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!

Of Trees and a Crazy Wife...

  Once upon a time there was a country girl, married to the most patient, if somewhat confused country man. She was a crafty kind of girl and on any given day, you just might find Pinterest on the "recent history" of her stubborn, patience building, laptop. 

 On the lower 40 of the country homestead stood an humongous, old, hollow, tree. Country Man began to fear the old tree would blow over one blustery, winter, day and cause all manner of disaster and distress to the 18 wheeler parked under it's leaning branches. As good country men do, he took matters into his hands and with the help of his trusty chainsaw, he dropped that tree a fine, safe, distance from the unsuspecting truck. All was well.

  Meanwhile back at the country house, Country Girl was busy organizing a Bake Goods fundraiser...two cakes from here...a dozen whoopie pies from them...who else could make some shoo fly pie? Now, of course everybody knows that if it looks good, people will buy it with far more enthusiasm. But how to add some pizazz to that table of baked goodies without adding expense to the Country Girl's pockets, that was the question at hand.

 And then a moment of inspiration (possibly birthed by Pinterest or some other web-y place) struck. Followed directly by a moment of Country Girl bravery. "Just listen to me," she said, "don't try to understand, I know it sounds crazy but..." You see, Country Girl had made similar request of Country Man in the past. Most of them were met with eye rolling excitement and a clear declaration of Country Man's confusion on all things salvaged. But he patiently obliged one more time with only minimal mutterings and questions.


  And so, a few days later Country Girl found herself quietly contemplating behind her loaded down mini van outside the school gymnasium.  "Maybe this was a really dumb idea." "What if the real life version  didn't really look like she imagined it would?" "What if Mrs. Fundraiser Coordinator was not impressed with the hauling of large, somewhat dirty, objects into the food prep areas?" And she almost, a.l.m.o.s.t.  talked herself right out of the plan. But she carried on, prepared to face whatever opinions came her way, the good, the bad, the ugly.

  And sure enough, there were opinions! Lots of opinions...gushy ones...flattering ones..."oh my word, that's beautiful" ones, but not one discouraging word. A couple of inquiries about the possibility of purchasing said large and somewhat dirty objects. Some talk of catalogs and styles and hefty price tags, but not one mention of craziness. 

 

 Country Man is still somewhat confused (he is not a Pinterest user) but even he admitted that it looked pretty cool in the pictures. And that big ol' tree out back, it's still waiting to be cut up and cleaned up. Maybe I, er I mean, Country Girl, should consider making a catalog. =)

One Party, Two Party, Red Party, Blue Party

My little buddy turned FIVE {5} this week. 

 

It sure doesn't seem that long since I was timing contractions on the way home from my doctor appointment where they assured me that "nothing was happening." Two hours and a bit of scrambling later our tiny 7 lb. bundle was safely in my arms. And yes, we made it to the hospital. 

Since this is his last year at home with me before he starts school, I decided to invite 

a few little friends and throw a party.

Found this adorable free download and added my own text.

School was closed the day of his actual birthday so we had to postpone the party

a few days. I wasn't exactly prepared for all the older siblings to join us too.

We settled for pizza and cupcakes for dinner.

Legos. His one and only request. Not because we don't already have 

thousands of them, but because he needs some that are his very own.

That's pretty important when you're the 4th boy in the family.

Party Time

Make your own 'Cat in the Hat' hat.

"Seuss-O"

(always more fun when played with M&M's)

Playtime

and 

Lunch

The Menu

Green Eggs and Ham{sandwiches}

Hop on Pop{corn}

Go! {Hot}Dogs Go!

One Fish, Two Fish, Goldfish

Fruit pops

Cupcakes

Ice Cream 

Punch

 

The 'Cat in the Hat' cupcakes were super easy.

1. Use a rolling pin to roll one marshmallow flat.

(I put a heavy pan on top of mine for a few minutes to help them stay flatter.)

2. Dip another marshmallow in melted red coating chocolate.

(This may be easier to find in stores if your child's birthday is a few weeks from Christmas.

 I'm not really sure, I never looked for it any other time.)

3. Attach the dipped marshmallow to a flattened marshmallow using the melted chocolate.

4. Dip another marshmallow in the melted chocolate and attach to the top.

5. When those layers are dry turn the whole thing upside down for one last dip on the top.

 6. Allow the chocolate to harden and place on top of cupcakes that are already frosted.

Bingo! You're done.

What a sweet bunch!

The Favors

I found a whole bunch of Dr. Seuss stuff in the Dollar bins at Target (inspiration for the party)
a couple of months ago, including 'Cat in the Hat' plates and erasers.
Everyone got to take home their plate, an eraser and a book.
(collected from yard sales and second hand stores)

I do believe we made some fun memories for the little man (and his Mama.)
I shall try to focus on the making of more of those in the next few months and not think about
the fact that the big yellow bus will be snatching him away from me all too soon.

Because....

"The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." --Dr. Suess

Christmastime [was] Here -- Family Traditions Edition

When our first child or two was still very young my husband and I spent some time discussing what traditions we wanted to start for our little family. A few of these traditions go back to those conversations but I've since found that the best traditions are not the ones that you plan but the ones that are such a hit this year that we couldn't imagine not doing them again next year.

This is one of those traditions.

Several years ago our neighbors invited us to their church for Christmas Eve services. Most years my family gets together on Christmas Eve but we decided at the last minute to drag our kids out to the 11:00 p.m. service. Was it the thrill of going somewhere w.a.y. past bedtime? The candle light? The drums and music? I don't really know, but they LOVED it. Every year since they start asking mid November if we can go to church at midnight. This year there was no 11:00 service but we enjoyed the 6:00 service just as much and a certain 7 year old was pretty proud when I handed him my real candle with real fire. Small children are given glow sticks, this was a right of passage moment for sure!

Our tradition of spending Christmas day at home is one that came from my parents. They determined when we were young that we would not be part of the rat race wherein you rip open presents at one Grandma's house so you can run another Grandma's house for more loot. We've done this with our kids too and I think it's my favorite of all traditions. It makes Christmas day relaxing and calm. The very best gift a Mama could get! We usually grill steak and throw some baked potatoes in the oven for a mid afternoon meal. We don't often buy steak, so it's a special meal that requires minimal time in the kitchen.

Stocking stuffers (usually exciting things like toothbrushes or batteries) are torn open with bedheads and pj's. Breakfast is simple, fruit and pastries, (with a side of bacon, by special request this year) and must be cleaned up before "real" gifts are opened.

Someone new read the Christmas story this year and did a pretty fantastic job of it! I don't believe Caesar Augustus is included in the first grade sight words list.

 
The "real" presents were not numerous but they were well received.

Important life skills are being learned here. Gotta teach 'em young!

 

The problem with that whole "White Christmas" dream...
  it makes it hard to break in a new bike.

Mommy was pretty excited about her gift this year too! Not necessarily surprised, but definitely excited!
My husband spoils me! Looks like I'm set up to return the favor now.

Another evolving tradition is that of handmade gifts. This is a good time of year to start searching for ideas if you'd like to make your own gifts this Christmas. I, however, tend to get my best ideas the week or two before Christmas. Here are a few of this year's projects....

Reindeer Root Beer for the guys.

These were super simple and you can never go wrong with food gifts.

Hand painted signs for the ladies...

Slowly convincing my husband that saving the boards from the part of the barn we tore down was a good idea.

I had a lot of fun making these but they were somewhat time consuming.

Maybe I should have started before December 15th.

 ***************

We spent the end of Christmas week with Garry's family. His 2 sisters were here from out of state and the whole family was together for the first time in 2 years. Two brand new baby nieces to be spoiled and loved on. Food. Games. Cousin time. And a round of family pictures. Never a dull moment!

 Somebody was pretty sure she was solely responsible for baby holding and nuk retrieving.

 

  If you happen to notice the blanket behind Little Miss Adorable, it's another last minute DIY gift idea.

I've had several requests for adult sized ones for next year. =)

 Plenty of food. Always.

This picture may or may not have been requested as appropriate compensation for their act of goodwill.

 You guys rock!  Really, you do! 

(Even if you have to remind us...frequently.)

Game time.

It's been 5 years and 5 new grandchildren since our last attempt at family pictures.

It was painful but we endured to the end for the prize.

And yes, bribery during family pictures is one of our favorite traditions too!

Christmastime [was] Here -- Part I

Our Christmas tree, finally up and decorated after much drama and stress.

 

I thought we'd go small this year, save a few bucks and not overwhelm our living room. I didn't realize until it was wrapped and ready to go that they were priced by variety, not size. Oops! there goes the "save a few bucks" plan. When we were ready to set it up, we discovered a crack in the tree stand. So it spent a few redneck days propped in the corner in a bright orange bucket. Classy huh?
 

 After 2 trips to the store we were the proud owners of a brand spanking new tree stand with bolts too short to even reach the skinny truck of our dainty little tree. The husbands patience may or may not have been running a bit thin by the time he screwed extra pieces of wood on either side and made 2 trips to the hardware store for bigger bolts but finally that baby was upright...until we started to add lights and garland. Sigh. In the end, she was a very pretty tree. I decided to stick with neutrals this year and I loved the way it turned out. My kids did not agree, they were a tad bitter that I ignored those pretty red balls.

This was my moment of enlightenment this year. I admit to being a little stingy about the Christmas tree decorating at my house. I just don't have the stamina to allow a 5 year old to arrange all the ornaments in a 18 inch space. This year I gave them this little yard sale tree and some sturdy ornaments and made it there tree. The arranged and rearranged to their little hearts connect, with all the red they could find! Bingo. This tradition will live on another year.

 The Mr. dutifully adds sparkling charms to our rustic barn and charming cottage. Our big front porch just begs for icicle  lights. Even he admits that they are pretty enough to be worth the hassle.

While he spruces up the outside, I tackle the indoors. My {super} limited chalkboard skills struggled for several hours to pull this off.

My first grader got inspired and whipped out his own version in less than half an hour. He insisted he needed water to dip his chalk in too. =)

We made a few special treats, although not nearly as many as most years. I had some fun experimenting with my peppermint essential oil. Mmm!

Peppermint Stripe Popcorn. 

Our Christmas celebrations took us to the cabin with family for a long weekend before Christmas. It was a glorious four days of "nothing to do" in the midst of crazy busy preparations and parties. We drank coffee, played games, read, drank coffee, slept in, snacked, relaxed and drank another cup of coffee. That poor coffee maker didn't know what hit it.

We let the kids act out the Christmas story. Finally we have a "Mary" after 8 boys in the family. She was quite pleased with her roll as "Jesus Loves Me's" Mommy. (That's what she says instead of Baby Jesus, I hope no one ever corrects her!)

So it wasn't quite Broadway but they had fun and I heard they're making a movie out of it, special thanks to the only cousin not pictured and his new ipad.

We returned from our relaxing paradise on Monday with 36 hours to finish wrapping and preparing for Christmas day. Coming up in the next post, some of our favorite family traditions.