One {oily} Year...

Snow day number, I-can't-count-that-high-anymore, here...If you're looking for cute heart-sy craft ideas and fancy dessert recipes to WOW your Honey, go wander around Pinterest...my Honey is 1,500 miles away and our Valentine's dinner is probably gonna be fundraiser ham sandwiches...today we're talking about a different kind of love affair here...

Last year on Valentines Day my curious, skeptical, self walked into a friend's house with my notebook and pen. When I left an hour and a half later, I was armed with one of the best gifts anyone had ever given me. KNOWLEDGE.

I had never really considered that there might be other options besides the pharmaceutical drugs in my medicine cabinet. And even though I've never been quick to give my kids meds or run to the Dr. I never really liked doing it at all. If Tylenol and antibiotics are really as safe as they claim to be, why are they constantly being recalled and what is with the (long) list of side affects that accompanies them?? On the other hand, "Natural" always equaled "doesn't work" in my mind. I mean, for real, how many vitamins would you have to take and how much spinach would you have to eat to cure pneumonia? More than I'm willing to gag down!

Somehow, with a (very) little bit of education, this stuff made sense to me. God created people. God created plants. Perhaps He meant for them to work together. And even though my husband had some descriptive words for those (smelly) oils, he jumped right on board with me.

We have always been what I've considered a healthy bunch around here. We escaped the flu craziness last winter and my kids have missed minimal days of school for sickness. But I realize now how much I lived in fear of "catching something" anyway. Child #1 starts coughing or complaining of belly ache..."do I cancel plans for the weekend"..."if this one is better the next one will likely be down"..."do I wait it out through the weekend or run to the Dr. on Friday afternoon?" By far the greatest benefit of having oils in the house is the peace of mind that they have brought me. Child #1 starts coughing...a few drops of R.C. on his chest and he sounds better in the morning. Meanwhile my trusty diffuser is busy killing off bacteria in the air with just a couple of drops of Thieves so the rest of us are much less likely to get it too. When I hear "Mom, my belly hurts," I grab the Di-gize and Peppermint instead of the mop and bucket. Does this mean that we will never get sick again? No, but I know if we do, I am equipped with an action plan that does not require an appointment with the Dr. and a salty ($$$) bill.

Not only have the oils stretched my ideas of health, they've taken me outside my personal comfort zone too. I've never, ever, ever had a desire to be a business girl. Selling anything to anyone makes me want to run far away. But after seeing how much my family has benefited from Essential Oils (we use them daily for everything from back aches to sleep aids to high blood pressure) it feels selfish to keep my little secret to myself. So while I still have NO desire to be pushy and "sell" you something, I would love to help you find the answers your looking for. Am I an expert? No. Do I know how to "look it up" and find someone who might know what I don't. Absolutely. If you're interested in more information or if I can answer a few of your gazillion questions for you, you can e-mail me at garrynrachel (at) aol (dot) com. I'd love to share more of our story. These oils really are a gift from God!

  

The white outside truly is beautiful but a little {Spring} color doesn't hurt either!

Misc. Monday

It was a.n.o.t.h.e.r. snow day in our part of town. I have given up counting how far into June we'll be packing school lunches. It is not unusual for us to have the majority of our snow days in March, we've already had at least 6. Honestly, I don't mind the snow, and I really do love having my kids home, but this "can't plan anything ahead of time, ever" thing is getting a little frustrating. There was nothing on the schedule for today though, so it's a puzzles and minecraft and snowball fight kind of day.

6-7 inches and counting...

Two weeks ago when it snowed I finally got around to the traditional "first (or fourth) snow day donut baking." I thought maybe if I (finally) checked that off it would eliminate our need for more snow days but it didn't work. Nobody complained about my efforts, however.

so. much. better. the first day!

This is what teenage boys do with snow days. For some reason he thought it cooler to fake a wipe out at the end. For this I have no explanation.

My view of today's snow has been predominately from the couch...Note to self: No matter how fun or tempting it is to give your hubby a kick in the tush on the way down the stairs, the effects of slippery socks during such an activity are not evenly remotely worth the risk. I do not know when I have been in such pain, and yes, I have birthed 5 children.  I would choose that over this for sure. Thankfully it does seem better today and I don't believe I really did any serious damage. Nothing a little time, oil and ice can't take care of.

Sure is beautiful while it's coming down.

This little project is bubbling away in my pantry right now....

Inspired by a friend and a few forsaken apples in the bottom of the fridge drawer. I figured I don't have much to lose. So far she seems to be right on schedule. This picture was taken on the first day. We're currently on day number 6.

I happened to have real cream in the fridge right now so we enjoyed a version of this for dinner. I used part half and half and some homemade chocolate sauce in place of some of the heavy cream and I did the, oh so scientific, "eye ball it," kind of measuring for the snow.

the ingredients

the results

These guys gave it 2 thumbs up.

the taste testers

This one was not quite as decidedly impressed. (Or perhaps he was just being ornery, it's happened once before!)

Wherever you are tonight, I hope it's warm and safe!

Goin' with the Snow

 I am snuggled up on my couch. Outside my window is a gorgeous winter wonderland. The kids are off school and I'm conducting an experiment to see how long I can avoid thinking of something to make for lunch. The animal cracker jar is empty, my time is limited.


Any other time when the predicted snowfall is 3-6 inches we would actually get 2. This morning I was scheduled to be at the surgery center by 6:45 and I woke up to 7-8 inches of fluffy whiteness. I pulled on my big girl boots and dug deep down inside for my {long neglected} farm girl muscles to clean off the 4 wheel drive vehicle and side walks. Whoever had the bright idea to park the family van in the barn and leave the SUV out in the snow was really on top of things.

We headed out at 6, arrived with no undue drama and spent 2+ hours waiting for a 7 minute procedure. Literally, from the time they wheeled him away, still awake, until they called me back to consult with the Dr. was hardly 10 minutes. Even though it was quite minor, I am glad to have it behind us, for sure. He pulled through like a champ and we crept safely back home.

I think any day that involves anesthesia is a good excuse for general laziness for the whole family. Currently there is a Monopoly game, an Adventure in Odessey and a bit of napping happening around
me. (The delay of lunch plan lasted all of 4 minutes.) The boys made their 5 minute trek out into the snow earlier this morning, (while Grandma was here to do the boots, gloves, snow pants....routine) but the sub zero wind chill convinced them that it's an inside kind of day. I couldn't agree more. I see a popcorn and movie night in the near future. I also see the dirty kitchen floor and icky bathrooms winning for another day. It's not super motivating to be the one person cleaning while there are 5 people here making messes.

I was happy to see the 'to-do' list actually get some items crossed off while the kids were back in school yesterday but I'm just as happy to have them here again today. There will be plenty of time for schedules in March and April. Of course to many more snow days and we'll still be doing the schedule thing well into June. That may mess with my happiness a bit.

Happy Friday to you whenever you are! I hope it's somewhere cozy and warm, with a working coffee pot nearby!

Happy Days

I do realize I'm behind the times here but I'm going with better late then never. Our kids had the entire week of Thanksgiving off because teacher conferences landed on the beginning of the week. I had been feeling really 'stuck' in the routine thing...Same old, same old, get up and do it all over again tomorrow kind of stuff...so THIS was just what I needed.

More PJ days than our household has known in all of history I think.

Hot cocoa, cozy blankets and a movie (or 3, or 4...)

The creating of [sugar-loaded] masterpieces.

Good books, more blankets, and life-threatening injuries. [Depending on who's interpretation you hear, of course.] He LOVES to read. I LOVE that he LOVES it!

Lots and lots of rounds of Battleship, Scrabble and Sorry. Bonus: Most of them included Daddy.

Our own little feast, inspired by a free fresh turkey and a couple of refrigerated pie crusts. (Personally, I was really feeling like another PJ day, but of coarse I wasn't sorry that I got off my tush and threw together a little fun for the family. They were appropriately appreciative!)

I am most Thankful for....

{That wreath in the background, a fun project for a friend. It was a perfect fit right there. She's lucky I  parted with it in the end!}

The official 'breaking-out-of-the-Christmas-music. Which led to a little impromptu dance fest.

I think maybe by the time everyone climbed back on the big ol' bus Tuesday morning I was supposed to be ready for some peace and quiet and order but the truth is we could have continued for another week I'm sure. More weeks with 5 Saturdays please!!!

My little buddy had a little trouble adjusting to all of his playmates leaving (Baby Girl spent the day with Daddy) so we had ourselves a Memory and Hot Chocolate Date. No report on who beat who. Let's just say it won't be long before mom will not have to be careful not to get to many matches.

This weekend brought us this...

I hope you're enjoying the Magic of the Season! 

Take time to have a little fun.

{I lasted at least 3 minutes before my toes were frozen and I decided half a dozen pictures was plenty}

How to have a Perfect Winter Day

We got just a couple of inches of snow over Christmas vacation. Just enough to keep the kids happy sledding and building a snowman but not enough to require much shoveling efforts from the adults. Perfect!

1. Watch with anxious anticipation as the snow falls. Bonus points if you're still in your pj's!

2. Curl up and color a picture or two. One from your sisters Strawberry Shortcake book will be fine. :)

3. Play a game or 7.

4. Dig out hats, gloves, boots, coats and snow pants (times 5.) Improvise when one child's "pair" of boots are two different sizes. Oops!

5. Add sleds.

6. Be really brave and learn to deal with it when you get snow on your boots. They're called snow boots for a reason dear child!

7. If you choose to pick a fight with Dad brace yourself.

8. And come up smiling!

9. Convince Mom to put down her coffee and drag her off the couch to come out too. Who else is gonna take the pictures??

10. She might even help you make a snow man. [Note to Self: Remember to by 'real' carrots in the winter time, baby carrots just don't make very good 'noses.']

 11. Take some time to enjoy the beauty and play with your camera.

12. Be Thankful for a whole day spent with the people you love the most!


I'm not a huge snow fan but the kids do have fun. This was great because I knew we wouldn't be making up school days in June. I'd be okay with one more decent sized snow storm yet and then it can just instantly be warm and sunny again!

 How about you? Are you praying for a blizzard yet or are 3-4 inches over Christmas more than enough to satisfy you?

Happy Friday!