Amazed

Amazed about sums it up. On Monday our "baby" turned 17. I know I am just as shocked! For his 17th birthday he invited some friends to go paint balling with him and then invited them over for pizza and a movie. It was a perfect birthday party for him :) Then on his birthday we do what we do every year and that is eat their favorite food. This year Bran chose broccoli soup in a bread bowl and pot stickers.
I still cannot believe that he is 17! I am truly shocked! And yet I think I am one of the most blessed moms out there! He is incredible! This year he is being homeschooled and has been such a wonderful help to me and his dad. Plus, we get to spend extra time with him before he heads off to college in a couple years.
One of the things I love the most about him is how much he can pick on his little brothers and sister and yet love on them like no one else! It is so sweet to see Mason curled up asleep on his lap, Joshua wanting to show "Kuya" how he wrote a J, Annika wanting to play with him, or Mikey wanting to just be near him and do what he does.
Just wait to see how shocked we all are when he is 18...!

Almost the end of garden

I am absolutely amazed at the amount of food we were able to grow this year in our garden. We had so much zucchini that if you invited us over to your house you were bound to get some :) We also had a ton of tomatoes that we have made everything from spaghetti sauce to chili with. We have also had 2 amazing basil plants that are still growing strong. If you want tips on basil I found a great article that gave great information to help ours grow. We were also very blessed to have almost 10 cantaloupe and 1 honeydew melon. I did learn though that if you do not fertilize the melons they will be very small. I had a couple that I called Joshua and Mason size :)
I am already thinking onto next years garden. What I did not like this year, what I want more of next year, how I will water better, fertilize differently, what new things I want to plant. I even want to give the kids a bit of land to grow on.
I am a little sad to see that my tomatoes are slowing down and that there are only 2 more cantaloupe out there. My zucchini is almost done, but I am not as sad about that, lol. So if you are in the area and want an excuse to stop by now you have it (but you do not really need an excuse just knock).

Yup, we are still here...

As always, we have been busy. Mikey, Annika and Joshua just finished a week at Pathways camp. If you have not sent your kids there, boy are you missing out. It comes around 1x a year, but it is the week I set out to do everything :) The kids go to camp at 10am and I pick them up at 3:15 for Joshua and 3:30 for Mikey and Annika. They sing songs, do crafts, have Bible time, meet friends and then they have a big carnival at the end! Mikey and Annika look forward to it all year (and so do I, lol). Joshua had a couple mommy separation times, but after 5 minutes he was fine. He had amazing teachers as did all the kiddos. Now all I have to do is get Mace potty trained by next summer and then he can go to :)
Bran is gearing up for homeschooling. We are trying to figure out programs, schedules, extra curricular stuff and just life :)
I just found out that my last class for my degree will be June 13th, Joshua's birthday :) Which will actually have me getting a degree before Mike, lol.
Hope all is well with you and yours :)

Gardening

Yes, I think I can finally say I am a gardener. Last year we started with an 8x4 boxed bed, where we grew tomatoes and herbs, this year we went bigger. 16x16 to be exact, plus our box :) I am so excited as most of our tomato plants (7 out of the 9) are not only flowering but growing tomatoes. The other night I was able to pick 3 zucchini's and today I just trimmed our sweet basil and Italian basil down. We had so much basil that I took some over to my friend Annette's who offered to dehydrate the rest of what we had. With all the basil we filled 8 out of 9 of her trays, lol. So now we will have dried basil (Thank you sooo much Annette for blessing us). I also have about 15 yellow crook neck squash that will be picked in the next few days and some of the cherry tomatoes will be ready to go by then too.
It is amazing to see how God works everything together, even in a garden. I mean things as simple as the plants need good soil and the worms need good stuff to eat off of and they all work together to grow both.
Lastly, I am addicted to a magazine all about gardening it is simply called "Grow." It has so much information, tips and tricks. I have tried a couple of them and they have all exceeded my expectations. If you see it in Lowes or Home Depot (I can't remember which one it is at) pick it up and take a look, it is a great find.

Can you believe it? He is 4!

Yes my baby is 4, well not quiet my baby, but you know what I mean. I remember like it was yesterday when I found out I was pregnant with him. The fear was beyond overwhelming and God just kept telling me "be courageous, if you really believe this is from Me, then be courageous!" I do not like it when God tells me something I know that is obvious, but my fear is such a mountain it is sometimes hard to see Him. After Noah died having another baby was unfathomable. It is truly through His mercy and grace that we have Joshua.

Joshua asked me the other day "Mama, why am I Joshua?" I told him "you are Joshua, because God told us to be strong and courageous just like he did Joshua in the Bible. When we found out we were having you we wanted to honor God for pulling us through our owies." Yes I know honor and owies in the same sentence, lol.

So here goes my trying to be creative, lol.

J is for Joshua - because God is making him a strong and courageous little man

O is for Ornery - because he likes to push the limits

S is for smiles - because his grin will melt your heart

H is for his heart - that reaches out to everyone

U is for unimaginable - because we never in a million years thought that God would bless us with more kiddos after Noah, boy are we ever glad he did

A is for amazing - because everyday we are amazed at this little guy and how God is using him even though he is only 4.

God is slowly working ;)

I have been praying for awhile that God would help me figure out how to run a house. I know I am a mom of 5 kiddos you would think I would know and yet... I guess it comes from that old adage "you don't know what you don't know." Last night I went with my friend Rachel to a meeting at my friend Amys house. It was a budgeting meeting and in all honest I went begrudgingly. If I had not told Rachel I would drive us then I probably would not have gone. The bottom line was that I did not want to hear it again, I was sick of hearing the problem and the solution, but people forgetting that sometimes (many times) finances are a heart issue. That is where Beth comes in, she is the woman who spoke last night. I had the walls around my heart built up because I knew I would get blasted and yet as she spoke tears filled my eyes as I realized that God was using her to speak to my heart! She kept reinforcing what God has been laying on my heart "In ALL labor there is PROFIT." Now all of you know I am not a morning person and yet I keep waking up at 6:30 which is when I toss and turn and try and do everything I can to stay in bed. It was funny though this morning after I got in bed I realized I have a lot of profiting to do today. So I got my crockpot out and planned out our dinner (sides and everything). Total off note: Another friend of mine was at this meeting and she made a great point that shot me awake (about dinner), know what you are doing for dinner by 9am other wise you will not get it on the table, it will not be as healthy as you wanted it to be and/or you have a higher chance of getting fast food. So ribs are cooking (they smell yummy already and it has only been an hour, the kids are dressed, I am dressed, breakfast is about to be taken care of, then school for them and then go pick up Bran. I know my day will be profitable!
I want to leave you with a story that Beth told that brought me to more tears last night. She explained how she did not have money to buy clothes for herself (her and her husband have 8 kiddos-and you thought I was blessed ;) . As she stood before her closet she prayed "God I have nothing to wear, will you please get me some clothes." Her husband had told her they did not have the money and yet she was tempted to just go buy clothes. A friend of hers called and said hey can you meet me on Saturday. Beth agreed and there was her friend with a huge box (almost as tall as her and about as wide as a washing machine). She opened it up and would you believe it, it was full of summer clothes! As she hung up her clothes she thanked God and then prayed again "God it is awfully cold, could you please get me something warm to go with these clothes you have given me." The next weekend at church someone had given her a bunch of cashmere sweaters that would go perfectly with her new summer clothes to keep her warm through the winter. She concluded with this "If I had done what I wanted too, which was to go take care of it myself, I would have first been disobedient to my husband and second I would missed the opportunity of God doing his work for me, God dressed me and I could have easily missed it."

Dad and Mom Job description

My dear friend Tricia sent this to me and I thought it was perfect! I know that many of you will enjoy it as well. Keep up the great work!!!

POSITION: Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, Pop

JOB DESCRIPTION: Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities! Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required..

RESPONSIBILITIES: The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, and bean embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION: None. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: None required unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis. WAGES AND

COMPENSATION: Get this! You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS: While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth, unconditional love, and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right.
** AND A FOOTNOTE¦ THERE IS NO RETIREMENT -- EVER!!!

My way chicken parmesan

Dinner has once again come in our household and once again I was stumped on what to make. I had chicken breasts and knew it had to be something with that. I was going to put it in the crockpot, but..... it didn't get there. My friend Annette gave me a great black bean salsa soup and after I told her I had all the ingredients, because I was sure I did, I went to the freezer to grab the frozen black beans that I had in there and they were gone! By that time Mike had told me I needed to grab Bran from school at 4:30 and after 30 minutes of searching for him he finally appeared from practicing with his friend Vinni for the talent show. So with all that said and done I had 5 very hungry kids getting home at 5:30 and I needed something quick. So of course I thought of spaghetti, quick, simple and no prep, gotta love that. But Brandon sighed and started asking if we had any meatballs. So once again I went to the freezer to see if we had meatballs or ground turkey and once again I came up empty handed. And then I saw the chicken breast. So this recipe is my simple try at a somewhat healthier and yet easy chicken Parmesan.
1lb Chicken breast
about 1 cup bread crumbs
3 tablespoons or so of Spike
3 tablespoons or so of Parmesan cheese (I just used the jar stuff, cause that is what we had, lol)
1 egg
splash of milk (I didn't have this but I think it would be a nice addition, lol)
1) Get out 2 dishes with edges (plates will work fine if they have higher edges)
2) Pour your bread crumbs, spike and Parmesan onto one plate - set closest to the stove - do not get it so close that it catches on fire ;)
3) On the second plate put your egg and splash of milk and mix till it looks like an uncooked scrambled egg - put this plate just to the side of the other one
4) On a cutting board cut your chicken breast into a little bit bigger than bite sized pieces - put this next to the egg
Now you have an easy assembly line with a lot less mess :)
5) Heat up your pan to about medium to medium high depending on your stove. You can spray a little bit of Pam or something to keep it from sticking, I didn't use anything and I didn't have a problem with it, but just in case.
6) Now take as much chicken as will fit in your pan and put it in the egg mixture. Turn it with your hands or tongs and coat all the sides with eggs.
7) Now take your chicken and carefully put it in your bread crumb mixture and once again coat it on all sides.
8) Put your coated chicken on your hot pan and cook till nice and golden. Turn your chicken after about 2-3 minutes or till cooked on that one side. Continue to rotate your chicken so all the sides get nice and brown.
Because I did not use oil it did not get a real crunchy crispy crust but it was a great flavor.
Serve on top of some spaghetti noodles and sauce. Eat and enjoy.

Shepherds Pie Review

I had a couple people ask how the shepherds pie was so I thought I'd post it here. Feeding our family of 7 used up a little more than half of the shepherds pie, but!!! Joshua then had an extra serving and Brandon and Mikey had 2 extra servings. Even Mason and Annika ate all their food, which is saying a lot. So by the end of dinner there was an empty crockpot on the counter. I am going to cut down on the cheese next time and add other veggies and see what everyone thinks. Well off to put my 2 little guys to bed, nap time is calling them :)

Dinner is getting going and it is only 11:49am

Yes it is only 11:49am and my dinner is cooking. Thank goodness for amazing friends (Annette) who invite us over for sewing class each week only to flood us with amazing aromas coming from her crockpot:) So I figured I would follow suit and since we need to go grocery shopping today, the fridge and freezer are a bit bare, I would use what I have and get it in the crockpot. Now as most of you know I am not someone who "knows" how to cook. I am a husband taught, cookbook reading, friend receiving recipes cook. Today I went on my favorite crockpot blog, http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/ yes there is a blog out there with 365+ days of crockpot recipes, everything from breakfast to dinner and everything in between. I usually go there to get ideas and then go off of the recipe.
So here is what I am smelling right now :) Crockpot Shepherds Pie. It was super easy and smells delicious, greatest part is it couldn't be easier. So here is my take on Stephanies recipe, just in case your mouth is watering.
Approximately 3 cups of left over mashed potatoes (I didn't have any leftover potatoes so I made a quick batch, come on with a family of 7 do you really think I will have left overs...)
1lb ground turkey or beef (I used turkey)
1 pkg frozen veggies (I used peas and carrots)
Spike (I just sprinkled it over the top of the ground turkey till it looked and smelled good, lol)
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped (if I had this I would have put it in, but maybe next time)
1 cup water
2 cups shredded cheese

Take the chopped up onion and garlic and saute for a few minutes then add the ground meat and sprinkle with Spike. Cook until browned all the way through, then drain.
Pour frozen veggies, 1 C water and drained meat into the crockpot. Mix it all together (if you want add some onion powder, black pepper, paprika or other seasonings, I figured I added enough Spike to the meat that I would leave those off and see how it worked).
Sprinkle the 2 cups of cheese on top of mixture and then place your leftover mashed potatoes on top and smoosh down (yes I love technical words, lol). Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours. At the end of the time remove the lid and let cook for another 30 minutes just to give you a crispier top.

Like I said it smells yummy and it's an easy recipe that your kiddos can easily help with. Hope you enjoy!

10 years and still going strong...

Tomorrow is our ten year anniversary! I am still in shock at being able to say I have been married for 10 years! Mike and I are very blessed because my in-laws are taking Mason for a few days, my mom is taking the older 3 tonight through Sunday morning and then our dear friends are taking them till Sunday evening (Brandon is still in Africa).
We are going to be staying at the Sterling Hotel which is a place that I actually called when we were getting married as it is a beautiful hotel. Tomorrow night my husband has planned for us to go to a murder mystery show, lol. That will be fun, hopefully I won't have mommy brain and can actually contribute.
So to everyone who said we wouldn't make as we were to young, thanks, because it was one of those things that we would mention every once in awhile and say "well I guess we gotta stay together a little longer or they will have been right." lol. But seriously thank you to everyone who has ever lifted us and/or our marriage up in prayers. God, as always, has provided more than we could have ever thought or asked!

No Bake Cookies :)

As I started to think about what to bring for a treat tomorrow at our science co-op I was trying to figure out a way to incorporate a little bit of frugality into it, yes this is actually a fun challenge to me. And I remembered a great recipe my mom use to make when I was little that is so yummy and yet pretty frugal. This is why I think it is on the frugal side, for one you only use 1 pot (so less things to wash, saves on water), second you only use the stove for about 5-8 minutes depending on your stove (so no preheating and having the oven on as well as no roasting your house in the summer) and third you use oats (I know flour is pretty cheap but I love the texture of the oats, it makes me feel fuller faster). So now that I've built these up here you go, I hope you enjoy.
No Bake Cookies
2 Cups sugar, 1/2 Cup milk, 1/2 Cup butter, 3 Cups of oats, 3 Tablespoons of cocoa powder (I use Nestle Quick Mix), 1 teaspoon vanilla and 3/4 Cups of creamy peanut butter.
Take your first 3 ingredients and put them in a saucepan to boil. Mix them all together and once they boil time for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add everything else. Mix thoroughly! Pull out sheets of wax paper and put on the counter (if it is summer time you can put the wax paper on baking sheets to place in the fridge or freezer), drop by teaspoonfuls onto the waxed paper. Let cool and then enjoy. They look a little different but they are delicious. I'll try and take a picture of them and put it up soon.

Great week and it is only Tuesday

Well this week has already been pretty exciting. My mom (Ladonna) and dad (Jim) came down from Canada Saturday and we got to spend 2 hours at an In-and-Out in Merced with them and some of my family from Bakersfield. It is a funny thing about family. You can not talk to them for weeks sometimes even months and when you get together it's as if the puzzle pieces just fit perfectly. God is really good that way. I wish I had more time to spend with them, but that 2 hours was great and I'm so glad I did not pass it up and that they were willing to meet us halfway. It was the first time for them to see Mason and as Papa (Jim) kept telling Joshua "where'd your diaper go?" So in 3 years, when Mike has been working for a year as a nurse we are planning on taking a vacation up there (see it is in writing now so it has to happen).
The next news is that Mason has decided to not stay in his playpen at all! He is not even 2 yet but knows what he wants. After putting him back in his playpen 3 times with punishments and all I finally took him to Joshua's toddler bed and told him to go to sleep. He tried to get up 1 time, I told him no and he went back to sleep for a 2 hour nap :) Last night he went to bed at 8:30ish and I got him up at 6:45am (we had to take Bran to school). He did not get up once!!! So now we need to find another toddler bed, lol.
Mike took Joshua and Mikey to San Francisco for 2 days to work with him. I am praying that Mikey comes home with a better work ethic. He loves to do stuff, but having him see the big picture and being able to accomplish it without getting overwhelmed is our newest venture, yes I know he sounds like me :)
Last but not least it is only 1 week, yes 7 days till my 30th birthday. Can you believe it?! I am really excited, which is funny because my birthdays are usually passing thoughts to me. So if you see a silly grin on my face you will know why, it's because I will be checking off a new box on surveys :)
Have a blessed week everybody and keep in touch!!!

Happy Valentines Day

First of all Happy Valentines Day. To all of you (yes if you are reading this this does mean you!) on this day especially know how much we as a family and I as one person love you. I know many times all of us get so busy and forgot to give a much needed hug or forget to tell someone how important they are to us. So just in case, actually forget that because I know there are many times where I haven't said I love you, I care, I'm praying for you, you are an important part of my life, of our lives! So I/we am/are saying it now, you are important, you are loved, you are cherished, and we pray often for you, you may not always know it, but we do! So with all that said Happy Happy Love Day!!!

Busy, Busy, Busy and some chicken :)

Life has been ever chaotic! Brandon has decided that he would like to go to a boarding school that is about 2 hours away. He really likes a few of their extra programs such as photography and a First Responders class. So with all that said we have made a few deals ;) and we will also go down and see what all of us think of it. Not sure if I'm ready to let him go 2 years early, but when he talks about this school you can see his face light up. He has really tried to step up and take a lot more responsibility as well, I know this is inevitable, I am so proud and yet my heart is a bit sad........
On a more lively note, everyone has gotten a cold, poor Annika and Mikey had the stomach bug for about a day as my friend Annette says "stomach bugs pass through your kids sooo fast!" Praise the Lord. We are now at the tale end of the colds and I now have my voice back. What's a mommy without her voice.
Mike also got his test results back.........(that's my drum roll, lol) he passed and now just has to do his paperwork before May then if all is done he can start in August and then our 18 months of school start :)
So onto some chicken!
I found this great website that is all about crockpot meals throughout the year. I have this whole chicken that I bought for about $1 a pound and was going to boil it and make broth and chicken noodle soup, but with everyone sick my attention has been else where. So today I thought I would check out this blog and see if she had anything for whole chickens, which she does! So my older boys (hubby and Bran) decided that rotisserie chicken sounded great, the only problem was I don't have most of the spices she calls for. I guess when you are trying not to make unnecessary purchases spices are the first to go :) So after trying to figure out what to do I remembered my friends Annette and Tara turned me to this new spice called Spike (you can find it at Elliot's off of Greenback-yes I love their store they are so sweet and helpful over there!). So here is the easy recipe:
1 whole chicken defrosted, de-skined (which wasn't bad, just use a sharp knife and have your pulling muscles out), and take out all the inner "stuff" it comes with.
1 yellow onion quartered
a couple cloves of garlic roughly chopped
Spike
Take your whole deskined, defrosted empty chicken place it in the crockpot breast side up. Put your onion and garlic in the inner cavity and a bay leaf if you want. Rub some Spike all over this side of the bird. Flip the bird (carefully so it doesn't fall out of its new home) and rub some Spike all over the other side. Put the lid on and set on low for 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.

Beans beans the magical fruit 2

Well, hear is the truth on beans, lol. They not only double in size, but some I think triple. I made all the beans and the only things I would do different are use bigger containers, since the beans grow so much and have smaller storage bags for individual sizes. I also made up a batch of crockpot beans and refried them, I then put them in small baggies (freezer kind) and when we are craving burritos or nachos, I just pull them out and warm them up :) Have fun with your beans!

Beans, Beans The Magical Fruit....

As I looked at the front of our blog it made me a little sad to realize that Christmas once again was over. How quickly the year truly flew! On a totally different note I am trying something completely different. It seems as things tighten up I am drawn more to having to make everything from scratch if I want a little bit of health to it, either we buy cheap with all the preservatives or we buy all the whole foods, break them down and make them from scratch. My first endeavour is beans. Not just regular old pinto beans, although we make re-fried pinto beans quiet often, but all different types of beans. Tonight I am soaking Northern White, Pinto, Black and Red Kidney beans. I asked a friend of mine how to do it and am hoping it works out.
So if you are interested (and it turns out, I'll let you know in a day or so...) this is how you do it.
Take your beans, I actually measured mine out so I would know how many cups are in each bowl, put them in a container and add water to cover. Go through the beans and find the ones that are broken, you don't have to make it perfect, but get what you can. It is that simple. Now as I get more experienced I figure I'll add different seasonings as I learn what the different beans taste like and what I will be using them for. After you soak them overnight drain the beans and rinse them well. You can then put them in freezer bags and freeze :) I'm going to try and measure mine out to two or four cup servings, not sure which yet, and put them in the freezer bags. Make sure you label everything clearly! I figured I would use freezer bags as the beans will lay flat and make more room for other stuff.
Well I hope all of you have had a great Christmas season, we wish all of you a year full of hope and blessings!!!