P is for Procrastination

I was going to post a different P word today. I was going to post my March Photo-A-Day shots. But perhaps there is something else I need to get to. Something I'm procrastinating.

I am running around with track meets and practices and music classes and science fair projects and well, I need to go do the dishes. It is the dishes that have been left untouched.

Procrastination?

Or is it just life?

D is for Diapers. And Dog.

You already know the dog, now meet the diapers. For the most part, I cloth diaper. This was helpful living so far from town. Only, we have found that the trips to town made lugging soiled dipes around more of a pain. So we do use disposables for long travel. And then we have hard water here and that has messed with the cloth. So we started using sposies at night too. But for the most part…

I'm a Fuzzi Bunz Mama. But I also have a stash of prefolds. I have found that for the price, Econa Buns is great and I wish I had started off with them.

I'm at the point in life where I'm ready to start getting rid of some. I only have one in dipes and the other day I bought her a pack of panties. Yeah, we're talking the talk! Hopefully she'll start walking the walk.

She's growing up so fast! Already two! Where does the time go? Today is also Embrace the Camera, so here is my attempt at getting a shot of her and I. She wasn't really cooperating! 

Look What I Made! Muesli!

I had this cankering for Muesli*. 

I like that kind of thing.

I have never attempted this before. 

I mixed chopped nuts with about 4 cups of oats.

(I used a handful of sliced almonds and macadamia nuts.)

I added a bunch of spices. 

You know, like cinnamon and nutmeg and ginger.
I also added poppy seeds. I wanted sunflower seeds too, but alas, I was out.

Then I drizzled the whole bunch with syrup. 

Not too much, just enough to moisten it up.

I baked it in a 175 degree F. oven 

for about 25 - 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. 

Once I deemed it "Done" I took it out, 

let it cool and added unsweetened coconut flacks and dried cranberries. 

It seems even Bunny approves of it! 

But she may just be picking out the cranberries!

*For the original recipe click here.

Cleaning Up

The crew is in the last leg of the construction. 

They are cleaning up. I know they want to be done by tomorrow, Thanksgiving. 

It's been quite the show for the past two months.

Meanwhile… This is what I will be cleaning up all winter long until the grass comes in again.

She Said He Said

I said, "Bear! I'm so excited for Thanksgiving!"

He said, "Yeah."

I said, "There's so much to do! We've got to get the living room cleaned up so we could have dinner in there at the dinning room table!"

He said, "Yeah."

"Do you want to have Thanksgiving dinner at the Dinning room table?"

He said, "You mean the Laundry Room Table?"

**Sigh.** 

Say it With Chalk

Have you ever noticed how labeling things can make a place look more orderly? Even if it's not? I am always trying to get "organized" but really, well, I don't really know what I'm doing! So when a friend of ours asked for help with photographing her labels from her etsy shop, I thought, "Sure! I'll give it a try."

These aren't your regular labels though, she's selling chalkboard stickers that are used for labeling. And you know what, they are really cool. She only asked for pictures, she never even knew that I blog, but I had so much fun with them that I thought I would share her shop, Chalk and Talk, with all of you!

What she needed was these Lunchbox Kits photographed. They come in different shapes that you can choose from, but I mixed them up. The idea is to put the larger "board" on the inside of the lunch bag so you can send a message. I usually do this on a napkin, but this is just cute! Unfortunately, we didn't have a lunch box that fit the label, so I cut it in half and stuck it to the outside of the bag. Hehe! I asked my oldest if she would mind carrying that around. She said she wouldn't, but I'm not sure she was telling the whole truth. Still, it's pretty cool! And I can inform her what's in the thermos. See, "Today's Special" in the picture below.

When I told her I would do it, I wasn't really sure what I would do. Then, the day they came, I realized that there were somethings I had been using sticky notes for. My kids would stack their coats on any hook and that meant that other people where loosing their coats, under someone else's. This of course would start an argument. So I had hung sticky notes over each hook so they knew which one was theirs. And only theirs. So that was the first to go!

The vinyl sticker sticks right to the wall. It looks just like a chalkboard. 

To write on it she sent a "chalk ink pen" that rubs off with a wet rag. 

Once the fun had began, 

I set to work labeling other things that were just calling out to be identified in our household:

Spices, (my two favorite)! Ah, my garlic that no one can find because I keep in it that little pot. 

Well, no one would find it if anyone else used my kitchen! 

The mail. 

That way, if anyone other than us ever wanted to know who read what magizines… 

well, there you go. Please note that I put the bills in "His" slot! 

And the postcard from my brother from Niagara Falls in mine! As it should be.

This one made me laugh. 

I have a marble collection and a rock collection that I keep in these jars, 

on my bookshelf in the living room. 

So of course, they needed to be marked and labeled 

in case anyone ever wondered what they were. 

 And also note that I didn't actually label where the different craft items go. 

That would be far more organized than my little brain could handle. 

But, in case you couldn't tell, there are crafts in the cool beer bottle carrier. 

The matching tub that was originally intended for an ice chest for an "orange party" 

is where I keep the hats, scarves and gloves in the winter. 

Now this all works because I can erase the writing and mark it "Ice and Drinks" when we have a party. 

Which will probably happen next week when my daughter has a birthday. 

So keep your eyes open for it in a future post! 

And this was probably the most useful label I made! I bought herbs this year, but can't remember which are which, so I kept the stick that was in the pot at the nursery. But I have a toddler who moves everything! In fact, I had to search under the deck for them just to make these labels! 

I really do like how it all turned out, and am planning on doing some more labels for things in the pantry (like flour, sugar and powdered sugar) and toy room, if not for others, than really just for me. Cause I like it! 

This is NOT a Cooking Blog

There are some great blogs out there with wonderful, step by step instructions to get you though even the toughest of recipes. They come with fabulous photos of mouth watering meals, that, if I could pull off, let alone tried, would send my family to dinner ecstasy and back! Two of my favorites are Our Best Bites and How Sweet It Is. Reading these blogs might make me a better cook, if I applied myself. What they really do is make me hungry!

This picture has nothing to do with the story
I just saw this in a market and had to share!
Perhaps we will try buffalo bergers
when the in-laws are here?

 I have some things I can make. Most of them are things I've been making since I was in high school. My mother was so proud that I showed such potential in the kitchen. To bad my cooking repertoire has pretty much stayed the same for 20 years!

 A few weeks ago I bought a turkey breast at Sam's Club that was preseasoned. It was actually a two pack as that's the nature of Sam's. I threw it in the freezer to pull out on a particularly uninspired day. I forgot about it until yesterday when I went out to the garage to get milk. We freeze our milk so we don't have to go into town so often. I was really digging in the freezer because I wanted to be sure this really was the last gallon. That's when I spotted the turkey. It's Cajun! I was so happy I had a plan for dinner!

 Jenny 'O was all defrosted and in the oven in time for a 6:30 dinner! I was so proud. Then Darling Adventure Man came in and informed me he was eating with the guests that night. If I had known that I would have just made roman! The kids were acting hungry and like they weren't going to make it until dinner, so that's what I did. We all had roman. It was fast and if I add green onions and chili oil, I can even stand it. I figured I would simply reheat the turkey tomorrow when we can all be there to enjoy it. (I know, what a wonderful example of health and nutrition I am!)

 Darling Adventure Man got home about 8:30 as I was wrangling up jammie clad half pints. He's better at bedtime patience then me so I was grateful it wasn't a late night for him. Not to mintion the fact that he goes in to work at 8 am, so it was only a 12 and a half hour day! It was at this moment that I walked past the kitchen and smelled a very well done Cajun. I had forgotten to take the bird out of the oven! I don't recommend making turkey jurkey out of an unsliced breast! Amazingly, even after 4 hours of roasting, the center of the gal is still good and I'm thinking a nice Cajun soup will be on the menu tonight. As long as I don't burn the water!

Dirty Underwear

My mom used to say, and maybe she still does, that you should change your underwear everyday so if you're in a car wreck, and have to go to the hospital, you won't be embarrassed by the state of your underthings. To this I would always think, and perhaps I did say out loud, that if I was in a car accident, I would more than likely need to change my underwear again. And if I'm in the state that I am being transported to the hospital, I'm sure I would have other things on my mind. And yet, I do change my underwear everyday and teach my kiddos to do the same. So she must have impressed me enough. And I do like to tell my kiddos about the car wreck scenario so we can all have a good laugh. Which we do.


This scenario can also be applied to my home. Get the work done, so if someone shows up at the door, I won't be embarrassed by the state of things. Unfortunately that doesn't happen very often. My house will always be in a state of chaos. I'm hopping it's the way things are simply from having lots of littles running around the house. I have a sneaky suspicion however that it has more to do with the chaos in my head and not so much the number of tiny feet scampering around.

But you know what someone said, "Cleanliness is next to impossible."  ~Author Unknown


I have now decided that this also applies to my car. Last Friday I spent the day at a track meet with my daughter who runs (she did great!), and my two littlest Littles. It was crazy windy that day. It was windy at home too, but out in this prairie town, it was just crazy, windy, dirt flying in our face and hair. My baby was in the stroller and was being blown away! I had to hold on to her to keep her from rolling across the grass. Yeah! She was even on grass and was still blowing away! We seeked refuge in our car. This also meant that we eat in the car. That's not new. The day was hot and the sun was sunny. Ok, this isn't news either, but you get the idea. By the time got home we were so pooped that we just let it all stay there. 


Then Saturday came and we were all still lazy and enjoying the non-windy sunshine and the day. I had completely forgotten to clean out the car. Then Sunday while we headed to church, as I've mentioned before, My car died. Just quite without a word of warning. She was left on the side of the road to wait for friends and tows and all that expense. And you know what I'm thinking? OH MY GOSH! All that rash in the cup holders!!! What will they all think??? 




PS: Adventure Man just informed me that Bill Cosby has a sketch where he tells about his mom telling him to change his underwear for the very same reason that my mom does, and that he would say, "First I'm going to say it, then I'm going to DO IT!" My mom loves Bill Cosby, and so do I, but my Mom read this, and she didn't say, "Oh, I was just quoting Bill, Dear." So I'm still standing by my mom say'n it, and I'm sure his did too. My Darling Adventure Man knows Bill Cosby better than anyone I know, well, except "To Russell My Brother With Whom I Slept With." That one I had to share with him. But anyway, I'm just say'n!