Adjustments

I haven't posted in a long time. To be honest, I haven't been a good follower either for the last several weeks. I don't know why, but adding one more thing to my plate has kinda sent me off my regular coarse. I'm sure with time I will jump back on...but for now I am allowing myself the time to adjust. So here is what I've been up to:

Working part time at Target has become better with time. I have found my niche in "soft lines" which (if you've been in a Target) is anything in a carpeted area, namely clothing.

Unfortunately, I have not figured out a way to keep up with going to the gym. Work has kinda taken my night time workout...out! No, I don't work every night (only 3-4 nights a week), but I find when I am not working, I don't have enough self-discipline to get to the gym. I just want to lounge around. The good news is that I have started to walk with a friend around a local school track. I think I can fit that in at least twice a week. I also tried walking to Andan's school to pick him up and walk home. It worked out well, was a nice hour round trip walk and Andan had no complaints (and kept the pace!) on the way home. I'm going to give that a try a least a couple times a week.

The kids are all settling into their school year, Roque is settling into his same position/different location job and Isha is settling into his many life changes. He is adjusting to momma going to work and his best friend, Andan gone for a portion of the day. He is enjoying our little outings to the zoo, library and other errands that I need run. Sometimes he lets me know when he wants to escape the house and "go bye-bye".

And like I mentioned, I am adjusting too. Days are more divided now that summer is over and kids need to be dropped off/picked up at school. I find that I don't have the energy to do the one thing I truly love, scrapping. I have decided to put a hold on it until I have an area that I can create for short spurts of time without having to be concerned about picking everything up and just to haul it all out again to finish a layout or project. I think that I may need to wait 2-4 months until Isha is ready to make that transition from crib to bed. I have been having fun using my digital point and shoot camera in manual mode (I sure do miss my SLR). The photos above are some of my favorites.

We are going through colds in our house right now. And with colds comes asthma, so we are trying to keep that under control. Isha is our biggest concern in this area, so he is under red alert surveillance. Speaking of Isha, he is now potty trained and in underwear all day! Yea!!!

So as you can see, it is all about adjusting to the changes and challenges that life throws at you...and that is what we are up to right now.

Why? What You Want and Are Pirates Extinct?

Andan

Isha. Look at his hands. This is what he does

when asking, "Why?"

If you are a parent, you have no doubt been through that stage where your child asks "why?".

Isha is at that stage right now. He has a "why" for everything!!!

"Don't throw your milk!" (me)

"Why?" (Isha)

"Momma's going to take your picture!" (me)

"Why?" (Isha)

But I almost fell over the other morning when his daddy called him to get his shoes on and Isha said, "What you want?"

Andan, being five, has more complex and thought provoking questions, like:

"Are pirates extinct?"

No Andan. Sadly, they aren't.

And a conversation Andan and I had a while back:

"Mom, why do old people die?"

"Well...to make room for the new babies (Oh gosh, couldn't I have come up with something better...like the truth!)." I said.

"Is the earth crowded?"

" Yes, it seems to be getting that way (I'm digging my own hole here)." I said.

" Why don't we just move all the old people to Mars? Nobody is living there!"

Good answer son!

Reading

Sisters, INK

By Rebeca Seitz

I love to read. Sometimes life can get so busy that it leaves no time. And sometimes life is busy, I have time but I don't want to put too much thought into it. In other words, I want an easy read. Not something that has to have an action plan to go along with it (for instance The Five Love Languages or Love and Respect). Sisters Ink is a great easy read. I discovered this series just by browsing my local library. I'm surprised I haven't heard of it from my fellow christian scrap pals. Sisters Ink is a story of four adopted sisters who are all at different stages in their life. Yet their faith, scrapping and love for each other brings them together. The book has a light mood even though the characters go through some difficult life circumstances including the loss of their mother to cancer, infertility issues and tough career choices. I love how this fictional book combines so many things that are important to me in my life. Faith, family and scrapping!

Oh...and I am also reading those books that require a plan of action....more on that later.

Jared and Justin

Jared

Justin

Jared and Justin are the oldest two boys in our family. Jared is an easy going young man who is growing up fast. We don't have to motivate him to do well in school or with his study's. For that we are grateful.

Justin is down to earth, yet has a very creative side. He likes to build, draw and create things. Once he starts something, he usually sticks with it until it's completed.

Pizza...It's What's For Dinner

Supreme Pizza

Andan's Creation

Isha's Pizza "soup"
He is waving his hand back and forth. This was his baby sign
for "hot". He still uses the sign while he says "hot".

My family loves pizza! When I was pregnant with Isha, the obg nurse told me the worst thing to eat while I was pregnant is pizza. I thought, "oh boy, either I'm in trouble or my family is." Well, I didn't give up pizza during my pregnancy. My family still loves to eat it, including Isha. But for a family of 7, three being growing teenage boys, pizza can get expensive. When we buy frozen or eat out, we need at least 4 pizzas. So I started to make pizzas at home. The advantages are obvious. I can get by with making 3 LARGE pizzas. I can buy fresh ingredients all for just under $15. Roque and I get to have a supreme pizza. Andan gets to have a hand in helping with dinner. Isha's imagination is sparked by watching big brother. Mmmmmmm............

I still don't understand how pizza can be so bad for a pregnant woman...bread, cheese, tomato sauce, pepperoni, and vegetables. Isn't that all of the food groups?

Homemade Laundry Soap

These are the ingredients that you will need.

I had to order the fels-naptha online. I bought 5 bars(plus shipping!) for $9.90.

The Super Washing Soda(not baking soda) and the Borax, I purchased at Albertson's

for $4 each, approximately.

Ivory Soap...I got at Target. 3 bars for $1.

I bought a five gallon bucket, lid and funnel at Home Depot for $5.

Total cost: $24

This what it looks like.

I used an empty one gallon water bottle to funnel a gallon at a time.
This is the 1/2 cup measuring cup we use per laundry load.

First, let me tell you that I didn't know it was possible to make one's own laundry soap. It never crossed my mind! I was reading Jenn's blog a couple of weeks ago where she explained that she had just made her first batch after running out of the batch that her friend, Hannah of Lima, had made for her.

We were just about to run out of our 2 years supply of Tide (we got SUPER cheap) and were not going to be able to get more. So this was definitely something that I wanted to look into and give a try for our family of 7.

Half of my battle was finding all the ingredients. Our local Walmart and Target do not carry any of these ingredients minus the Ivory soap and the borax. But once I was able to locate and purchase what I needed, I realized that I was set for the next 8-12 months.

So...I made the soap. It was very simple. Grating the soap was easier than grating cheese! Here's the step by step directions.

1. Grate one bar of Fels- Naptha and one bar of Ivory soap. The smaller you grate it, the easier to melt.

2. Add soap together with 8 cups of water in large pot.

3. Simmer and stir until soap is completely melted, keeping water under boil (mine formed foam on the top, this was fine).

4. Add one cup of Borax and one cup of Washing Soda. (next time I m doubling both of these ingredients!)

5. Continue to simmer 30-60 minutes. It's supposed to thicken~ mine didn't until it cooled completely(the next day).

6. Remove from heat. Cool.

7. Pour into five gallon container.

8. Add 2-3 gallons of warm water and stir mix well.

9. Let sit over night and stir again.

Ok. A couple of things...I did some research here and found out that 1. there are many different recipes for liquid and powder and 2. that I may not have used enough borax and washing soda.

I also found that the soap does not clean quite as well as Tide (which may be because I need more borax and washing soda!).

But all that said, Was it worth it? YES, I believe it was. My laundry smells clean...not perfumey...just clean or fresh. And I am going to save a laundry load of money. This is a non-sudsing soap and works well in front loaders.

I will definitely be making this again...In about 3 or 4 months!

Summer Fun Beach Challenge

This LO is was for the Sassy Blinging Babes monthly challenge which was to create a beach or vacation layout. I wanted to create a wave pattern in my lo to mimic the water. I originally thought I was going to create a single page...but I always seem to have photos that I don't want to omit. So I went with it and created this 2 page layout. This was Isha's first summer that he was big enough to enjoy the water, semi independently. I used sand on the bottom 4th of the layout and shells that we actually picked up on our first visit of the summer.

Bitter~Sweet

Ready for the big day!

Making friends. He's not a shy child anymore!

Oh No son, not you too!


Hanging his backpack.

Already looking studious!

Andan went off to Kindergarten this week. It's taken me a while to post about this momentous occasion because my feelings are so mixed. I heard someone say that after going through this transition with one child, the next child is easier. I have NOT found that to be true. I don't think it is so much the act of being in school (he's been in preschool for 2 yrs). It's something else. Tides are changing, my baby is growing up. I know that's what we want them to do. But MY baby is GROWING up. I think back on his last 5 and one half years and I am so thankful for this child. He loves so unconditionally. I pray the world will not change him, instead I pray he will change the world (or at least leave his mark on it).

Meanwhile, Isha and I are adjusting to having one less ball of endless energy in our presence. I know I need to enjoy every moment with him. All too soon I will be walking down the same road with him.

Summer Is Ending

Lego Fisherman, Cousin, Andan and Isha

Yep, You all better watch out! Coming soon to a road near you.

A hatchling only a momma can love!

Isha didn't like this ride. It was to my benefit. I got the cuddles.

Grandma and Cousin

It IS really sad to see it go! This was my first summer to have off with my children. We did a lot of fun things. Swimming, trips to the bay, camping and other things that summers should be made of. Two of the kids are already in school and two start on Wednesday. Isha and I will be left to reminisce about our long summer past as we map out a new schedule for ourselves. My mom was a big part of our summer. It was great to spend time together and REALLY get to know each other as two adult women. We even went to an over night "staycation" put on by the Women's ministry group at our church. What a privilege to be able to experience these moments with my mom.

Our last and latest adventure was a day trip to Lego Land. It was a beautiful day. The weather was perfect and the children were well behaved. Andan (the ever so active child) was reminded a couple of times what behavior was expected. All in all it was a great day.

Summer Is Ending

Andan snoozing?

Ha Ha. My mom could not convince me that I should ride this ride!

Look at the intensity in this gun mans face!

Bob and friends.

Isha LOVED the airplane ride.

More Cards

I got to spend this morning creating cards!

I actually got more than a handful done. I love when I have a block of time to spend creating. No sketches this time.

Goats?

BAAAAAAAB and BAAAAAAAAAATTY
Andan Taking a Peek

Daddy giving Isha A lift.

No, We don't have goats...but somebody does. We live in the city. So imagine our surprise to wake up one morning to the BAAAAAAAAAAAAing of goats among the morning traffic. Well, we continued to hear them through out the days, naaaaaaights and mornings. We figured maybe our neighbor was going green and hired them to eat their grass. I mean, we all are getting create these days, right? After one week, I was ready to take the little ones for a walk to find these billy goats that were interrupting our sleep and bringing some of the country to us. I finally talked my husband into taking a walk to the next street over, yesterday evening. We found out that the goats are directly behind us and our backyard. It was hard to discover why they are there. There doesn't seem to be any grass and they are in an enclosed (small) area. Well, the kids had fun peaking over the fence and the goats seemed to enjoyed our company. At least they were quiet for a few minutes!

"New" Crayons

Isha loves to color with markers. He likes coloring on paper and all over himself. The thing is, I'm, um, tired of my 19 month old looking like the tinted version of a rainbow. Most of it washes off with a simple washcloth wipe down. But the rest has to wait for the bath to completely come off. The thing is markers effortlessly make their mark on what ever it is applied to. Plus, they are easy to hold. I have been gradually trying to switch him over to crayons, but they take more work to get them to leave a mark and they are not as easy for little hands to hold. Thus they do not have any appeal. I was about to purchase some chunky crayons when I remember how we (teachers) used to recycle old and broken crayons.

Andan donated his old broken crayons.*

Peal the paper off of them all.

Put them in a cupcake paper, in a cupcake tin.
Bake at 300 degrees F. until completely melted.



Let cool completely in the tin until rehardened.

Take out of tin and cupcake paper. Color.



*Andan was compensated for his donation. He recieved a brand new box of crayons (though he's decided he'd prefer to have the "rainbow" ones instead.).

Triple the Sketch~ Sketch

This was my take on Patter's sketch # 69 at Triple the sketch.

As soon as I saw the sketch, I saw my own LO. That doesn't happen very often for me. I either need to create my own without a sketch (Which is great). Or sit and ponder someone elses sketch for a while until some inspiration comes to me.
I actually did a two page lo (too many birthday photos). If you want to view the hole thing visit my gallery at Scrapbook.com. There is a link on the right side of my blog.

Happy LO's

I took a trip down memory lane when I dug these photos out of an album. I say in my profile that every child has their own story and Cody sure has his. Cody was born in an impoverished third world country. He was born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus and no medical care. He wasn't even born in a hospital. Cody was found abandoned when he was 15 months old and brought to an orphanage where I had been a missionary. He was brought to die in peace. I wouldn't buy it. Nobody had given this child a chance. I took him to a pediatric surgeon. The doctor's prognosis was grim. He said he would not live through the surgeries that he needed. He said that if he did, he would never be able to do normal everyday activities like holding his head up and feeding himself. He said he was already mentally challenged. But God seemed to be telling me something else. I proceeded with adopting him. At least giving him a chance to have a family. God is amazing and knows infinitely more than me. Cody did survive the surgeries. Just 7 months later, he was climbing, crawling, feeding himself and learning to stand. Gosh that was 12 years ago! Where does the time go?

Cody's First Christmas

Challenges!!!

This card is for a couple of challenges. This is from Laura's sketch over at 2 sketches 4 you. This is sketch number 32. I used my cricut to create the apple.
This is also for the Sassy Blinging Babes weekly challenge which was to create a school themed lo or a card that your child would give to their teacher at the start of the new school year. Andan is starting Kindergarten this year. What a perfect way to start the year.

What Kind Of Scrapper~Crafter Are You?

I ask you this question because I realized something about myself this last week. I am a happy scrapper. That is, I only create when I am a happy person.
It's been well over a week since I posted last. Things just haven't been going my way. I would say that I have actually been a very unhappy person for the last week. I thought about scrapping a couple of times. I actually set a date for myself to scrap today, no matter what my mood was. And I did!
But I'm in a much better frame of mind today. I don't know if it's because I knew I was going to get to create today or because my circumstances have changed, slightly.
I went for a job interview yesterday! I just filled out the application on Friday. I got the job...well I don't know when I start...but I still got the job. I will be working at Target (Yep..Tar-jey), one of my favorite stores (hey I'm easy to please!). I am very excited about this. I think it will be a lot of fun. I will still be home with my children during the day. This is an evening job. Except for Saturdays. I'm sure they will have a lot of fun with their Dad!
So what kind of scrapper are you?

Give Away!

Hey all you Coffee lovers, music lovers and digi scrappers. There is a give away going on this week over at Yeebird. While a give away is great, Her blog is greater. She is celebrating her 100th post! Congratulations. I enjoy reading her down to earth posts and her humor (she had me laughing this morning). So hope on over and win yourself some blog candy!

Scrappy Tuesday

Yes, I had two days of scrapping in a row!

This is one of those "kill two birds with one stone" deal. I wanted to scrap this age with Isha. It is so much fun and he has sooooo much personality. His likes and dislikes are obvious and well noted! These are also his first professional photos that he has had taken...of course I have to scrap that. This is also the weekly challenge for Sassy Blinging Babes which was to create a monochromatic layout. You can click on the photo to enlarge it and read the journaling.

I am really trying to get Cody's First Year album done. It is so fun (and bittersweet) to go back and remember how little and sweet he was 12-13 years ago. Oh where did the time and the sweet boy go? The journaling is hidden and reads, "I remember your enthusiastic smile, your big appetite and your devotion to me. Anna (pictured) was your first babysitter. The look on your face says, "Don't leave me, Mommy.""

Card Creating Monday

My sweet hubby, Roque, kept asking me today (through brief phone conversations) if I am having a good day. Yes, Yes and YES! I had an awesome day of creating! Even though the cards I created are quite simple, they are still fun and therapeutic to do.

I really wanted to create a card for a friend's upcoming wedding. I have very limited supplies (I have barely started making cards) as was wondering how I was going to accomplish this. This morning, Kristina Werner had her Monday card tutorial on her blog. It was the perfect inspiration for me. My card is definitely not as elegant as hers (check it out). Yet it gave me the idea that I needed. I was able to use the supplies that I had~and I think it turned out pretty well. So well, I actually made 4 cards total in two different colors.