suggested reading

Loved this post by Generation Cedar.

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Category: Mama  Tags:  Leave a Comment

if we sold board games…

…would you buy them from us?

My kids, in their entrepreneurial spirit, have been bugging me to help them start a business.  For more than a year now I’ve been searching around for something with low start up, low cost of failure, and high chance of success, and reasonably priced products.

We love board games.  Our family has a slew of them and we often sit around our dining table with one laid out before us.  And since we don’t have TV and we’re one of those families that stress family time, board games seem like a natural business for us to get into.

The start up cost is minimal, and the board games are good quality and reasonably priced when compared to what you find at Walmart.

But would anybody buy them from my kids?

Would you buy them?

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Category: Mama  Tags:  Leave a Comment

so good

I spent all day cleaning up my house.  Each room got a good scrubbing, the living room furniture got re-arranged (can you say dust?).  The kitchen floor was scrubadubdubbed by my two older boys.

It looked pretty good.

My friend came over and said, “Your house is awfully clean”. And I was happy.

But that was yesterday.

Today is different and I’m wondering why I spent all day yesterday working so hard picking up.  There are magnetic letters littering the floor.  Couch pillows tossed to the ground.  Foam from a bean bag floating around.  Junk mail, books, slippers, blankets, a half chewed dog bone, a machine gun, Little People, flash lights…

All strewn across my living room and kitchen floors. It’s enough to drive a person mad.

How does this happen?

I hear giggling.  Out of the corner of my eye I can see flashes of hair flying through the air as the little boys jump from the couch to the giant bean bag.  Jesse is hollering something unintelligible to some non-existent person on the other side of our large livingroom window – he is so cute I can barely stand it. 

I think to myself, life is so good.

Pinch me.

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the flood

three rolls of toilet paper
one running faucet
one 2 year old

[toddler art]

It all happened so fast.
Those are bubbles on the floor in front of the sink. 

What you don’t see in the picture -
Water, 1/2 inch deep, steadily streaming out of the bathroom, filling the hallway; toilet paper stuck all over the wall behind the door (didn’t see this when we first took the picture), the older 4 boys laughing hysterically, and Sam’s bottom lip stuck way, way out.

And people wonder why we went to cloth wipes.  We just can’t afford to keep rolls of toilet paper in the house with my creative little wonder.  Sam ruined 3 entire rolls in his moment of artistic inspiration. 

Crazy pills.

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I’m there.

I’ve been dealing with a cold for going on 3 weeks now.  It has come and gone, lingered, siked us into thinking it was over, then came back triple force in the night.

The toddler and the baby had it the worst.  Oh, the all night coughing.

It hasn’t been horrible.  No troubled breathing, only one day of fever.  Just a runny nose and really rough cough.  Oh, and exhaustion.  This cold is really bringing on the tired.

You know what it feels like when you have a new baby and you’re up every 2 hours in the middle of the night feeding that new baby?  You know how hazy those days can be when you have gone 2 weeks with only a few hours of sleep every night?  The energy is gone.  You can’t think straight.  Can’t remember anything.  Can’t organize thoughts in any kind of rational pattern.

I’m there.

I’m so there.

And I’m not even the one who’s sick. 

Blessed we are that this is just a cold.  A long running cold, but just a cold.  And, it is quite obviously at it’s end.  The kids’ energy is coming back and last night the nighttime coughing was at a minimum. 

Tomorrow will be better.  I know it.  But today…

Triple espresso, please!

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Category: Mama  Tags:  2 Comments

amazing

Sam (2) told me he had to go poo-poo.  No problem - we keep a toilet in the house.  So, I took him and sat him on it.

“Mama”, he said as I stood there waiting for him to go, “This is going to be amazing!”

Not quite sure what to make of that one.

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Coffee. Strong Coffee.

Long night.  While I can tell my littles are getting better, their coughs are getting yuckier.  I broke down and opened a bottle of Robitussin for them in the middle of the night.

Finally, sleep.  Just not enough to satisfy.

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Category: Mama  Tags: ,  One Comment

Sam asks

Sam (2) is very eager to ask questions during our evening Bible studies. Most of the time the questions go like “What means (insert nonsensical word here)?”

But the other night he asked this.

“Does evil come wearing suits?”

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15-bean patty

We’re out of meat and I still have 5 days before the end of the month, 5 days before more grocery money. 
All is not lost, however.  I do have beans.  A large 6 gallon buckets worth. 

Beans.  My husband and sons love them.  My daughter… Not so much.  She pretty good natured about it though.  If it’s beans we’re having for dinner, it’s beans she’s eating.

Bean soup is easy.  It’s filling, nutritious, and I know the recipe off the top of my head.  But, I don’t want to have 5 days of bean soup. 

So, I stepped into my laboratory.

Ahem, kitchen I mean.  

It was time to get creative. And create I did.

I give you 15-bean patties.

Okay, so I don’t think there are actually 15 different kinds of bean in my bucket.  We just bought a lot of beans and poured them in together.  However, this recipe can be made with one of those 15 bean mixes.  Or you can create your own mixture of your favorite beans like we did. 

You get what I’m saying.

Rinse and soak your beans overnight or for 8 hours.  Prepared beans can be stored in the freezer until you’re ready to use them.

  • Put your prepared beans on to boil lightly for 1 hour, making sure to add water when necessary.  Then drain them.
  • Mash them well, or blend them in a food processor until it reaches a texture you like.  I like mine to have a hearty texture so I don’t grind them all the way.
  • Put your mixture in a bowl and add 1/4 cup diced onion, 2 eggs, and five slices of diced bread.  We used 2TBS  milled flax seed in place of the eggs and homemade wheat bread slices.
  • Add your favorite spices.  I love my Cajun Creations Blackened Seasoning so I put a bunch in, along with minced garlic and salt. Use what you like to taste. Mix it all up well.
  • Then, after your mixture has cooled enough to handle, with wet hands form the bean mush into patties.  Fry until golden brown on an ungreased, non-stick griddle.  This only took a couple of minutes on each side.  I topped it with cheese and…

Yum! We put the patties on homemade bread with mayo, mustard, and ketchup.  My daughter, the one who doesn’t like beans, gave them a 7 out of 10. And that’s really sayin’ something.

*Tips - if your bean patties don’t hold together well you may need to add more bread.  Or, you can freeze your patties on wax paper for 10 minutes to make them easier to handle. 
*Adding taco seasoning to bean soups and patties gives them a south west flavor. Add some sour cream and salsa… Can you say burritos?

Do you have a bean creation for us to try?  Please leave the recipe or a link to the recipe in the comments.

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Category: Mama  Tags:  One Comment

season’s greetings

I love seeing my Christmas cards hanging above my couch.  It’s almost February and I have no desire to take them down.  But, it’s 65 and sunny outside and I should be hanging my laundry on the line instead of using the dryer.

So, I took a picture so my Christmas card line will be remembered. 

Cause I need my clothes pins back.

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Category: Mama  Tags:  4 Comments
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