Fall is finally here!!

I'll be back...

I just need a bit longer to get myself together again...

News to share...

Just not yet...

Decisions have been made!

For Halloween that is!

Nicholas will be a werewolf...

Matthew will be a rodeo clown...

Off to get supplies and hit the thrift stores!

...2 lines....

Art class

This is one of my favorite classes of the week..art!!

The boys love to create and they always ask me to draw and paint with them.  Nicholas tells everyone I'm an artist(I'm not!!) but in his eyes I am..which I think is so sweet.

We did the color wheel and then they drew hot air balloons and incorporated all the colors on their color wheel.

A Simple Woman's Daybook

Tuesday, September 14, 2010




For Today…

Outside my window... Oh gosh...it's so nice and cool out..I've been actually having to discipline myself to come in from the porch rocking chair most mornings lately.

I am thinking....about a handmade Christmas and lists I need to make and supplies I need to get to make all the things I'd like to make.

I am wearing...a gray t-shirt and pink skirt

I am remembering...the great time I had with my brothers a couple of weeks ago...

I am going...to piano practice,the library(my favorite place) and baseball tonight

I am hoping....that Matthew decides soon what he wants to be for Halloween..I have to get started creating!

From the learning rooms…still learing about the Native Americans and how they were persecuted...I love the stories with Sonlight curriculum-it really puts a face and a story to the history of our nation.

Noticing that... my home is starting to feel really cozy and warm-I hope guests feel that way!

Pondering these words...Oh gosh...we had  such a wonderful Bible study this weekend and we are reading a book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan.  He said something in the book I've never thought about but have now thought about constantly(especially in my prayer time)...he asked what would you do if you knew God was in the next room?  How would you approach him?  What would you say?
I never really thought about that before he said that...I think sometimes I become to *casual* in my prayer time, but if I knew God was physically standing there and I had to approach him, I would certainly be more reverent, respectful and humble..that's for sure!   So, I've been using that image in my mind when I have my prayer time and it's really changed how I pray to him..

From the kitchen…Lentil tacos with spanish rice for dinner

Around the house...We got our new sofa and chairs and I love them!  They are so cozy and comfy!!

One of my favorite things:  My coffee cup made at Meg Art with the boys handprints.

A few plans for the rest of the week:   We are going to get some bushes for the front of the house and I'm hoping to order some fruit and fig trees to get started on our little orchard-I figure if I plant a couple of trees each fall in a couple of years we'll have a nice fruit orchard.

From my picture journal...

This is the type of chicken coop I'd like Darryl to build me..isn't it cute?!

If you'd like to participate in the simple woman's daybook, please visit:

thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com

A clean and green bathroom...

I've been using environmentally friendly and frugal cleaning products for years.  They work just as good as their chemically laden counterparts and are not only much better for the environment but so much cheaper.

My bathroom cleaning essentials are:

Hot vinegar(warmed in the microwave) in a spray bottle.  This works great for the toilet and the boy's fiberglass shower/tub combo.  I sometimes put in some tea tree or lavender essential oils for a good fragrance and extra anti-bacterial help.  For the floor of the tub I make a paste of baking soda and peppermint castile soap.  This works great and smells fresh and clean.  I keep my baking soda in a parmesean shaker and it works great!

I also use baking soda and vinegar for inside the toilet.  This bubbles like crazy(remember the volcano project from school?  Same thing...let sit for 15 min...swish and rinse...

For the sink, I use the same baking soda/castille soap paste and scrub all the hard water (and toothpaste) off and it works great.  Then I use white washclothes and rubbing alcohol to shine the faucet handles and faucet.

I also make my own windex using about 1/4 a cup of ammonia(not the most enviromentally friendly but it works really well)-you can use vinegar but I still like the ammonia.  Fill the rest of the spray bottle with water and just a couple of drops of castille soap.  It works great!  This is used for cleaning the mirror.

Lastly, I use a steam mop to clean the floors.  It uses no chemicals but the steam cleans and sanitizes the floors. 

Then, I look back and admire my work!  Clean, green and frugal!

A special gift

My sweet Matthew noticed the start of the leaves changing while we were doing school on Friday.  He knows that this is my favorite season and I squeal with joy when I see the leaves starting to change.  Now, this leave was at the very tippy top of a very tall and skinny tree.  He kept saying he wanted to go get it for me but I said, while I was super thankful, it wasn't safe to go that high....

Well, he had it set in his mind he wanted to get that leaf for me so later after school he climbed to the tippy top(while I held my breath and prayed he didn't fall) to get me that leaf....

He was so happy to get it for me and my heart melted...

This Weekend

I love the fair!!!!!!

There are so many things I want to see this year!  There are old tyme barnyard demonstrations.  There are the farm animals the craft projects.  There are the blue ribbon veggies....but mostly I'm excited to see the boy's entries with their ribbons.  I'm so proud of them and excited too!  I've never entered anything-ever!

So, it was exciting this year to get things ready with the boys.  Next year, I'm hoping to enter myself.  I'd like to enter the sewing, veggie, and knitting catagories..but for now I'll just admire other's creations!

Simple Woman's Daybook

Tuesday, September 7, 2010




For Today…

Outside my window... It is cool out this morning but will heat up to around 90 again today.  Sitting on the porch this morning I saw mist around the tops of the trees and it was misty down the driveway..it was beautiful!

I am thinking....how grateful I am to be forgiven..

I am wearing...green top, skirt with green flowers and my hair is down...and barefoot of course!

I am remembering...how just a year ago we were getting ready to move and had no idea what the next year would bring.  We had sold our home so quickly, we just had to move and then plan later...Last night, Darryl and I walked down the driveaway after the boys were asleep and looked at the property and house and still couldn't believe it is ours..

I am going...piano lessons for the boys, pick up pictures for their photography entries into the fair and a baseball game tonight.

I am hoping....that the boys will be diligent in their schoolwork today-we've had some bumps in the road getting back into the swing of things.

From the learning rooms…Normal Core subjects plus Latin and piano today...we are also really enjoying learning about the Native Americans and how their lives were affected by the settlers.  It's really quite sad and gives me a new perspective on the subject.  I'm excited to learn more about it with the boys.

Noticing that... even thought the days are quite warm still, the nights have gotten cool.  We even had the windows open this weekend and it was quite chilly in the house by morning.

I am reading...Pillars of the Earth (a book my friend Elise let me borrow it's really good!)

Pondering these words...all of Proverbs 31- I will be pondering and meditating on these words for awhile..

From the kitchen…Tuna casserole for dinner, watermelon for dessert (dinners are quick and easy on baseball nights)

Around the house...I ordered some new bedding for us and the boys last night.  I'm so excited to get that.  I also bought an awesome tobacco basket this weekend at the Depot-we hung it last night.  I've also gotten out the fall decorations and candles.

One of my favorite things:   fall scented candles(Apple Cinamon, Banana Bread,etc...)

A few plans for the rest of the week:  We have to drop off our fair items tomorrow.  We have another baseball game later in the week and we also have some guests coming this weekend-yeah!

From my picture journal...

A new sign waiting to be hung on the front porch-isn't it cute?!

If you'd like to particpate in the simple woman's daybook, please visit:

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Makin' vanilla

I made a large amount of homemade vanilla last week.  I've made it before but in small quantities.  Now, I've made a gallon and hope to have vanilla for a long time plus give some away in pretty bottles as gifts.  Real vanilla extract is so much better than imitation and if you need another reason to not use imitation, read this link:http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/why-you-shouldnt-use-imitation-vanilla

She also has a recipe on her site for how to make the extract.  It's super easy!

First you split the beans almost to the top like this....

I had an Ikea jar that was about 1/2 a gallon so I used 40 beans per jar.

Then you fill the jar with a 1.75 liter of Vodka.

Then you place the jars in a dark place like the back of a cabinet or pantry for about 6 months.

After six months, you strain the beans and put the vanilla in jars to use.  It will keep indefinitely!

Fall baseball

The boys had their first kid pitch game last night for fall baseball.  They have moved up from coach pitch to 9/10 kid pitch even though they are only 8.  We were all excited to see how it was going to go...

I took a picture of the boys in their uniforms before they got dirty..I know they will never look this good again...

If you look closely, you'll see Nic as catcher and Matthew on 3rd base...

just like Rolfe and Randy...

Coincidence?

I think not!

He's so cute!!  He got the first out of the game with a ball that flew up over his head and he caught it!

Prayers after the game...

They won!  It was a great first game and we celebrated with friends at none other that our local

What-A-Burger.