5 Things

Five Things About Me Meme
Morning Rose tagged me to do a Five Things About Me Meme.


The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
Each player answers the questions about themselves.
At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read the player’s blog.
Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.


What were you doing five years ago?

1. I was finishing up my first year of teaching 4th through 6th grade at a private Christian school.
2. Dan and I went to Maui on our first exotic vacation!
3. I was pregnant with Elijah.
4. We travelled to Washington state to attend Dan's brother's wedding.
5. I was enjoying my first summer vacation not working! (I have stayed home since ending that school year)



What are five things on your to-do list for today (not in any particular order)?

1. Finish laundry
2. Research sewing machines
3. Try to get the house back to normal after a crazy weekend with houseguests and cookouts
4. Finish watching "Becoming Jane"
5. Did I mention all the laundry?

What are five snacks you enjoy?

1. anything chocolate
2. cheese and crackers
3. ice cream
4. fresh strawberries
5. chips and dip

What five things would you do if you were a billionaire?

1. Give most of it away - it would consume me.
2. Redo our kitchen and basement, or . . .
3. Move to a home on the lake.
4. Travel, especially to foreign countries where we know missionaries.
5. Invest and live off of the interest (okay, that's Dan talking)

What are five of your bad habits?

1. Worrying
2. Being critical
3. Being obsessive compulsive about things
4. Wasting time
5. Picking at scabs. Disgusting. I know.

What are five jobs you’ve had?
1. Shoe salesman at Sears
2. Telecounselor for MBBC
3. Pharmacy tech
4. Manager of health and fitness club (anyone who knows me will find this very ironic.)
5. Teacher

What five people do you want to tag?
1. Sarah
2. Gretchen
3. Karen
4. Tina
5. Elizabeth

Healthy Eating?

I'm not sure these 2 recipes fall under the strictest definition of healthy eating, but if you are trying to avoid hydrogenated oils and MSG, then they definately help you do it. Since it seems all pre-packaged food has one or both of these nasty ingredients, I say cut it out where you can and then you feel a bit better when you indulge in Ritz Crackers.

So here are 2 make-ahead mixes that help you on your path to healthy(er) eating . . .

Taco Seasoning
2 tsp instant minced onion
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp crushed dried red pepper
1/2 tsp instant minced garlic
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Combine all ingredients in small bowl until evenly distributed. Store in a foil bag or plastic container in a cool, dry place. Use within 6 months. Makes about 2 T. Use 2 T for every pound of ground beef.
*I triple this recipe and it fits nicely into an old spice container. Then you always have it on hand when you need it.

Buttermilk Pancake Mix
2 c. dry buttermilk powder
8 c. flour
1/2 c. granulated sugar
8 tsp. baking powder
4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. salt
Combine, stir with whisk until evenly distributed. Makes 12 cups and use within 6 months.

Pancakes: 1 egg beaten, 2 T. oil, 1 cup water, 1 1/2 c. mix. Combine egg, oil and water. With wire whisk stir in mix until blended. Let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in more water for a thinner batter if desired.

Really? The Office?

I was shocked as the next alum, but laughed anyway. Dan and I have told almost everyone we know about this video, and this seemed like the easiest way to direct them to the link. Enjoy!

The Admission's Office

Bitten

I've been bitten by the sewing bug. It all started out so innocently. I had a mounting pile of clothes that needed mended, and my #1 seamstress had just had a baby, so I decided to try to tackle some of them myself. Only I didn't know what I was doing. This realization led me to ask my good friend Debbie to teach me to sew. You know, just simple stuff like hemming pants and maybe a decorative pillow or two.

Well, after surfin' the web to get some project ideas (after all, to learn to sew you must have projects) I was so overwhelmed and excited at the sewing possibilities that I went kinda crazy. Debbie lent me her machine and I went to town. Here are a few of the things I have made so far . . .

This was my first project. Seeing how simple it was caused me to want to try something more challenging.My first handbag! Okay, okay, I realize it is small, but I did it, and that makes me very happy. I tackled this one on my own, with the help of this great tutorial.
Did you know that you can buy these dresses on the bolt and all you have to do is stitch up the back, hem and attach straps? Alli was very excited to try it on. I'm still deciding what to do with the straps. Alli also desperately needed a belt since even toddler pants are low rise now. This was easy-peasy, so I made one for myself, too.

I found this idea on www.Joann.com. It's an organizer that hangs on the back of your car seat for the kids to put their books and toys in. This is Elijah's (obviously) and I am currently working on one for Alli.

And I have some baby gift ideas, since our church is continually reproducing, so I should stay busy for a while. Dan is excited and very supportive, but is worried that I might get burned out. Who suffers from burnout when there are such a plethora of good ideas out there?

Baby J

This little guy was so happy! We didn't have to work too hard to get some great smiles out of him. He has an infectious laugh. How can you resist this?

I'm loving this one. See those two bottom teeth? They just embody a classic baby picture.

By the way, have you ever noticed that taking a baby's clothes off almost always results in pure happines? This was fun. What can be better than spending time with friends and making their babies smile?

2 Cute Babies!

Before I left for the week, I got together with my friend Sarah, who has her own nine-month-old and babysits another one! I had so much fun trying to follow these two around to get some pictures. They both are extremely happy and busy! So here is a sneak peak of baby A for her parents, baby J's pictures will come tomorrow.

I hope you love them! I know I do!

While the Cat's Away . . .

Apparently this is the mouse's idea of "playing" . . .

You see, we knew we had some carpenter ants at the front of our house, and apparently they love damp wood, which we had because of a gutter problem, so they decided to feast on our cedar siding, as well as the infrastructure beneath.

Dan thought they had damaged just a small area (like 2 or 3 boards) and thought he would take advantage of the time I've been away to complete a couple of projects. Needless to say, this one is gonna take a while.

**Aaahhh - you gotta love owning a home**