I Yearbooked Myself!

Step with me back in time. We are going on a yearbook journey. Sound fun? Well, the following snapshots reveal what I may have looked like in years past. I won't be offended if you laugh out loud. I sure did!!!!!

In 1952, I just might have sported a do like this one. Wow, I have never seen myself with short hair!!!

1960-- Hmm, maybe I could pass for a Joyce Rogers look-a-like.

1964-- I imagine this as me when I am old or something.

1966--This is my favorite!! Really, if I could pull it off, I'd do it now!

1968-- Seeing myself with this hair style reminds me of my mom for some reason--last pic, too.

1974--Had a difficult time making my face fit. Looks terrible. Makes me thankful for my narrow chin!!

1978--Now this is awesome!!! Always wondered what I'd look like with a fro!

1984--Yikes! How in the world did the feathered look ever stay in style??? Anyone thinkin' Tina Turner here???

1986--Just altogether WRONG!!!!!

1990--Uh,oh. The hair styles are starting to hit closer to home!! Scary, but I remember wearing my hair like this in 8th grade.

1994--Of all the pics, this one hit me the hardest. Brings back so many hair memories. '94 was the year I graduated high school, and I am proud to say that I had forsaken this do a few years back!!!

1996--Very interesting to see me with short, blond hair. Never had either.

1998--Looks like a book landed on my head.

2000--It was fun seeing all these different hairdos from 1950-2000. Amazing how much a hair style can really change a face.

If anyone wants to give this a try, go here. Let me know if you do!

In God We Trust!

My MIL sent me a link to go and vote in an online poll if I thought that the phrase"In God We Trust" should remain on our money. I voted YES and was surprised to see that the No's were at 33%! Go here if you wish to participate.

Surprise Pumpkins

This pumpkin vine is from one seed. Looks nice and healthy from here, but all of my baby pumpkin buds kept turning yellow and shriveling up. I was getting a bit frustrated with it, especially after my squash and zucchini did so well this summer. After about 10 of my buds fell off, I almost ripped the whole thing out, but for some reason I decided to just leave it alone.

While watering a few days ago, I spotted this!!! Yay!!! Maybe this one will stick around. Isn't it cute?!

Half Raised

My oldest child is nine today. Nine. That means he's half raised.

Good night moon! Where, oh, where has my little boy gone?

Double his age from right this very minute, and he's gone, off to college somewhere in this great, big world. Wow, that'll wake ya up!

Seriously, I got all teary one day last week when this incredible thought hit me like a ton of Arizona desert rock!

I have been a SAHM every minute of his life, and it feels like I haven't had enough time with this little guy. It goes way too fast. Life truly is but a vapor, and this truth becomes so real when you have been given the amazing gift of a child.

As difficult as it is, I don't regret being a SAHM. Really, I've only got 9 years left to raise this son of mine, and then he will be considered an adult, on his own. I am sitting here thinking, surely this can't be right! Only 9 years left. Crazy, it is.


I could choose to dwell on all the things I think I should have done differently, but I won't. Today I will celebrate my oldest whom I struggled to bring in to this world almost to the point of death. Thank you, God, for letting me stay to raise my son.

Happy birthday, Mullin. I love you with all my heart. ---Mom

Random Shiloh Pics

Shiloh standing between our beautiful Texas Sage bushes out front. I just love it when they are in full bloom!!!

Shiloh is clueless!!! Poor thing can't play CLUE with Daddy, Mommy and Bubbies, so she asked if she could play by herself. Awwwww.
Shiloh wanted to dress up like Daddy. Listening to her imitating his voice was priceless!

Shiloh loves to paint. She is very serious about her masterpieces!

Shiloh had a blast on the water slide my sister gave to us. So much for trying to be modest with a one piece!! :)

The Other Name For "Kiwi Bird"

Just be forewarned that this is probably the most crass post that I will write. I do apologize in advance to anyone who takes offense, but I just couldn't pass up posting on the latest "Lincolnism".

School started Monday. This year's science focus is Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day. I am starting Lincoln off with a book about birds--one that I got from Chick-Fil-A a few years ago.

Anyway, each 2 page spread has a topic with many sub-headings. One of the sub-headings at the end of each page is, "Amazing but true". Here, one finds an amazing fact about a bird.

The first "Amazing but true" fact in our book has a drawing of a kiwi bird right above the sub-heading.

So, my little first grader, who still has to phonetically sound out words, must've just glanced at this heading instead of actually reading it.

Okay, Kiwi Bird picture and heading, Amazing but true. Got it?

Here's what Lincoln saw: Kiwi Bird picture and the heading, "Arizona butt turd".

The kind of laugh that starts deep in the belly was instigated, and I am still laughing over it every time I think about it.

Oh, sweet Lincoln, mama will chuckle from now on every time I see a picture of a kiwi bird.

What's the Best Way to Sell a Wedding Dress?

Don't gasp. Don't give me any sentimental lectures. I just want advice on selling an 11 year old wedding dress. If it is even possible to sell an 11 year old wedding dress.

Ebay doesn't seem like a good choice to me. I don't want the hassle of packing and shipping it.

I have thought about a consignment store. I've sold baby clothes via that route before, but just didn't know if there was a better way to sell in order to keep most or all of the profit.

Can anyone help???

Thanks a million!

Dr. Prince?

I had a dream last night. A very weird dream.





Prince was my dentist.



Strange, I know. To make matters even more disturbing than they already are, he did a horrible job on a root canal or something. Basically, he screwed my whole mouth up, so I had to go to another dentist and have everything fixed.

Now, I have this image stuck in my mind of him dressed in some tight-fitting, purple jumpsuit standing over me, on a stool of course, telling me to say, "Ahhhhh."

Now, it would make sense to me to have nightmares about dentists, teeth, and root canals, but Prince?

I do have to admit, I was a Prince fan way back when. Way back when. Goodnight moon, I even had one of the Batman Soundtracks he did. Anyway, it has been quite a long time since I have even heard of or thought about that guy, Prince. So, why in the world would he make an appearance in my dreams now?? And as a dentist?

Gosh, what does that say about me? Maybe I shouldn't even ask that question. Any modern day dream interpreters out there?? Just kidding. :)

From Super Heroes to Bible Characters

We've all got The Incredibles on our brain. I think we have watched this movie 2-3 times in about a week and a half.

So, while I was cleaning up the kitchen this evening, my two boys were discussing which kind of super powers they would want if they could have them.

I joined in and said that I thought it would be cool to be able to disappear and make force fields like Mr. Incredible's daughter.

**SPOILER ALERT**For anyone who has not seen this movie and wants to, do not read any further.




Then Lincoln chimes in with, "I'd want to be SYNDROME!!!"

Though not surprised by his answer, I asked, "Why would you want to be him? He was mean and evil? He murdered people!!

Lincoln argued, "Well, not when he was Incrediboy."


I love it when "life lessons" just happen. And this was one of them.

I proceeded to point out the fact that Incrediboy wasn't exactly a nice kid, either. We get just a glimpse of him as a boy, but it was enough of one to find out a few of his character traits. He was annoying. He was selfish. He was focused on no one but himself. And... here is the kicker... He was JEALOUS.

Some may say, "Big deal." But my boys have had many, many lessons on the dangers of jealousy. So, when I raised my eyebrows and stressed the fact that Incrediboy was jealous, my boys gave me that "uh, oh, mom's about to give a speech" look.

No monologuing here. But I did give them a quick reminder of how devastating jealousy can be. Syndrome's jealously drove him to murder. Just like Cain's jealousy drove him to murder his own brother. Just like Joseph's brothers' jealousy drove them to sell their own flesh and blood. I could mention more, but you get the picture and so did my boys.

I am sure not all jealousy leads to murder, but it is an emotion that cannot be left to fester in the depths of our wicked hearts! And that is a reminder to myself for sure!!!

Bloglines

I know I am behind a few centuries when it comes to technology, so I am sure all of you bloggy junkies already have a way to keep up with favorite blogs.

I haven't.

Now, since I have joined Bloglines, I can see who, on my "favorite blogs list", has updated. I don't have to visit every single blog on my list to see who has a great, new post. If only I would have known about this sooner.

What a time saver!!

Works For Me Wednesday--Muffin Mania

I have been trying to make use of all my zucchini's from my garden and also all the apples from my mom's trees.

Muffins it is. And they are healthy!

I have made a few batches to replace the processed Cascadian Farms granola bars that I buy on a regular basis. Even though I am sure they are healthier than other brands, they are still processed and contain a few ingredients I would rather leave out of my diet.

My kids and even my hubby love 'em!


Nutty Apple Muffins

1 1/4 cup honey (I use raw--taste is so worth it!)
1/2 cup oil (I use cold pressed olive, safflower or coconut oil)
2 eggs
3 cups grated apples
7 cups whole wheat flour
1 3/4 cup water
2 TBS plus 2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 TBS cinnamon
1 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cup raisins ( I omitted these)

Mix oil, eggs, honey,and apples in a large mixing bowl. Add dry ingredients and stir to moisten. Add in nuts and raisins. Do not over mix. Spoon into greased muffin tins. Bake about 20 min. at 400 degrees. Makes 3 dozen large muffins.


Zucchini Muffins

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp of each: baking soda, salt, nutmeg
1/4 tsp tsp baking powder
1/2 cup honey (raw)
1 1/4 cup grated, unpeeled zucchini
1 egg
1/2 cup water
2 TBS softened butter
1/8 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 tsp finely shredded lemon peel
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients well. Make a hole in center of flour mixture in the bowl and add wet ingredients. Stir with wooden spoon just until all mixed together. Spoon batter into greased muffin tins. Bake at 375 degree for 15 min. or until a toothpick stuck in center of muffin comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Makes 12 muffins.


Banana Muffins

1 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
1/4 cup butter milk or sour milk (If you don't have raw milk just use vinegar or lemon juice to "sour" your milk)
1 egg
1/3 cup honey (raw)
3 TBS oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup walnuts

Mix dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl until well blended. Add wet ingredients and mix until smooth. Bake in greased muffin tins for 15-20 min. at 375 degrees.


**For a little something extra I made some cream cheese frosting for the apple muffins. I used cream cheese, whole apple juice, and a little powdered sugar. Delicious!!!!

**All recipes come from Hopkins' Healthy Home Cooking


Visit Rocks in my Dryer for hundreds of other helpful tips!

I Sprouted!!

I am just so proud of myself!

I sprouted my long-grain brown rice for the very first time. I couldn't stop there. I sprouted some green split peas and red lentils.

I am a bit new to the sprouting thing but am always broadening my "natural and healthy foods" horizon. Sprouting has several health benefits. It just makes sense. Live foods are healthier than dead foods, and if it can sprout, you know it is "alive".

My mom is reading a book that says, "If it doesn't rot or sprout, you can do without."

Yeah, yeah, I know--M&Ms don't sprout.

If you are wrinkling your nose and furrowing your brow thinking, "what is she up to now?" you can go here to find some sprouting links.

Thirty-Something Metabolism

I always thought my metabolism would be as high as the sky. Folks said it would slow down someday, but someday seemed a million miles away!

Someday is now.

This is the first time in my life that I am going to have to carefully watch how much I eat. That's just no fun. I do have an overall healthy diet, but I like to graze!

The days of being able to scarf down 6 pieces of cheesy, pineapple pizza or snack on a 2 lb. bag of M&Ms are history and have been for a few years. Metabolism has finally started slowing down, and I suffer major consequences for being a pig. Those sneaky, little consequences come in the form of inches and pounds. And thanks to my genes, all of those inches and pounds like to huddle around my middle. I am sure having 3 huge babies didn't help my middle matters either!

Gazing in the mirror a while back, I noticed something. Muffin tops belong on muffins and spare tires belong in trunks.

In reality, I really only need to lose about 5-7lbs, and that is easier than the inches, in my opinion. If only I could suck out the inches in my waist and wrap them around my knees or calves. I am looking pretty flabulous right now.

Well, I don't want to let things go any further and get out of hand, so I am doing what I do best. I am taking charge and saying no to too much food!!! Guess I will have to run up and down the stairs a few more times during the day and force myself to do a few sit-ups. Lack of funds ought to help with the "too much food" issue, too!

I have done a good job this week, so I am giving myself a pat on the back!!

I see a pumpkin glow sugar scrub escape in my near future...

I was still awake in my bed at 10p last night. That is LATE for me. My heart was racing, so I new the chance of me falling asleep without some sort of "help" was pretty slim.

Tylenol PM to the rescue! Getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep after taking a sleeping pill is essential for optimal functionality the next day. I knew I was pushing it since my lovely daughter usually makes her way into my bed around 5:30--sometimes even earlier. I was hopeful. I didn't have a choice. I needed to go to sleep!

Did I mention that it is monsoon season here? Well, Mr. Monsoon decided to make an appearance the moment that little blue pill hit my stomach. For the next couple of hours heavy rains and fierce flashes of lightning kept me fully awake. Thankfully my kids didn't wake up, but I wasn't able to finally settle into a deep sleep until after midnight.

That lovely daughter I mentioned earlier was right on schedule. In my bed before the crack of dawn. My alarm goes off at 5:45 every morning, so I guess I wouldn't have gotten much more sleep anyway. So, with my Tylenol PM hangover, I managed to pull myself out of bed sometime after 6am.

Not only was I groggy and heavy-lidded, but this is my week to be "at the back of the camp" so to speak, so I knew the day would be even more challenging and my flesh very weak. Would it be too much to ask to have a smooth sailing sort of day?

Apparently so.

After cleaning up breakfast, I hear my daughter cheerfully chime, "I poopie, Mommy." Okay, no big deal, right? Just change her pull-up and move on. WRONG. I had just put her in some new My Little Pony panties. Ugh. It was a bath-worthy mess and I was not about to try and salvage those nasty undies!

Y'all, I am in the trenches of potty training a sweet little girl who is obviously not fighting the battle with me but against me. At this point in the process I am liable to hit the next person who says, "Girls are easier."! She is 3. She needs to be potty trained. Mommy needs for her to be potty trained. I only have a couple of weeks before home schooling resumes. My hopes of having a potty trained child by the end of summer are quickly fading. Thank goodness this will be the last time I potty train ever again. No, I will not potty train my grand kids!!!!!!!!

Finally by 8am or so, I had settled the kids down on the couch for our morning Bible time. Despite the threat of a big, fat eye socket headache, I will continue to meditate on Ephesians 4 and know that this day will pass. And really in the big scheme of things, my teensy weensy inconvenience is small potatoes!

Rest time can't get here fast enough! I will have to imagine my small, ordinary, boring bathroom into a luxurious, sea grass suite as I smooth away my cares with my irresistible, autumn -scented pumpkin glow sugar scrub!

My Little Pinkalicious

Shiloh recently received this book for her 3rd birthday from her great grandparents. I think we have read it everyday for the past couple of weeks!

It truly is a lovely tale about a cute little girl who obviously loves all things pink! But she soon discovers that being herself is even better than being pink.

A few days ago Shiloh asked me if we could make pink cupcakes, and I thought it was a grand idea. We had some wonderful momma/daughter time together.


Here are a few photos of our recreation of Pinkalicious cupcakes.

Shiloh is just beaming and so excited about starting our pink project!

What a big helper stirring the pink batter. Maybe a few licks, too!

Momma takes a turn to beat the batter till it's nice and fluffy!

She tried her little heart out at frosting the pink cupcakes. I think she just resorted to what was easier--licking the knife.

Mmmm, yummy! They're pinkerific!

I wish I would have had a cupcake tower to display these candylicious looking treats. Oh well.

I actually had some pink frosting left over from her birthday cake, so I was able to make the swirly design. I had such a fun time making these with my Sweet Sue!