Julia

I don't think I will ever forget the moment I found out I was pregnant for the first time. I was so happy and just filled to overflowing with joy at the blessing God had bestowed upon us. I couldn't wait for my husband to get home from the basketball game he was coaching so that I could tell him.

I looked forward to each stage of pregnancy with anticipation and excitement. At first I wasn't sure I wanted to find out the gender of the baby, but when I went for an ultrasound I couldn't help myself. I told the technician to only tell us if she was sure. She said it was pretty obvious. That got me thinking for a split-second that it was a boy. I had dreamed of a blond, curly-headed boy during the pregnancy. Then she said that we were going to have a girl. I was so excited. My husband had told me, before we were married, that he wanted five boys. I remember telling him that I wanted at least one girl. :-)

Everything was going along so well. I felt like I was made to be pregnant. I could get down on the floor cross-legged with no problem while others in our childbirth class seemed to have so much trouble even sitting in a chair. I even played the piano at a Sunday night church service a few hours before my water broke.

It was exactly 2 weeks before my due date when Julia was born. My water broke, so we went to the hospital like the doctor had told us to. When we walked off of the elevator onto the labor and delivery floor I said, "I am in labor." The nurses looked at me like "Yeah, right."



However, I had my sweet baby girl just 9 hours after my water broke on a July morning almost 10 years ago. I don't think I could have been prepared for how much our lives would change or how one little 8 pound baby could command so much attention. Yet, I can't imagine my life without her or her brothers.

I feel like these 10 years have gone so fast. I can't believe that my baby has turned into such a young lady. She is still such a little girl, but I am sure it won't be long until the dolls and pretend play are forgotten. I pray that it doesn't go too fast. This mama gets teary thinking about my first baby being a woman. I know it is the way things go, but I am not ready yet.



So, for now, I am going to enjoy every moment I can with this sweet little girl that God blessed me with. I pray that she will see me as a friend and confidant as the years go by. I also pray that God will give us the wisdom to help her become the woman He intends for her to be.

Join Heavenly Homemakers for Gratituesday each week. Next week I will be posting about my littlest guy rounding out this 4 week series on my children.

Julia

Garden Update

Just in case you might be interested in seeing the progress of my garden I have posted some pictures below. I am so pleased with how well everything is growing. I am also thankful for the advice and help of a dear Christian woman. She has such a green thumb and has taken me under her wing this gardening season. She helped us get horse manure which has really helped everything grow and of course is organic. She also told me that I could cut down on weeds by putting down newspaper in between the rows and then cover it with straw. I am all about cutting down on weeds. Also, this will help add nitrogen and humus matter to the soil for next year.

If you would like to be reminded of what my garden looked like 2 months ago when it was planted then check out the post here.

The Garden


Sweet Potatoes (My first year to grow them.)


Zucchini (We have been enjoying lots of dishes with them already.)


Green Beans (I am hopeful to can lots of beans this year. Last year the weeds took over.)


Cucumbers (We have been enjoying several of these with the hopes of more to come.)


Tomatoes (I can't wait to start canning and eating these. Store bought tomatoes just don't compare.)


Broccoli (We are starting to harvest these tasty "trees".)


Cabbage (I have never grown cabbage before. I need to find out how to tell when they are ready to pick.)


Not pictured are our butternut squash, spaghetti squash, peppers, and corn. I didn't think you would want to see any more vegetables. :-) I do feel so blessed that we are able to grow our own organic produce. There are no pesticides or chemicals of any kind on this garden. While it does take time to have a garden, the health and financial benefits are worth every drop of sweat.

Garden Update

Crocheted Gift Set

I made the crocheted items pictured above recently for a good friend. There are 4 facial scrubbies (basically miniature wash cloths) made from cotton yarn. They are single crocheted and three of them are 3 inches square and one is 3 1/2 inches square. I also made a lip balm holder out of the same cotton yarn, and put a tube of lip balm inside. I put a clip on it so it could be attached to a key chain or purse zipper if desired. My friend always has a tube of lip balm handy, so I thought she might appreciate it. I found the pattern here.

Crocheted Gift Set

Homemde Insect Repellent

I made some homemade insect repellent last week and we tried it out on Saturday night. I am pretty sure that it worked. The fact that I know exactly what is in the mixture makes me feel better about using it on my kids. It will probably have to be reapplied if we are outside for a long time, but that is a small price to pay to have a safe bug spray.



Homemade Insect Repellent

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. Water
1 1/2 tsp. Citronella Essential Oil
5 drops Tea Tree Oil
5 drops Lavender Essential Oil

Add all ingredients to a small spray bottle. Shake well. Spray on exposed skin to repel biting and stinging insects.

You may wish to apply to a small area of skin first to be sure you do not have a reaction. My family has sensitive skin and did not have any problems with this mixture, but you never know. I sure wouldn't want you coming back here saying you broke out with an allergic reaction to this formula. ;-)

Homemde Insect Repellent

Ideas for Old Quilts

I wanted to share a couple of ideas for using old quilts in different ways. The items pictured below were made by my mom, but the quilts were made by my great grandmother. I received these items as Christmas presents a couple of years ago and have truly cherished them. First, because the quilts used to make them were family heirlooms, and second, because my mom made them into what they are now.

The quilts were found in my grandfather's home after he passed away. If you can believe it there were two double wedding ring quilts in between his worn out mattress and box springs to prevent the broken springs from poking into the mattress. They were in pretty bad shape, so my mom decided to make pillows and bears with the pieces she could salvage. Isn't the bear just too cute?



She also took apart a Sunbonnet Sue quilt that was in bad shape in several spots and framed several of the good blocks and gave them to various family members. My daughter and I each received one. All of the Sunbonnet Sue's were different colors, and I just think they are so sweet and simple.



I love looking at the intricate hand quilting on these pieces, and like to think about what clothing items the fabrics might have come from. Were there pieces of my grandma's dresses in there? Did several women get together to quilt or did my great grandma do all the quilting herself? She passed away not long before my dad was born, so there is no way to really know.

I often think I wouldn't have the patience for hand quilting, but maybe it is something I should try someday. I think that progress is all fine and good, but the thought of what was talked about and learned during the old quilting bees makes me nostalgic for the "simpler times".

Ideas for Old Quilts

Zucchini Recipes

Below are a couple of zucchini recipes I have made this week because we have been blessed with about 7 zucchini from our garden. It looks like there will be lots more in the weeks ahead. Yay!

Zucchini Casserole



1/2 Cup Uncooked Rice
1 Pound Cooked Ground Beef
1 Medium Zucchini (Peeled & Chopped)
1 Pint Tomato Juice
1 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp. Dried Onion Flakes

Mix all ingredients and place in a casserole dish with a lid. Bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 1 hour.

This recipe is a variation of a dish my mom has made, but I did make several changes. You could easily double this recipe. Next time I make it I will be doing just that because there were no leftovers.

Zucchini Skillet Meal



1 Pound of Ground Beef
1 Medium Zucchini (Peeled & Sliced)
Shredded Cheese

Brown ground beef in a skillet. Drain most of the grease and add the zucchini slices. Cover and cook until zucchini is tender. Add a little water if meat starts to stick to the skillet. Turn off heat and add shredded cheese to cover the meat and zucchini. Place the lid back on the pan. Serve when cheese has melted.

This recipe came from a dear woman at our church.

Fried Zucchini



1 Medium Zucchini
1 Egg
¼ Cup Milk
¾ Cup Flour
½ tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Pepper
Vegetable Oil

Peel and slice the zucchini. Mix the egg and milk in a bowl. Dip the zucchini slices in the mixture. Combine the flour, salt and pepper in an empty bread sack or baggie. Add the zucchini slices to the bag a few at a time. Shake to coat. Fry the slices in a skillet heated with oil (enough to cover the bottom of the skillet). Brown the slices lightly on each side. The time will vary based on how hot your pan is, etc. Place the fried zucchini on a plate with paper towels to drain. Salt to taste.

Zucchini Recipes

More Wedding Flowers

My brother's wedding is rapidly approaching, and I am feeling the pressure to finish all of the flowers sooner rather than later. My daughter's 4-H projects are due the same day as the wedding, so there is even more that needs to get finished in the next 2 1/2 weeks. I am not complaining though because I offered to help. I enjoy crafty projects. I am not sure if any if you knew that, though. :-)

Unity and mother's candle arrangement minus the candles.


Floral/candle arrangement for the cake table or head table at the reception.


Pew bows for two rows of family on each side of the aisle. I also made two more bows just like these for the card basket my mom is making.


Throwaway bouquet made to look like the bridal bouquet. I didn't have to make the bridal bouquet because she found one she liked very inexpensively when she was buying other flowers.


The three bridesmaids' bouquets.


A close up of one of the bridesmaid's bouquets.

More Wedding Flowers

Just now...

My 6 year old son just ran to me and said, "Mom, quick get your camera and take a picture of us before your blessings overflow."

So, I did.



I think that looking at those sweet faces and and hearing their laughter as they sit in the swing together is making my blessings overflow.

While I know my son meant to say, "Take a picture of us for your blog." it was so cute how it came out.

Have a great afternoon, and I pray your blessings will be overflowing today.

Just now...

More Skirts for My Daughter

My daughter helped me sew the three skirts pictured above on Tuesday. She is so excited about all of the new skirts she gets to wear. I am loving the fact that we are using fabrics that we already had. Most of the fabrics were given to us or were purchased from the clearance racks at the fabric store. Hooray for frugality and sewing machines!

More Skirts for My Daughter

Easy Cloth Diaper Liners

The money I have saved cloth diapering has been wonderful. I have sewn most of the diapers, covers, and wipes my little guy uses (Check out some of my previous posts on this topic here.). However, I do sometimes use purchased prefolds or birdseye flats inside of a Proraps Diaper Cover

When I was cloth diapering my third child I thought that the Fuzzi Bunz style of diapers looked really cool, but I couldn't afford them. So, I tried to come up with something inexpensive I could do to make the diapers I was using more like Fuzzi Bunz.

A thin fleece blanket (Like the one in the bottom of the picture above.) was just the thing. I made sure that water would flow through and not just sit on the top. The blanket had a definite right and wrong side which also was a sign it would be good for the job. I cut it into rectangles that would fit on top of a prefold or flat diaper inside of a cover. (As shown at the top of the picture above.) I didn't do any sewing because fleece doesn't ravel.

The liners work really well, and are a nice no-sew option to customize your diapering system. They make clean-up of dirty diapers easier, and they feel very soft against my baby's skin. So, if you are looking for an easy frugal cloth diaper liner maybe this idea will work for you.

Join Works for Me Wednesday each week at We Are THAT Family.

Easy Cloth Diaper Liners

James

I am joining Heavenly Homemakers for Gratituesday again this week. Last week I shared about my middle son, so this week I thought I would share about my oldest son. Another Tuesday...where is the time going?



The picture above was one I took recently of my six year old first-born son. He is always full of stories and questions. I just have to share two things he came up with last week. He never ceases to amaze me.

"I think there are pockets in my mind with all sorts of information in them. Then, when I want to remember something little people go to the right pocket and get the information I need."

"I figured out how God hears our prayers. Angels go into our minds, get out our prayers, and then take them to God."

I found out I was pregnant with James after I had suffered two late first trimester miscarriages. I was beginning to wonder if my daughter would be an only child. That was not to be the case, thankfully. I had a good pregnancy, but it wasn't until I was out of the first trimester that I started to relax a little.

James was born early one Friday morning in September of 2002. I had been to the doctor the day before and he thought it would be a while before the baby would be born. He was wrong. :-) I went into labor at midnight and by 4:00 a.m. was ready to deliver.

Something unexpected happened, though. James was breech. I have come to realize that the doctor, nurses, and I were blinded to this fact until I was completely dilated because God knew that I truly did not want a c-section. I still praise God that after only three pushes he was born. He was perfect and had no issues with having come into the world "sunny side up". We were the talk of the maternity ward, though. Nurses that weren't even assigned to us came in off and on, and would whisper to each other, smile and leave.



James has given me a run for my money on many occasions over the years. However, he has grown into such a nice young man. He is my thinker. Nothing gets by him, and he has quite a memory. He told me this morning that he is my "memory box". He said if I need to remember something that I should just ask him.

I am so thankful that God chose me to be his mother. I am having fun watching him grow and learn each day. I can't wait to see what God has in store for his life.

James

More Garden Produce

I guess I must be excited that we are starting to reap the rewards of our garden because I am here sharing pictures again. I just feel that growing our own organic vegetables is so important and such a blessing from God.

Broccoli and Cucumbers


Wild Black Raspberries (Picked from the edge of our woods.)

More Garden Produce

Monday's Sewing

I had a productive sewing day Monday. Below are some pictures of what I made.

First up are three skirts for my daughter. FOE (fold over elastic) is my new BFF. It made these skirts go together very quickly. All of the fabrics for the skirts were given to me by my husband's aunt. She had cleaned out her trunk of "scraps" (Obviously, they are big scraps.) and gave them to me. My daughter just loves skirts right now and I am so happy to be able to make her these so frugally.





Next, I used some fabric that was given to me by my former neighbor to make the re-usable grocery bag pictured below. The fabrics are a sturdy cotton (not quite canvas) and are identical except for the fact that one is red and the other is blue. I think it is bright and cheery and will hopefully make the recipient happy to use it.



Lastly, I made a 10 inch quilt block for a dear woman on Diaper Sewing Divas who just lost her full-term baby. She almost died herself as a result of an amniotic fluid embolism. However, I am praising God that she is on the road to recovery. God still works miracles. The block I made will be sent to a member of the group who will put it together with all of the others who donated blocks. It is far from perfect, but I know she will appreciate the cross.

Monday's Sewing

Homemade Bubbles

What can keep four children playing happily so their mother can hang laundry on the clothesline? Homemade bubbles!

Homemade Bubbles

2/3 Cup Joy Dishwashing Soap
3 Tbsp. Glycerin (Available at the pharmacy)
Water (A little less than 1 gallon)

Combine the dish soap and glycerin in an empty gallon milk jug. Add enough water to fill the jug. Shake and allow the solution to sit until the following day.

These bubbles work best if they have been allowed to sit at least overnight. We have experimented with homemade wands. Pipe cleaners, plastic berry baskets, and fly swatters are lots of fun.

If you want to see a really fun way for your kids to enjoy bubbles check out what Kristen of We Are THAT Family set up for her kids. I think it looks like lots of fun...for the kids of course. :-)

This site also has some other bubble recipes.

Homemade Bubbles

First Zucchini Harvest of the Year

I was so excited when I found the beauties pictured above in my garden this afternoon. We love zucchini around here. There are many ways we like to eat them, so expect a post soon with some recipes. :-)

We didn't have much success with zucchini last year even though in years prior I am usually giving them away. So, you can imagine my kids and husband were excited, too.

One thing I do is peel and shred them. I then freeze the appropriate amount for my zucchini bread recipe in baggies. Like I said, stay tuned for some more recipes to come soon.

First Zucchini Harvest of the Year

Re-Using Cereal Bags

If you are like me you just toss the inner bag from your cereal boxes without a second thought. What could you possibly do with them anyway? Well, I have recently discovered that they can be used in a variety of frugal ways.

First, you will want to rinse the bag out and let it dry. Then, you can cut the bag at the seams and open it up. Use it in place of waxed paper in non-baking applications like putting no-bake cookies on it to cool.

Another idea is to use the bag for marinating meat like in the picture above. No sense wasting a brand new bag when you were already going to throw the cereal bag away. You could also put breading in the bag for coating chicken or fish, etc.

I just did a quick search to find more ideas for re-using these bags and found an article with many ideas. Check it out here. Maybe these ideas will save you a little money while helping out the environment.

Re-Using Cereal Bags

Play Sand Alternatives

Since I posted yesterday about our sand table, and that you could use a shallow Rubbermaid type container for sand play, I thought I would give you a couple of sand alternatives that my children have enjoyed for several years.

Colored rice is pretty easy to make and is lots of fun for the kids (or the kid in each of us). This is also a very frugal craft which is always a bonus around here.

Colored Rice



1 Cup White Rice (not minute rice)
1 tsp. Rubbing Alcohol
Liquid Food Coloring (a couple of drops only)

In a zip-top plastic bag (or other lidded plastic container) mix the rubbing alcohol and food coloring. Add the rice, seal the bag and shake. Once the rice is colored spread it out on waxed paper to dry.

Repeat this process with other colors. I like to mix several colors of rice together. Keep the rice in a lidded plastic container. You can use this in place of sand for tactile play. I might recommend putting an old sheet or tablecloth under the container to catch any rice that will more than likely spill (unless your kids are much neater than mine). Then you can just put that rice back into the container when the kids are finished playing.

Cornmeal Sand



Cornmeal
Salt

Combine equal parts of cornmeal and salt. Mix well. Use like sand.

Other Sand Alternatives



Beans
Oats
Corn
Colored Stones (or plain rocks/pea gravel)
Beads
Buttons
Pasta

Disclaimer: Watch small children carefully when playing with any of these sand alternatives as they can be choking hazards.

Play Sand Alternatives

Look what I got in the mail yesterday!

I just had to share the cute bag I got yesterday from Ariel of Pocketful of Pinwheels. I was the winner of a giveaway she had last week. The bag is such a cute size. I will more than likely give it to my daughter because she was so sweet when she saw it. I could tell she wanted it, but probably thought she shouldn't ask since I had won it. She is such a sweetheart.

Anyway, I would encourage you to check out Ariel's Etsy shop called Pocketful of Pinwheels. She has so many lovely items for sale. She also has a blog (The Creative Juices of Ariel) where she shares about all of her creativity. Thanks again, Ariel!

Look what I got in the mail yesterday!

Sand Table

Eight years ago my husband made our daughter a sand table. We had been to a children's museum and she loved playing at their sand table. When we got home I asked my husband if we had any wood that could be used to make her a sand table. Well, he went into his workshop, worked some magic with his tools, and created the table pictured above. I painted it with some leftover paint and we called it done.

The table was made with scrap wood and paint, so it was a very frugal project. We now have 3 more children and they have all loved playing with it. We have had to change the sand a couple of times, but we definitely don't do that every year. The sand table is housed in the kids' club house. I didn't take any exact measurements, but it is short enough that my 1 1/2 year old doesn't have to stand on his tiptoes to play in it. We also have a cover made of wood to go on top to keep bugs out since the club house isn't bug proof.

We also made several of our own sand toys. My husband drilled holes in some sour cream and cottage cheese containers and their lids. Slotted spoons and measuring cups also make good sand tools.

Now, if you don't have access to wood and woodworking tools you can make your own portable sandbox out of a shallow Rubbermaid. The size I am thinking about might be called a sweater box. Whatever it is called it is probably half the height of the bigger boxes. The great thing about that would be that it already comes with a lid, and you could store it anywhere. If you were using one of these boxes you could put rice or corn inside instead of sand for a different tactile experience.

Sand and our sand table have provided my children with hours of imaginative play over the years. It is definitely something that works for us.

Come back tomorrow to read my ideas and recipes for play sand alternatives.

Join We Are That Family each week for Works for Me Wednesday.

Sand Table

Joshua

Well, it is Tuesday again and I am joining Heavenly Homemakers for Gratituesday. If you have followed this blog at all you may have heard me talk about my son being allergic to several foods. That son is my 4 1/2 year old third child.

When I found out I was pregnant 5 years ago I was so excited. I prayed that I would be able to carry the baby to term. I had already had 3 miscarriages, so that was always a concern. The doctor ordered an ultrasound at 6 weeks and imagine my surprise when there were two sacks and two heartbeats. I spent the next 4 weeks with lots of sickness, but was excited about the prospect of twins.

When I went for another ultrasound at 10 weeks the doctor was silent. I asked if the babies were ok. He showed me the screen and there was only one baby, but he looked perfect. I was shocked. My other baby was a vanishing twin. I would never have known there was even another baby if I hadn't had that early ultrasound.

I still sometimes think about what life might have been like I had carried the other baby to term. I also wonder how Joshua might have been different if he had a twin. I don't think about it long, though.



Joshua came flying into our lives on a Saturday night in December of 2004. I say that because I went from 3 cm to 10 cm in 1 hour. The cord was loosely around his neck twice, but he was just fine. We felt so blessed to have him in our lives.

He was my fussiest baby and seemed to be sensitive to light, noise, and later textures and colors in food. As he grew he would have really rough nights where he would moan and thrash around. I always thought I must be doing something wrong. He has proven challenging in many ways over the years, but I thank God He felt we were up to the task.

Fast forward to February of this year when I got the diagnosis of his food allergies. A few doctors later, some probiotics & a pancreatic enzyme later, and many dietary changes later I am seeing some positive changes in his behavior.

He has been wanting to play with his older brother and sister more. He will say things like, "I want to be big like Julia and James." He has become more friendly when we are out in public even saying things like, "Hi. How are you?" to people at the grocery store. He sings a lot, and Sunday asked a little girl at church to play with him.

As my mom says it is like he has woken up and realized that the world is about more than just him. I think there is still progress to be made. However, for me, the dietary changes and supplements seem to be making a difference in my little boy's life, and for that I am truly grateful.

Joshua helping me gather sticks from the yard and take them to the woods.


Joshua: Are you coming mommy? Me: Yes. Joshua: Great! The positive attitude he had while helping me just tugged at my heart.

Joshua