Calling all Chefs...

Ok. I have a serious problem and I need your help! I cannot seem to make good breakfast biscuits,unless they come from a can. I know, totally pathetic right? I have used different recipes, different tips etc. and my biscuits always stay flat~I have not worked the dough too much, used buttermilk, bought new baking powder,put them close together in the pan, stood on my head while they bake~nothing helps(Ok, I didn't stand on my head...but if it would help, I might.) Charlie, my brother-in-law, makes the biggest, fluffiest biscuits and that's what I am after here, not these flat,listless looking creatures I turn out. So! Can anyone out there in the cyber world give me any tips? The recipe I used today assured me these would be the lightest, fluffiest, most wonderful biscuits, because it was her Southern Grandmas favorite recipe passed down to her. I think she is lying. If it wasn't for Charlies biscuits, I would be convinced that fluffy biscuits were some kind of urban legend that everyone talks about, but no one can actually prove ( you know, the whole "my southern grandma who has been dead for fifty years"made them!) My husband loves biscuits and I am failing terribly here.Whack and bake just isn't going to cut it.My gravy isn't much better, but that's another post altogether. So pretty, pretty please, if you know anything about biscuits, please leave me a comment!

Virginia

Finally...

I finally have a few minutes to myself on the computer! Every since school started, the kids have had the computer all day. I never realized just how much time I spend on here, until I couldnt be here. We are still trying to get settled into the routine of school for everyone, plus having a life at the same time. Easier said than done around here.

   I started my own class this week, and I think its going to be another good semester. I have the same professor I had last semester, and I really enjoy being in her class. I had my speech class on the same floor about three semesters ago, and I hated speech. Every time I went to class I had this dreadful, nauseous, panicky feeling that lasted pretty much the entire semester. So now, even all this time later, I have a slightly apprehensive feeling being in that building. How strange is that? I guess those neural connections are hard to break once they get wired in that way....! I was certain I would die in speech class. When my turn would come up, my heart would race and pound, my mouth felt like it was full of cotton and I feared I would throw up, wet my pants or die.Or all three at once.In fact,they say public speaking is the second most feared thing other than death. I believe them. I felt like a condemned prisoner on my way to the gallows every speech night. Luckily, I didn't throw up,wet my pants or die. I just don't like Hartnett Hall that much anymore. But I somehow got through it, and got an A and I never have to take that class again. Thank God.

Virginia

First Day of School

Well the first day of home schooling went pretty well! I think our schedule is going to work out just fine, which is a huge relief. Since my children have the computers to do their schoolwork, they have saved me from being on the computer all day and not getting any work done. Result? All the laundry done, house clean, meal planned and even some time to sit down and read.  If this can continue throughout the year I will be shocked and amazed. And calm. Sane even. And that's a wonderful feeling!

Virginia

Time For Another Blog Post...:)

I was informed today that its time for me to add another post to my blog! :) I end up getting busy and sadly the blog is the first thing to go, because I hate just throwing something together, because...well, it looks thrown together. Sometimes I feel inspired, and sometimes I don't.Although I may be sporadic in my posting, rest assured, I will find something to write about eventually.
     Tonight we decided to take Logan with us when we went ice skating. I was mentally preparing myself for the possibility of not getting to skate myself because of him, but once we got him out on the ice with the skate assist, he just took to it like a duck to water. I was so shocked, because he is only four, and a bit of a fraidy cat at that! Toward the end of the session, he let go of the skate assist and was able to venture out on his own. He did very well for his first time skating, so I plan to take him a few times a week so he can get good and not have to start over every time we go. It may be too soon to tell, but I think he is going to be fairly athletic. Only time will tell.
    On a more melancholy note, this is our last Friday of the summer. Monday we start school,  and its back to the daily grind. In some ways I look forward to it, because everyone is starting to get bored and cranky. But then I remember during the school year we are busy and cranky so I just try to take everything in stride. But something about school starting is like admitting that winter is coming, and that makes me cringe. I prefer to wallow in self denial until the first snowfall...

Virginia
PS. An update on my previous post: I "let" Caitlyn iron a pile of shirts for me. Four shirts later, she wrinkles her nose and says: "you know, its not as fun as I first thought! it makes me tired!" Smart girl. she is a fast learner...!

Pressing Matters

I just get a kick out of Caitlyn sometimes. Today while I was ironing a shirt, Caitlyn started begging me to let her iron. I told her it was dangerous and she might burn herself-you know the drill-and she got all dramatic saying "Mom, all I have EVER wanted in my life is just to get to iron! its sooo cool and I promise I wont burn myself!" I was just laughing inside and trying not to let her see how funny it was...So, reluctantly I let her try her hand at it, and her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. I let her get the cloth napkins and iron all of them, all the while she was singing cute little songs about the joys of ironing. I only wish I could be that happy about ironing...:) She certainly has a secure future in THIS house with that kind of attitude! :)

Virginia

A New School Year...

The new homeschooling materials have arrived, and in spite of myself, I got a little bit excited and nostalgic about the whole thing. I remember the excitement of the first day of school when I was a little kid: The new shoes and clothes, new crayons and the promise of a clean slate and a new start. So while I was going through the kids new stuff I still felt that little jolt of excitement that I used to have as a kid. As I go through each book, I feel like Liz Taylor must have felt the day of each of her seven weddings...you know what I mean: THIS time, the honeymoon will last longer than three weeks, THIS time the marriage will last.THIS time its finally the right man. For me its: THIS year I will color code each child's folders and organize the perfect schedule. THIS year we will extract DNA from a piece of broccoli like I read about two years ago, THIS year I wont have to scream "get out of bed!" 47 times each morning. THIS year we will incubate and hatch that chick for science class.THIS year will be the year we build our own fireworks and set them off. THIS will be the year the kids get a hold of some brilliant thought that will forever change their lives. But, just like poor Liz, the honeymoon is destined for a bitter end! Its ends up being something more or less like this: THIS year I feel lucky to drag all of our carcasses out of bed before 10 am. THIS year, if they just don't flunk I will be happy.And watching a video about Abe Lincoln is still history, right? And on and on it goes. And I feel soooo guilty because I cant home school like I envision I could with a full time housekeeper, cook and Nanny.Not to mention a full time, fully functioning brain. My only saving grace this year is that we are doing the online streaming so at least I am not actually having to teach anything, just lighting fires under the children every morning! I think I can do that. :)

Virginia

License to Drive

It's Official: I have passed the first I-really-am-getting-older milestone. My oldest child has a drivers license. Which is insane, because I am pretty certain it wasn't that long ago that I got MY drivers license!
We made the appointment for her road test right before her birthday, and the wait was killing her. So this morning I thought it would be smart to call and confirm her appointment just to be sure, and is it a good thing I did...they "didn't have her down" but if I could come by at 11:20 they would "squeeze her in". I assured them we would be there, and as promised, they squeezed her in! Can you imagine the wailing and gnashing of teeth today if they had made her wait another two months? :) But she passed with flying colors and got her picture taken, and grinned the whole way home. When we pulled up to the house, I told her she could drop me off and go get a Starbucks, alone, for her first "solo flight". She was more than happy to take me up on the offer, and as I walked up the steps to the house I couldn't help but feel a little pang of wistfulness, even though I was happy for her. There is an intangible "something" about your first child getting a drivers license, its almost like in your minds eye you see them perched on the side of the nest, ready to fly off forever, and it kind of choked me up. I know we start letting go from the moment they are born, but its getting too close now, can the dreaded M word be far behind? I am just thankful she is a mature, responsible and level headed kid or I would be a real wreck right now...

Virginia

Insomnia!

Don't you hate it when you can't sleep? Here it is, 3 am and I feel like I have had a nice double shot mocha and forgot to say "decaf".Not like I have ever done that before. So as I am laying there staring at my dark ceiling waiting(unsuccessfully) to feel tired, my mind flashed back to a very embarrassing event from many years ago. Ree Drummond aka. the Pioneer Woman (she has a great blog and I am an avid follower!) has on her site a category labeled "The Humiliation Chronicles"in which she generously shares her most embarrassing moments.But I digress.  So, to avoid plagiarizing her site,I am going to call mine "The Mortification Monologues" Now, bear in mind, I am only sharing what I have told others personally, and none of it is too horribly humiliating, so I don't embarrass my children or my husband! :) And besides, they have to love me regardless.

     It happened on a Sunday. Bad things always seem to creep up on me on Sunday, why I have no idea, but for the purposes of this story it kind of sets the tone for what is to come...Imagine if you will: I am in my nightgown, with my hair up in curlers, late Sunday morning, waiting for Nate to get home from work at noon. Thinking like a good wife, I assume he would appreciate some lunch when he gets home. Rummaging through the refrigerator, I find a leftover piece of steak from the night before and I decide to bake a potato in the microwave, heat up the steak and have it ready when he gets home. Our microwave is a giant dinosaur that can barely melt cheese, so I flip the dial~really far~ and let it rip while I take Clarissa into the bathroom and get her into the tub (she is just a baby, about 1) We are goofing around and doing kiddy bathtub games and just having a great time when all of a sudden I hear the shriek of the smoke detector in the hall! Looking past the door I see billows of smoke rolling through the hallway! With every story about trailers burning to a pile of cinders in six minutes flashing through my mind, I grabbed Clarissa out of the bathtub and wrapped her in a towel and ran to the kitchen, I could barely see, but the microwave was belching black smoke and I wasn't waiting around to see if trailers really could burn in six minutes! I ran across the yard and banged on the neighbors door and told him "I think my microwave is on fire" he flew off the couch and dialed 911, and by the time he and I had stepped out on to the porch, we could already hear the sirens wailing in the distance (Apparently the firemen had heard the same six minute stories I had heard!) If this had been an actual emergency, their prompt response would have been a huge comfort, and I am sure you can already tell where I am going with this....Well, here they come horns and sirens blaring, all the neighbors are out lining the streets waiting to catch a glimpse of the flames. A nice cop, bless his heart, has me (in my nightgown and curlers remember) sit in his squad car. "Are you OK, Miss?" he asks me, "Oh, yes I am Just Fine" I tell him, hoping all the while the baby doesn't wet on me while we sit there (I just plucked her out of the tub). A long while later, out comes this big burly fireman with all his gear on....HOLDING MY BAKED POTATO!!!! "Uh, Miss? your potato is done!" He laughs, I laugh even though I WANT TO DIE!!! Then, here comes poor Nate driving through the chaos to find neighbors and firemen are all at our house! He looks at me and says in this bewildered voice, "What on earth is going on?" Then I just start bawling and freaking out said "I burned the potato and I thought the trailer was on fire and wwwwwaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!" I was a mess. I threatened him with his life if he told ANYONE at church that day what had happened. I think was about four years later that I would even tell anyone the story, luckily the sting abated some with time....But on a brighter note, I bet the firemen took that potato and put in on the firehouse kitchen table and told the story over and over and everyone laughed until they wet their pants! Hey, it really was funny...later. Much Later.

Things My Kids Have Taught Me About God. Part 1

Well...as promised, here is the first little essay I wrote. As is my usual custom, I had to agonize over every little word and grammatical error, like I do with everything I write, and considered not sharing it at all, but I HAD promised to post it, so ready or not, here it is...

As I neared the top of the stairs, I could tell (and smell) that trouble was brewing. Squeals of laughter and exaggerated gagging and retching noises were coming from my two oldest children. Thinking this would be a good time to investigate, I entered the room and demanded to know what they were up to. “Moooommmm she stiiiiinnnkkks  Peeeeewwwwww!!!they said, grabbing their throats and gagging. And there sat my little angel, my pride and joy, in her crib, with the contents of her diaper merrily smeared everywhere. In her hair. On her face. On her Clothes. Everything, even the crib and the walls adjacent to her crib, had been painstakingly finger painted. My heart sank as I took in the scene. Seeing me, she babbled a happy greeting and held her arms up to me to pick her up. “All right you guys” I said to my older children in my best mommy-means-business voice, “out!” They beat a hasty retreat downstairs, fearing I may involve them in the clean up process. I turned to my baby and eyed her for a moment, trying to come up with a plan of attack, one that would keep me the cleanest. Wishing I had a large set of salad tongs to pick her up with, I gingerly scooped her up and carried her at arms length to the bathroom. “Come here princess, let’s get you cleaned up” I said soothingly, as I ran a nice tub full of Baby Magic bubbles and quickly undressed her and put her into the tub. I lovingly washed her hair, scrubbed her chubby pink cheeks, and wrapped her in a warm towel to dry off. I lotioned, powdered and re-diapered her little bum and dressed her in a fresh new outfit. I even clipped her nails and put a pretty barrette in her hair, and kissed her now Baby Magic fresh cheeks. Then I sat her on the floor next to me with a few toys and got busy on her crib. Stripping the soiled bunny comforter and stuffed animals, I headed toward the washer and got everything into the wash. I scrubbed and sanitized the crib and put fresh, clean blankets down. I was happy and satisfied to see my little girl all sweet and clean again! Watching as she played happily near me, the thought struck me that this must be how God sees us, his children: There we sit, in our messes, usually of our own making. We don’t smell very good, and people don’t want to be around us, and we are powerless to change our own situations. Did I love my baby? Absolutely! Does God love us? Absolutely! But just as my child was unacceptable to me, we were unacceptable to God and only he, through his own blood could clean us up. Mercifully, he lifts us out of our messes and gently and lovingly cleanses and restores us to himself. And after he cleans us up, he gets busy on our crib so to speak, and he cleans up where (and how) we live. I am so thankful God in his mercy did not throw us out, even when we desperately deserved it!  In spite of our messes and failures, when we reach out to him he is faithful and just to forgive us.

Virginia

My Favorite Night Out...

    The scent of coffee brewing, mingled with the smell of new books= My favorite place, Barnes and Noble. I read from about six last night until they closed, and then I bought three books and read until midnight! I can't remember the last time I read for that long at a stretch, but it was wonderful. Nate called asking if I was home yet, and I said something along the lines of " I just got here" and he informed me that I had been there two hours! I said "is there something wrong with that?" :) After all, I could have been out in the mall buying hundreds of $$$ worth of clothes or other junk I don't need, but instead I am sitting here minding my own business....and not breaking the bank! It was a great night.

Virginia

Well, I am finally back from Junior Camp.Bro. Brown did a good job, and the kids got to drink esspresso,which was hilarious to watch. (Bro. Brown manages a Starbucks!)  The kids had fun, but I am glad to be home. :)  Now I am working on the ensuing mountain of laundry that always accompanies camp. At one point, I found Logan sitting in a dirt pile, and his legs were nearly buried in dirt...when I put him in the shower, the water ran black off his body, and his hair was full of sand, so imagine his laundry! Fun fun. He was in hog heaven though, he really enjoyed himself! They also caught frogs, which made the trip all the more fun! :) I am looking forward to a hot shower and a good nights sleep...

Tired, but Happy!

Virginia

My Little Sweethearts

Little Caitlyn decided to help me out in a big way today! She cleaned her room, made her bed-from clean sheets on up- cleaned the bathroom, organized all the CD's and DVD's, folded all the throw blankets in the living room and straightened all the shoes in the back entryway. All because she wanted to!  I was blown away to put it mildly :) Then she mixed up the homemade ice cream. Guess who is getting all the ice cream she wants tonight? Even Logan got in on the fun and cleaned up his room too...the little sweeties. I live for days like this-days when I realize all the training and endless repetition really are going to pay off eventually....I love my kiddos!

Virginia

Things My Kids Taught Me About God...Coming soon.

For those of you who know me, you know I am not a “preachy” person by nature, but every now and then I get a “message” brewing  in my brain and writing is the only way to get it out. Or at least the only way I will get it out…J

   As I was growing up, my mother would frequently tell me “wait until you have your own kids, then you will understand”. If I heard it once, I heard it a thousand times,and I would roll my eyes because it was so far removed from my reality. But you really just can’t understand some things until you have your own children. But the most suprising thing I have discovered through interacting with my own children , is how much more I understand about  God’s love  for us,  his children. So my brain has been percolating this little mini- series in the recesses of my brain for the last few years. These are just my own thoughts and experiences  with my kids over the years,and the realization that I myself was learning a lesson right along with them. So, although I never intended for these to be read by anyone other than myself, what better way to get published than to throw it out into the Blogosphere? And since I survived having to pass my papers around the class in college to be critiqued, I suppose I will survive being critiqued by you all… Now that I have posted this I *have* to share them !J I will be posting the first message within the next few days.

Virginia