been nervous about this is putting it mildly for many reasons.  Thankfully it went very well and he spent 3 lovely hours learning with a fantastic teacher.  That's really not what I want to talk about.  Well, the three hours - that's what I want to talk about.

I have been excited for Wes to go to school not only for his benefit but also for that of my youngest boy, Noah.  Poor Noah is often just along for the ride.  A passenger to and from the others activities.  His days are dictated by who needs to get dropped off and picked up.  I have been excited for this day to come simply to have some one-on-one time with him.  Today we gardened.

I am not a "gardener" by any stretch.  My parents were avid gardeners and I don't dole out that title lightly.  We lived on 3 1/2 acres and they made good use of most of it.  They  woke up early and almost always had dirt under their fingernails.  Where this may not exactly be my style, and while I did spend many a summer morning grumbling about weeding the "stupid garden," I did learn something.  Gardens are teaching tools in many ways for children.  My parents taught me about hard work, trials, prayer, obedience, and love in that garden.  I don't have anything to that scope but I feel like it is important to pass some of that along.

Noah and I walked hand in hand into the garden store and he helped me pick out both vegetables and flowers.  He was ripping the leaves off of the plants behind him in the cart so told him not to touch them anymore.  When the cashier lifted the plant to scan it he looked with dismay and said with his pointer finger raised, "No!  Don't touch it!"  Gotta love it when they listen

As I worked side by side with my almost 2 year old, he with his plastic shovel and me with my metal one, I felt it.  I talked to him about dirt, about flowers, about sunshine.  He ran around me while I plucked rocks out of the soil.  I look forward to showing him how to water the plants and watch both grow.  Today I was really there with him.  Nobody else, just him,  me, and the dirt.   It was priceless. 

Mudroom transformation part one...

So I have this problem.... I can't stand wood, paint, basically any material to sit for very long and not be used.  This leads to many an impromptu project.  This very thing happened on Saturday. 

We had a stack of 1x4's in the garage that were left over from another project.  That was way to irresistible to leave alone.  So, I decided it was time to redesign our mudroom.  It's not really a mudroom, it's just the hallway out to the garage but since that is the door we use most often you would be amazed at the shoes, bags, backpacks, crap that builds up there. 

 This is a picture of what that area typically looked like.  Actually this is better than what it typically looked like because I had the brilliant idea of piling all of before mentioned crap into a laundry basket.  Much to my dismay, more crap just built up around it.  I tell you, it bothered me every single day.  Definitely time to do something about it. 

 I cleared the space, measured the wall, cut the lumber and was on my way. 

 I know, this is a terrible picture of me.  I have had three kids so I am allowed to have a round rather than a flat stomach, and I did crop most of me out.  AAANNNNYYYYWWWAYYYY, this picture is important because if you are doing a project like this alone and don't have anyone to hold the wood for you, tape it to the wall.  I hammered the bottom pieces in and then the top but placed a few of the vertical strips along the wall to make sure I was where I needed to be.  Then after the top piece is secure, then I could place my vertical pieces exactly where I wanted them to be.  Hope that makes sense.

 Here it is all secure.  One piece of advice I wish I had thought about.  I was using scrap wood.  Don't do that.  Carefully select each piece of wood for the project.  Several of these boards were warped which made the job a lot more difficult than it needed to be.  If you want to do something like this, make sure the boards are straight by looking down the board or laying it flat on the ground. 

 Primed and painted white.  The paint color is: Delicate white by Olympus.

 Noah "helping" me put the hooks on.  Bless him!

 Hooks on!

 I now have a usable, functioning space.  Hoooorrraaayyy!!!

 Shoes got cleaned out, narrowed down and now reside across the hall in the laundry room. 

Is it perfect? - Heck no! Who cares?  I love it, and it makes me happy every time I come home.  If you are unhappy with what you see when you first walk through the door, then change it - go for it!  Email me with your before and afters and I will post them.

Some simple tips concerning edibles.....

Here are a few simple household tips that you may already know about but are worth mentioning:

Citrus: 
Here in Arizona we have a surplus of citrus fruits.  When I have too many, they are about to turn, or they are simply needing to be used - I boil them.  I cut a bunch of oranges, lemons, limes, whatever citrus I have and put it in a big pot.  If I am using oranges I usually put in a couple of tablespoons of cinnamon and a tsp of vanilla.  Then boil it all day on low.  This concoction will make your house smell divine.  Cheap, organic, and lovely! 
Then after you are done with it for the day - pour the whole thing down your garbage disposal.  It cleans and deodorizes the disposal without chemicals. 

Meat:
I like to buy meat in large quantities. I find it more economical in several ways.  It is often less expensive  when bought in bulk but also you have to make fewer trips to the store - Hallelujah!  The problem then is storage.  You can freeze the whole lot of it but then thawing it all out only to use a small portion is not advisable.  Here is a solution: divide the meat up into small portions.
 If you are freezing hamburger, put one pound in a Ziploc baggie.  Squeeze as much of the air out as possible and then flatten it.  You can then stack them easily in your freezer and they thaw out evenly.  You can also do this with chopped onion, peppers, etc. 

 If you are using other meats such as hams, pork, roast, etc. Simply cut them in half, wrap them in saran wrap and freeze them.

Breakfast:

As you know my husband and I have been trying to eat better.  This was especially challenging at breakfast.  Before, we would eat things like cold cereal (the sugary kind of course), granola bars, power bars, etc.  Not so healthy!  Now we try to eat things like omelets, whole wheat pancakes with sugar free syrup, smoothies with just a little splenda or honey, etc.  The only problem was the time it took to make these things.  We have it down to a science now and can make these healthy foods in a snap but we have a few tricks. 

*Have an omelet station in the fridge.  Stock everything you could need: eggs, chopped onion and green pepper, cooked lean pork sausage, chopped turkey bacon, shredded cheese. 

That way you don't have to waste time searching, cooking, thawing chopping, etc.  You can just whip up the eggs and begin.  You will be surprised how quick an omelet can be on your plate.  Also, consider using salsa instead of ketchup if you need something on top.  Much better for you!

*Pre-freeze everything you need to make your favorite smoothies in a Ziploc baggies.  That way you just pull it out and throw it in the blender. 

*Pre-mix all of the dry ingredients for your whole wheat pancakes.  Then all you have to do is add the liquids and you're ready to go.

I hope these little tips help.  Enjoy!

Sweet and Sour Chicken!!!

This recipe is great and works every time.  You can cook it two ways - baked in a casserole dish or throw it in the crock pot.  If you haven't already noticed by my previous posts - I LOVE my crock pot.  I use it at least once a week.  It's so easy and makes my house smell delicious all day. 

Sweet and Sour Chicken

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup coarsely chopped green pepper

1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup coarsely chopped carrots
1 Tbsp soy sauce
3/4 cup ketchup
1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 Tbsp vinegar (I prefer balsamic but white and apple cider work just as well.)
1/4 cup brown sugar
dash ground red pepper
1 cup pineapple chunks - drained
3 lbs chicken (I use chicken breasts but you can use tenders or whatever chicken you have.)

Cooking Instructions:

Baked:  In medium skillet, heat butter until melted, add onion, green pepper and carrots; cook and stir 5 minutes.  Stir in ketchup, pineapple juice, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, garlic slat, salt, pepper and ginger.  Cook, stirring constantly until mixture boils.  Add pineapple chunks.  Arrange chicken in baking dish.  Pour sauce over.  Bake in 400 degree oven, covered with aluminum foil for 45 minutes.  Uncover and bake 30 minutes longer until chicken is done.  Serve over rice.

Crock Pot: Place frozen chicken in the bottom of your crock pot and pour the pineapple over the top.  Mix the other ingredients in a large bowl and then pour that over the chicken.  Cook on high 2-4 hours (until chicken is completely cooked and tender).  Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and return to the crock pot.  Serve over rice.

*You can make this a sugar free dish by trading the brown sugar for your favorite brown sugar substitute.

*The sauce is also great as a dipping sauce.  Add 2 Tbsp corn starch to 1/4 cup cold water.  Add this to the boiling sauce an stir.  Then puree in a blender.  Wonderful with won tons or egg rolls.  Enjoy!

boudoir transformation....

(I forgot to take a before picture.  Here is the after.)

I don't know why but our master bedroom always seems to be last on the list of priorities.  In eight years, we have never attempted to make it pretty.  We had our mattresses on the frame, some old black night stands that were functional but not attractive, and that was it.  Our room was basically a dumping ground for everything we wanted to hide from the children.  I have focused on most of the other spaces in our home, but not this one.  The ironic part is that I believe that the most important part of a family is a healthy marriage and yet the place where we celebrate that is last on the list.  No more!

I have been looking for a headboard for quite a while but have never found anything that was the style or price that I wanted.  I finally found a bed on craigslist that I thought had potential.  It was painted "shabby chic" emphasis on the shabby but it had solid bones and real, heavy wood.  So, I bought it for a great deal, brought it home, and here's what happened.

I cleaned it thoroughly and then painted it with several coats of Olympic enamel with an satin finish.  The color is "delicate white."  I painted the ironwork in a dark grey of the same brand. 

The ironwork was in rough shape - it was beginning to rust and just needed some TLC.  I think it turned out beautifully. 

Here's the finished project.  I brought some other pieces in from different parts of the house to serve as nightstands.  I didn't want anything 'matchy matchy' so I went fro something more masculine on his side and feminine on mine.  I painted them the same color as the bed. 

I found the old window frames at a thrift store, painted them the same color white and I think they add a cute touch to the room.  I love the light, clean, nautical feel of the space and I should have done this years ago.    If you have the same problem I did and your room is last on the list.  Maybe it's time to change that.  They say that this is where the magic happens - make it magical then!

The best shredded pork EVER!!!

Shredded pork is one of our favorite things and it is soooo easy to make.  Throw everything in the crock pot and leave it.  That easy.  It's great on tacos, burritos, salads, everything!  You can freeze the excess for later.  Give it a try!

Sweet Shredded Pork Shoulder

*Large Pork Shoulder (trim the fat off)

*3-5 cups of water.  (fill water reaches 1/4 of the way up)

*1 minced garlic clove (about 2 TBS)

*1 can sweetened condensed milk

*1 TBS cinnamon

*1 can coke (the real stuff - not diet)

Cooking Instructions: 
Place everything in the crock pot in the morning.  Cook 8-12 hours on low until tender and shreds easily. 
Enjoy!!!

I'll be happy when.....

"I'll be happy if... I'll be happy when..."

I don't think I have ever really muttered these words out loud but upon reflection I am sure they have passed  my subconscious from time to time.  Perhaps it's genetic, perhaps it's environmental - who knows.  I didn't really identify it in myself until a conversation with a relative.  That's when those words were realized and caught my attention, "If ____ could just happen, then I would be happy.  When _____ changes, then I'll be happy."  Conditional happiness. 

I think we have all done this to ourselves.  We have all thought, "I will be happy when we have more money.  I will be happy when the kids are potty trained.  I will be happy when I lose those extra 10 lbs.  I will be happy when we move into a bigger house.  etc."

In reality what we are saying to ourselves is this, "I am sad, and I will stay sad until something happens to change that."  My husband sings a little song to our kids that has been ringing in my head. 

Happiness runs in a circular motion,

Kind of like a little boat upon the sea,

You can be a part of anything anywhere,

You can be happy if you let yourself be.

You can be happy if you let yourself be.  Now think about that - it's really powerful!  If you LET yourself be.  Why aren't we letting ourselves be happy.  What are we afraid of if we were happy in whatever circumstance we were in.  I am not saying that you shouldn't strive to better yourself or your world.  Not at all! What I am saying is, let yourself be happy now, and "when (something) happens." 

What I am trying to do and what I am calling for all of us to do is be happy now, even though the kids aren't potty trained, even though we want more money, even though the house isn't right.  Why?  - because look at the alternative.  Do you want to stay in sadness until happiness comes with some event and then leaves?  Or, do you want to be happy until sadness comes with some event and then leaves.  Ahhhh, there it is!  Sadness is a part of us.  It is part of who we are and brings with it immeasurable lessons.  But it must have an ending.

I remember when my Mom died I experienced a sadness I didn't know was possible.  My best friend knew what had happened and showed up on my doorstep with a 10 gallon bucket of ice-cream (no exaggeration) and taught me an invaluable lesson.  She told me to eat as much ice-cream as I needed, cry, scream, be alone, whatever I needed, for as long as I really needed to, and then to let it go.  Not my mom, not her memory, not the yearning to see and be with her, but the sadness.  Let the sadness go.  Sometimes it is appropriate, even necessary to feel down.  She calls it a "mental health day."  Own it, experience it, and then let it go.  If it absolutely won't leave then by all means, seek help.  But don't keep it with you willingly. 

So what I am saying is this.  Let's change those thoughts from, "I'll be happy when ____ happens" to "I'll be happy now.  If _____ happens, then all the better."

I love you all and in no way would tell you what is right for you.  Just a wish for your happiness and maybe something to think about. 

Love,

me