Yummy

The good cooking gene seems to have skipped a generation.  Hannah spent time at the Lyon's home and enjoyed visiting and cooking with her cousin, Jessica. Hannah created a recipe for Queso that everyone has just  gone wild over.

Hannah's Queso

Large block of Velvetta
2 lbs Ground beef
Patio salsa
Pico de Gallo (prepared produce section)
Olive oil


1. Brown ground beef in 1st skillet.
2. Add olive oil to 2nd skillet and saute pico until transparent. Then add 1 cup of salsa.
3. Cube velvetta and melt in microwave, stirring occasionally.
4. Drain oil from ground beef and put meat back in skillet.
5. Stir in pico/salsa mixture
6. Stir in melted cheese mixture.

Makes a nice thick queso!  I's so glad she made it for us!

Enjoy!

Finally.....

Life has a way of making you eat your words.  Hannah's Fairy Godmother has always wanted a baby and family.  Hannah even called a child sponsorship hotline to "adopt a baby from Florida" for Chrissy. She was 6 and didn't realize that it was just a monthly payment and you didn't actually get to "have" the child with you.

Fast forward 6 years

Two days after giving Hannah a long "lecture" on the order in which your life is supposed to go... high school, college, job, marriage then children. Period with no exceptions!    Chrissy, decides she needs to take a pregnancy test and guess what??? She is pregnant. After taking both tests and calling her doctor she wonders "What is Hannah going to think?" Ironic huh?

We are so excited for her.  She is going to be a wonderful mom.

Happy Woman's Day

Hello Period.

I loved the The Cosby Show growing up and remembered the episode when Rudy got her period.

Clair receives a call from the school nurse and learns that Rudy has gotten her period. She makes plans for "Women's Day," a family tradition in which Clair spends a fun day with her daughter and answers any questions that she might have.

So I planned to have this special event with Hannah and had told her what a nice day we would have.  She decided not to go to church Wednesday night.  I was worried something had happened at church after school.  She got in car and announced that tonight was "Women's Night".  I thought that she meant she had wanted to have beauty night and I was way to tired for that. But then I realized what she meant!  We drove to Chrissy's to tell her the news.  She wanted to let Hannah know all of the important things she should do and refrain from doing in the coming years.  We shopped for supplies and had a nice dinner out at Sake Sushi.  

Ubykotex  has a lot of information on first period experiences and answers a lot of  questions for tweens. 

Happy New Year!

I intend to be new this year!  I am carefully thinking about the things that are working in my life and the things that need to be done differently.

1. Regular daily and weekly routine.  Going to bed at 9 PM every night and getting up at 6 AM.  Even on weekends!  Staying up late on weekends only makes the week harder.  I plan to master this and teach Hannah the importance as well.

2. Shop a lot more.....on groceries. Instead of spending my time menu planning, I have been going through the drive through window a lot.  I put all of my accounts on a financial program that shows where your money goes.  Apparently, fast food was a big problem for us and has really made a dent in my finances.  We could have taken a very nice vacation for what was spent on bad quality, over priced, fried food. Work on sales, coupons, master grocery list and stockpiling.

3. Menu plan- It makes life so much easier!  I use a rotating menu that I build using Google calender and just insert meals for every 3 weeks or so until the month is full.  Then it automatically repeats and meals are planned for the year.  Of course, we don't always eat just as planned but it works as a guide.

4. Plan an emergency kit for home and car.  Lovely Little Snippets has a wonderful way to plan this out by the week so you don't have to overspend or become overwhelmed. This is her list but you can make changes to suit the needs of your family. Simply print out a copy to keep in box and mark out items as you go.  You could even work monthly or stock from items you already have at home.

I  made a small kit last year but used it like I have done with savings accounts in the past.  Make withdrawal  for non emergencies such as flashlight or batteries and not replace them.  Not this time!

1.       Container to hold your Kit.

2.       1 Flashlight for each person + extra batteries

3.       Current family picture and photo of each family member (More on this later :) )

4.       Can opener

5.       List of important phone #’s (laminated if possible) (I added our cell phones, all 4 of our parents cell phones, our Family Doctor, the city police, and the city fire dept.)

6.       $5 in one dollar bills + 4 quarters

7.       4 rolls toilet paper

8.       1 bar soap

9.       1 emergency blanket per person

10.   1 roll paper towels

11.   $5 in one dollar bills + 4 quarters

12.   1 box bandaids

13.   1 package wet wipes

14.   100ct multi vitamins

15.   1 pack of gum

16.   2 candles

17.   Package of matches

18.   2 decks of cards

19.   Face Masks 2 per person

20.   1 bottle Ibuprofen (add baby Tylenol if you have a baby)

21.   2 lighters

22.   $5 in one dollar bills + 4 quarters

23.   1 whistle per person

24.   5 dice (to play games)

25.   Rubber gloves 2 pair per person

26.   Sunblock

27.   $5 in one dollar bills + 4 quarters

28.   Gauze and medical tape

29.   3 heat pouches per person

30.   Bugspray

31.   Rope

32.   $5 in one dollar bills + 4 quarters

33.   1 package garbage bags (10)

34.   Package of tums

35.   Pocket knife

36.   Thermometer

37.   $5 in one dollar bills + 4 quarters

38.   Hand sanitizer

39.   2 packs instant hot coco per person

40.   5 packages garden seeds

41.   2 packs instant soup per person

42.   $5 In one dollar bills + 4 quarters

43.   10 hard candies per person (i.e. butterscotch, cinnamon etc.)

44.   4 AA batteries

45.   10 instant crystal lite packages

46.   2 instant oatmeal packs per person

47.   $5 in one dollar bills + 4 quarters

48.   Notebook and pens (for journaling/notes/entertaining kids)

49.    Small pot

50.    Travel size shampoo/conditioner

51.   Bible/Book of Mormon

52.   $5 in one dollar bills + 4 quarters

This is the beginning of Lovely Little Snippet's kit!

5. Make a plan for the year on what needs to be done to get home projects finished.  1 room at a time completely finished, organized and clean! Walk through every area from front door to back door listing what needs to be done and make a plan. Since I jump from one thing to another, I am left with a lot of half done projects! I hope I am able to enjoy completing list before restarting.

6. Finances- I am working towards becoming 1. Debt free with only mortgage and car note.  I plan to get ahead on paying each off when I can.  It is tough to think about all of the money wasted with the swipe of a card.  Most of the items I have purchased were from impulse shopping and the interest rates are a constant reminder of this.

7. Homemaking - Become a better homemaker and keep house tidy daily.  Establish small chores throughout the week and not have to clean on weekends. Home should be a soft place to land not a chore to come home to.

8. Traditions and celebrations - create a celebration journal to enjoy all of the holidays, birthdays and events. Plan menus, decorations and other special touches that make it memorable.

9. Relax and have fun - Don't worry and stress over yesterday's mistakes or what could go wrong tomorrow.

10. Garden - This has been a tough one for me but I plan to join a community garden close by our home,

11. Read more - Make a list of what books we would like to read and check them out from library.  If they aren't available, reserve them through library service or buy as ebooks.

12. Blog regularly- This helps when reviewing the good and bad.  In some ways, it helps with accountability.  You don't want to let yourself down by saving your ideas and not following through.

13. Take better care of self and Hannah- Get back into habit of weekly Beauty Nights, better daily skin and hair care.  Not rushing out in AM trying to brush and style hair while in car.

14. Get out more - Plan weekend activities and not stay cooped up in house.  Check for local activities and participate. Plan to go to movies, park, art museums, etc.  Low cost fun things.

15. Plan getaways - Little things like tent camping, spring break, summer beach vacation, fall foliage drive.

16. Craft more - I have collected so many craft supplies and fun items that I have collected over time that are sitting in boxes as clutter.

17. Cleaning products - My obsession with Pinterest has certainly kept me awake to late and wasted a lot of my time. But, I have learned so much about magic cleaning solutions that are safe and do a great job.

• Baking Soda is a great naturally abrasive ingredient with mild alkaline properties, it’s also a natural deodorizer and stain remover, and it rinses easily, is completely non-toxic (no more dangers for kids and pets licking surfaces that you’ve cleaned) and it’s extremely affordable (you can grab a 12lb bag at Sams  for next to nothing).
• Vinegar is an all natural and mild acid, it’s also a known disinfectant that can remove stains, sanitize, and it’s also completely non-toxic and inexpensive (you can also grab a giant jug of it at Sams for an extremely reasonable price). It should be noted that it shouldn’t be used on stone surfaces or acetstay cate fabrics but there are many other natural cleaning methods that work for those surfaces.
• Hydrogen Peroxide is also non-toxic and is known to be a natural bleaching agent with disinfectant and stain removing properties. It’s also extremely inexpensive (just $1 for three bottles at Walgreen’s).
•  Lemon Juice (which naturally cuts grease and leaves a totally fresh scent) are also extremely helpful to have in your all-natural cleaning arsenal.
• Liquid Castile Soap (like Dr. Bronner’s, sold at Target, Trader Joe’s, etc) is a vegetable based soap as opposed to a petroleum based one, which makes it completely non-toxic so it can be used on your face and body but will also work well when it comes to cleaning your home. It’s not quite as inexpensive as baking soda or vinegar, but a large 32 oz containter is just $8.99 at Trader Joe’s.

18. Declutter - If item is not being used, donate or sell it.  Unnecessary items really take time and energy away from your home.  

19. Focus on Hannah being organized and self sufficient. Help her understand the importance of getting work done and not procrastinating.  Don't bale her out when she has known about projects and hasn't cared to get started on them until too late.  Hold her to a higher standard.

20. Keep car cleaned and maintained. Fill up gas tank every Sunday so Monday will be easier. Its so embarrassing to have a car full of trash and clutter.  Make it a point to wash car and vacuum weekly.    Keep the interior clean daily by having a bag for trash and limit food and drinks.



21. Stop rushing!  Plan accordingly.

22. Less busywork and more impact on what needs to be done. Develop a routine for work and school. Do more than what is expected.  Work ahead and be consistent. Do what others are too lazy or unmotivated to do.  This makes you irreplaceable.

23. Most importantly appreciate all of the challenges and blessings.