Friday's Fabulous Five

1. Christmas was wonderful. So very wonderful! I was still sewing up until it was 'pajama time'...seems I can't help myself. :) What can I say? I think it's in my blood.

The girls declared it was the "best Christmas ever!" They make my heart so happy. I love my little children so much! I love our lives. I love where we are at right now.

In many ways this year has been the hardest of my life; in others it has been the sweetest. It was a joyous Christmas a truly filled with gratitude for our Savior and His tender mercies in our lives.

2. My Violet has been having a hard time lately. She is trying so hard to be happy, but it seems often she is really strung out. As if she just can't control her feelings. It's been going on for months and I've finally figured out what it is!!!

Isn't that wonderful?!

At first I thought she was just very tired and needing to start taking naps again. Nope. Then I thought maybe just "terrible twos"? No. That's just not her personality. She is such a contented little lady. Sick? No. It's been going on too long.

As I watched her craziness, I found myself completely understanding how she felt and so I made an eye appointment. Lo and behold, she is far-sighted. Just like her mama. (Although thankfully not as bad as I am.)

She'll be getting new little glasses in a week or so. :) I am so glad that I'm familiar enough with what it feels like to deal with eye strain that I was able to recognize it and help her even though she is still very tiny.

3. We get to spend several days with nearly all of Nels's family this coming weekend and I'm so excited! I love the Chicks! There are always lots of games and laughs when they get together. - We may even get to see my SIL, Melyni, and her family - who have spent the last three years on England.

We are going to have such a wonderful time!

4. For Christmas this year Nels gave me a sweet gift! A plane ticket for a weekend in Arizona with two of my good friends! I am so excited!!! I wish it weren't still a month away!

5. Last fabulous news: the Christmas candy is finally gone!

(finally=2 days later) :)

It's a blessed day indeed!

Post edit: Yes. Of course I meant ON England. That makes perfect sense!

A Priceless Conversation with my Princess

A conversation between Elsie and I yesterday as we put on her new boots --- the camouflage ones we got at Walmart last week --- since apparently whoever orders their merchandise is a sexist who refuses to get girls' snow boots into their store.

Elsie: I really like my new boots, Mom. They were really expensive, huh?

Me: Umm...no. They weren't too bad. I'm glad you like them.

Elsie: Yeah. I just really like the word expensive.

Me: Uhhhhh...that's interesting. I really like the word Affordable.

Elsie: Well, I guess that's kind of a nice word too...

Sure love my little princess! :)

A Little Love Goes a Long Way

There are a great many people in the world more eloquent than I.

One of those people, I am so very blessed to call my dear friend.

Lynsey says it so perfectly, so beautifully, and so honestly.

I love her.

Finding the Worth of a Soul {on Mormon Feminism and wearing THOSE PANTS!!!}


and if you haven't any idea what pants she referring to:

MormonChildBride

I've Been Dreaming...

...of exactly this.

It just so beautiful! Some places are just made to have snow.

I may be singing a different tune when I'm sequestered at home for weeks while Nels takes the van to work --- since his car is bound to be worthless going up and down the mountain in the snow.

But for now, I just can't get enough of this white fluff. :) Clinging to the cedars and pines... {sigh}

Vi and I took a little walk today. The cat, Midnight, is more like a dog. He tagged along. We followed some dog tracks into the trees and found lots of pretty things.

When we returned I discovered one of the awesome things about having satellite internet...When it snows hard, you have to clean it off...

We're going to have to devise another plan...

Tomorrow the girls are going to build a snowman army in our backyard and go sledding down our non-exsisten hill. :) What I really wish is that we could close off the road for an hour and go sledding all the way from our house to the bottom! That would be awesome!

I really love living here.

Tomato Mountain

Our backyard.

Yeah. It's rough. I know.

I got a wild hair last week and decided to actually follow through on something I'd told my kids we could do! It's kind of a novel idea for me, but it was so much fun we may do it again in the future.

Hazel and I were browsing Pinterest one afternoon when we came across a really cute and earthy idea for a wreath. We loved it. I pinned it. Then we decided to get started on it right away. (An almost unheard of experience at our house! I can assure you....my poor kids.)

Since moving up here, every time we go out I admire the beautiful mosses growing on everything. They are so green and lush and lovely and I LOVE all the different shades. I knew that we could find more than enough for our project in the backyard (and in the neighbor's backyard, but shhhh! don't tell!), so we set out with our basket in hand -- admiring the the misty mountain (hop!) along the way.

I won't tell you the story about another time I couldn't keep my mouth shut and trotted myself down the road to confronted our backyard neighbor about the condition of that horse. She looked so pretty standing there watching us. Just so perfectly beautiful!

We ventured into the woods, picking moss, enjoying the cedars and the birch trees and finding lots of hidden treasures on the way - a perfect little creek, lots of wacky fungi, and three deer.

And some really delightful children! Violet doesn't like the scary, dark trees, but she let me give her a piggy-back ride and got down enough to stomp in some puddles.

These girls make my heart overflow with love. They are so perfect!

Our haul was pretty good! We got tons of lovely textures and colors and it was so fun to see my little women get so excited over picking a big piece of moss with no tears. :)

I was feeling extra grateful to have this girl with me and feeling well enough to go tromping through the trees with me! She is always such a big help and such a sweet friend to spend the day with. I'm so lucky!

That night we let the moss dry, but the next day when Lilie got home from school, we glued all those pretty carpets onto our wreath form and even added some little friends to greet our visitors.

I love it so much that I almost want to put in on the inside of the door. :) 

Also, I learned that I am not great at tying bows. The resulting shenanigans with that one almost drove me to drink, but turned out pleasing - after I had about a cup of red glitter in my lap.

Another thing we did last week was get our Christmas tree! There is a Christmas tree farm just down the road from us and since Hazel wasn't quite up to a full-blown mountain experience, we decided to go there rather than head for the hills to cut our own. 

It turned out so pretty!

I was able to finish up the last two stockings while watching Animal Planet at the hospital. They make my heart happy.

All in all, it was a successful week. Filled with a few projects and lots of healing!

Now on to this week - which will be defined by the number of loads of laundry that actually get folded and put away!

Gosh, my life of servitude it hard!

P.S. The title of this post is coined from Violet. She calls the mountain we live on Tomato Mountain. The girls have even made up a song about it. It makes me laugh. Much. Tomato Mountain! Oh, YES! Tomato Mountain . . . 

From the Top of my Soap Box . . .

. . . on Feminism.

It's almost like a dirty word in my mind.

When I think of FEMINIST - I always equate it with INequality, rather than Equality. Perhaps that is not what it was meant to be, but the fact remains that our society links Feminism with men being less and women being everything.

At least, in MY 30 years, that's what I've observed. Over and over and over and over and over and . . .

Feminism is a movement. - with all sorts of agendas attached to it. I wonder how anyone could even say that feminism is a fight for equality? If men launched an equally named campaign (named . . . Masculism?? ha ha), would anyone hear about it and think, "They must want to be treated equally! Hey! I'm going to become a Masculist. Ya know . . . for equality." ;)

No. That would be stupid.

I'm not going to say that Feminism has done nothing for me. That wouldn't be true. Of course it has.

But I think that much of what has been accomplished has been at the expense of families and children. Fooling women into thinking that they can have EVERYTHING and that nothing would be sacrificed in the process. OR that whatever sacrifices (such as their marriages and children) WERE made, were worth it - to prove that they were powerful and good enough. If not better! than those around them. To prove that they were WORTH something.

Is society or are families better for Feminism? Are marriages happier?

I'd say that's questionable. In my (not so humble) opinion, I'd say an unhappy marriage 60 years ago, would probably still be an unhappy marriage today.

What about women? Are they happier? I'm not so sure.

Whatever inequalities have been in our society, they didn't come from God. I feel that it is certainly worth all of our time to fight for fairness. For equal opportunities. But a woman's VALUE does not come from that same screwed-up society. It comes from within. I believe that it comes from God. It comes because she is herself. And the same is true for men. We would be far better off if children (girls AND boys) were taught that in their HOMES. Rather than by going around, screaming FOUL! and trying to pass more and more laws (or lawsuits). --- Or by trying to bring men down.

{{{breathe}}}

Okay. Now, on to what was going to be my original short blog post about something I had on my mind. This is what I had intended before I decided to start ranting . . .

I read an interesting blog post today - from a woman named Courtney Kendrick - or C.Jane. There are some things that she thinks that are very similar to me and some that are really different, but I enjoy reading her thoughts regardless and have often come away with some good "food for thought". REALLY good food for thought.

Today she was writing about how she's realized that she is a Feminist. I thought it was interesting and couldn't help but comment to her. I have zero problem with her writing what she thinks (how stupid would that be? to think that someone else's opinion is wrong?!), but sometimes she presents things in such a way that it sounds as if ALL Mormons have had the same experiences or feelings.

So, just out of curiosity ('cause maybe I'm a freak), whether you are or were raised a Mormon or not, did you grow up thinking that boys were better, more important, or more valued in society's or God's eyes?

Yes or no, what do you think caused you to feel that way?

Because I never did.

Maybe it was being raised by a strong Mom and a Dad that treated me (and her) as if there was nothing in the world that I couldn't do or be. Or maybe I've always been completely oblivious to what was around me?

Whichever it is,

I know that this can be a sensitive issue, but I'd love to know your thoughts!

Give me some Brain Food. :)

I'd love to listen to and think about whatever you say. Today (and probably over the next few months or years), I'd love to have something to put on "my back burner" and stir around from time to time. --- As I'm trying to see the world around me more accurately, raise my daughters to be happy, and be more compassionate and understanding myself.

I have some strong opinions, but I really love other people's opinions and viewpoints, too. We are all so different and have had such different lives!

Sisters

"I could never love anyone as I love my sisters." ~Little Women

I think Lilie is the best medicine in all the world for Hazel! She has felt better since Lilie got here than she has all day. It's been kind of a rough day, but Hazel is like a completely renewed patient with Lilie here. Restored her spirit.

When Nels explained the seriousness of the situation to Lilie last night, she just lost it. She told me that she was just running all around the house so, so afraid. Nels said she was carrying on something fierce - about how sad and scared she was. She was disappointed at canceling our trip to Seattle, but really, really worried about Hazel.

When Nels and I traded off for an hour last night so I could go get some things, I returned home to find Lilie sleeping in Elsie's bunk bed with her. When I asked her about it today she said she was just scared. To which I replied, "So you just needed to snuggle a sister, huh?" She took a big breath and said, "Yeah ... But when it's like that, even a brother would do." :)

Elsie was much more logical than Lilie. :) While Lilie lost her head, :) Elsie reassured her that everything was going to be okay and it was just fine that we weren't going on our trip, because Hazel was more important.

Such sweet girls. I love them so!

I just can't imagine anything in the world better than having your sisters be your best friends.

Dropping the Ball

Tonight I lay next to my sweet Hazel while she receives hefty antibiotics and morphine.

I am overcome with immense guilt.

I don't know how to deal with it. I can't sleep. I want to just stay awake and stroke her hair and watch over get to make sure that she's okay.

I should have brought her in Sunday night. As I went down the list of symptoms for appendicitis, I could check off every. single. one.

In the end I hesitated --- vacillating over a minor detail and not wanting to spend the extra money on an unwarranted ER visit.

I could put some blame on the misdiagnosis of the pediatrician we saw the next morning, but in the end, I feel like I failed my daughter by not taking her in the night before. For discounting her pain for the next 36 hours. For pushing down my concern at her intermittent fever. For attributing her sallow complexion to not eating for a couple days.

I should have done better.


I'm so sorry, Hazel.
You are so beautiful and so good.
You are far stronger and braver than I gave you credit for.
Please forgive my weaknesses and stupidity.
Please know that there is no price so high that I wouldn't pay it to see you happy and healthy.
You amaze me with your strength and kindness and and gentleness.
I feel I don't deserve you, but thank you for being so forgiving as I stumble my way so clumsily through motherhood.
Thank you for the example that you set for me.
You and your sisters are my greatest gift.
I love you with my whole heart.
I'm so sorry that so much of the time I don't know what I'm doing or how to do it.



12 hours ago, after a second visit to the pediatrician in as many days, Hazel and I were sent to the hospital for a CT scan and it was quickly determined that she had a ruptured appendix. She was immediately prepped for and underwent a laparoscopic surgery to remove the offender and the resulting infection. She and I will be spending the next couple of days here in the hospital as she recovers.

Pumpkin Waffles with Apple Cinnamon Syrup

Posting favorite family recipes to my blog so that I can save them to my Yumprint cookbook! Yumprint just added a new "search" feature so if you've joined recently, let me know so that I can find you!

Moist, delicious waffles and the perfect syrup to top them off!

Pumpkin Waffles

2 c. flour (to texture)

2 tsp. baking powder

1 Tb. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt 

3/4 c. pumpkin

3 eggs

1/2 c. oil

2 c. milk

1/4 tsp. cinnamon, opt.

1/4 tsp. ginger, opt.

1/4 tsp. nutmeg, opt.

Mix all ingredients together and bake in waffle iron.

Apple Cinnamon Syrup

1/2 c. sugar

1 Tb. cornstarch

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 c. apple juice or cider

1 Tb. lemon juice

2 Tb. butter

Combine dry ingredients, then add apple juice and lemon juice.

Bring to a boil over medium heat to thicken and then add butter.

Whole Wheat Bread Recipe and a bunch of Links

In response to a couple of questions:

The website that I got many of the Christmas presents for my babes and also has FREE GIFT WRAPPING (how cool is that?!) is ReallyGreatToys.com

I love toys that are a little different than what you'd typically find at Walmart and right now they've also got a 10% off coupon (until tomorrow) and free shipping over $65. I'm sure that next week they'll have some great deals, but I was pretty happy with what they had available right now. I bought my kids several of the Schleich World of Elves figurines. Like a couple pegasi (LOL!) for Elsie and a dragon for Lilie.

Christmas morning is going to be very mythical at our house. :)

I also bought a BUNCH of these little Safari animal "Toobs" for Violet. We'll have lots of new little animals at our house - which will be wonderful because the girls all LOVE them.

Now, yesterday I was also reminded that I've never shared my bread recipe with you. My reason for this is partly because I've only ever made bread with my Bosch and I know that most people don't own a Bosch. (But you should.) Also, I grind my own wheat and most people don't have their own wheat grinder. (But you especially should if you have wheat in your food storage.) The Bosch is great. It's a work horse that will last forever. It also easily makes 4 loaves at a time. I think a KitchenAid could handle a half recipe, but with a family of 7, nothing is in small batches anymore. :)

This recipe is easy, only requires a few ingredients, and only needs to rise once. Also, from start to finish - even with grinding my own wheat (unless I'm blogging at the same time :) - I can have the my bread made and rising in the pans with the counters cleaned up in 30 minutes. Making bread does require a little trial and error to get the consistency right. I think whether you're making bread loaves or cinnamon rolls, learning the consistency of bread is probably the thing that takes the most practice, but once you figure it out - you're set.

So here we go.

Whole Wheat Bread

INGREDIENTS:

6 c. warm water

2/3 c. oil

2/3 c. honey

2 Tb. salt

2 Tb. dough enhancer, heaping (opt)

6 c. whole wheat flour

2 Tb. SAF yeast, heaping

7-8 c. whole wheat flour

INSTRUCTIONS:

Place the water in your bowl. Temperature is important when making bread. I don't own a kitchen thermometer, so I go with good and warm, but NOT hot. (Don't want to kill your yeast.) Apparently about 115-120* is perfect.

Add oil next and then, using the same measuring cup, add the honey. Doing so makes the honey slip right out, with no scraping.

Add salt, dough enhancer, 6 c. flour, and yeast in order, mixing as you go.

Lastly, continue to slowly mix in flour until the dough starts to clean the sides of your bowl. I find it is usually about 7 or 8 cups, but does vary depending on how exact I was with my liquid ingredients (and maybe the phase of the moon or something). Take care to not add too much. Generally once it stops sticking to the sides of your bowl, it doesn't need much more. You want a dough that is still slightly sticky, but not gooey. It will take some practice to figure out the precise consistency that you're looking for, but honestly with this recipe, even the times I've added too much or too little, it's been very forgiving.

Knead dough for 7-8 minutes.

While dough is kneading, grease four large bread pans with shortening.

Once kneaded, dump dough out onto an oiled countertop. Divide into four equal parts, shape into loaves, and place into your greased pans.

Set your loaves in a warm area and let rise until about double the size. I go for about 1" above the edge of the pans.

Bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes. 

When loaves are nice and golden, remove from oven and immediately slide out of the pans. (Leaving loaves in pans to cool will cause them to stick.) Set your loaves on a rack or clean towel to cool and butter the tops while they are still hot.

A couple of side notes: 

*I use a Bosch, which can handle 4 large loaves. If using a KitchenAid, half the recipe. 

*The use of dough enhancer IS optional. I ran out a couple months ago and have yet to buy more. However, using it produces a fluffier bread. You can find it at most whole foods stores or your local Bosch Kitchen Center.

*Since homemade bread doesn't have all the preservatives that store-bought bread does, it obviously has a shorter shelf-life. Once my bread is cool, I slice it up, bag it, and put my extra loaves in the freezer. Bread freezes beautifully. Bread bags can be bought at Walmart (packaged as Great Value Twist-Tie Bags) or at your local Bosch Kitchen Center.

*If you find that your bread is not rising as it should, evaluate whether the water you used was either too hot or too cold. Too hot and you can kill your yeast. If it was too cold, try setting your loaves in a warm dishwasher (not running, of course!) or in a warm oven - set to 200* with the door open. 

*The quality of your yeast can make or break your bread. My favorite is SAF instant yeast. I've been able to find it at a local grocery store in every city we've lived in. I know that Winco carries it for a very good price. Once opened, I pour the remainder of the bag into an airtight container and keep it in the fridge or freezer.

*I do believe this recipe could obviously be made by hand - but it would probably require more like 10+ minutes of kneading to achieve the desired elasticity. Kneading can't be scrimped on. It is what activates the gluten in your bread that holds it all together.

Happy bread making! And happy Christmas shopping!

You're Invited . . .

. . . to Rachel's Morning!

My kids rooms are always a mess. Always. Unless I clean it. Even after THEY clean it. Actually, I'm lumping everyone into the same boat and that's not fair. Elsie cleans her room and makes her bed very well. She's five. Hazel and Lilie's room almost always looks like this:

They are NOT five.

I don't know what's wrong with them, but I'm pretty sure that it's the same problem that I had as a kid, so I'm hoping that someday (probably when they've moved out) the'll grow out of it. 

I've even stopped just shutting the door and ignoring it. I'm on them EVERY. DAY. to clean their room. And they do. But then somehow by the time they wake up the next morning, it looks like this again. I guess gremlins come into their room at night and do it . . . 

I'm going to start painting my family room today! I'm excited. I don't like plain white rooms. As soon as Elsie is off to preschool, I'm going to break into the trim and hopefully have it all edged by tonight.

It's always messy, too. 

But it's big and supposed to be played in, so I don't care as much.

{Except when Vi empties the bookcase. That makes me nuts.}

I really like this room.

And I also really like this room:

I painted it blue and it thrills me.

I love blue. And I love clean, fresh paint.

This kid it sometimes messy, but I don't really mind.

Clara has started eating again. I'm so happy. She was losing weight and she doesn't have much to lose. Who knows what's going on with her.

Our neighbor's basset hound comes in our backyard often. She's cute and her name is Lily. Whenever I call to her, I smile. A lot. "Don't poop in our yard, Lily!" :) Right now she's . . . what's it called when a basset hound . . . yowls? Yodeling? If you can remember the sound that hounds make, ten points to you. :) OH! Nevermind. 10 points to me. I remembered! Baying! She's baying.

Nels broke the whisks on my Bosch several months ago - while making cookies. *Don't add the flour to cookies with whisks.* I mention this because it's random, they haven't been replaced, and I'm using my Bosch to make bread as we speak. 

Yes. We're speaking, didn't you know? 

Except for you, it's sort of like a conversation. For ME, it's only two way if you comment. Sad, huh? 

You should talk to me. So I'm not talking to myself.

And the reason why I'm speaking blog while I'm making bread? Because if I sit down to write something, I can't remember what it was. However, if I just write snippets while I'm doing something else, I'll remember things and not get frustrated that I'm sitting in front of the computer in a stupor.

But now I just realized that I don't have enough honey . . . do I just make two loaves or do I go to the store? I detest going to the store. Think there's a substitute for honey? --- In bread? Doubtful . . . hmmm. We're going to try a little corn syrup and molasses . . . because even if it sucks, at least I didn't have to go to the store. :) 

OH! Happy DAY!!! I just found some extra honey right behind the molasses! My bread is saved! And would you believe it? It was the exact amount that I needed to finish the recipe. Heavenly Father even cares about bread.

I haven't been able to find my measuring spoons for more than a week. Clara takes them. And I just found them in here:

on the floor of the pantry next to a bag of rotting potatoes. One of the worst smells on the planet.

Again speaking of bread - the price that bread companies charge per loaf is CRIMINAL! It honestly costs ME maybe $.50 a loaf (Amber, Julie, Marilyn - have any of you priced out the cost per loaf?). How much could it possibly cost a company with all their equipment and availability of bulk ingredients!? Criminal, I tell you! 

Bread is one of the staples in our house - and we go through a LOT of it. I typically make bread once a week, 4 loaves per batch (I store the extra in my freezer). Comparable bread (that has lots of ingredients I can't even pronounce!) would cost me close to $4.00+ a loaf. It's hard to calculate how much money it saves us every month, considering we eat quite a lot more of my homemade bread (about 4 loaves a week) than we do when it's store-bought. But on the flip-side I buy considerably less snacks because my kids are even more happy eating a fresh slice of homemade bread with butter on it than they would be with a handful of crackers. 

All I know is that if you are considering getting a new kitchen appliance, make it a Bosch (and if you can, a wheat grinder). You'll never be sorry.

Back to how I DETEST going to the store, I have almost all of my Christmas shopping done!!! Online shopping is pretty much the best thing since hot bread. :) I got nearly everything I needed at either Amazon or a cute little online store that is going to gift wrap everything for FREE.

How fun is that going to be on Christmas morning?! Not even I will have seen many of the gifts before they are actually opened! I'm so excited!

I spent nearly two full days sitting in front of my computer in my pajamas. Sometimes I would feel like a loser, but then I remembered how my kids were getting fed, getting TV'ed, and getting napped, while I was price comparing and looking for online coupons -- all without having to drive over 100 miles! That while I was trying to decide between the red or the blue one, I wasn't also having to stop one {or more} of my kids from emptying the store shelves or taking a dive from the heights of the shopping cart and I'd instantly feel a lot better about myself. 

When Nels got home from work and I was making dinner {and wondering if I'd brushed my teeth}, I could tell him of how I'd been shopping all day and nobody had had a major meltdown. Me included.

I wondered if maybe I should wait until Black Friday to buy a few things, but in the end, I figured that the peace of mind in knowing that it was done and everything I wanted was in stock, outweighed the possibility of {{maybe}} saving $20.

Well. My friends.

My bread is risen, baked, and filling my house with the sweet smell of Home. Elsie is off to school. Violet is watching Cinderella. And Clara is emptying out my Tupperware cupboard and all of my clean rags. Again.

It's time for me to leave you and go put in my contacts so I can start in on painting the trim. 

Thanks for keeping me company this morning!