Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today  ~  May 12, 2009

Outside my window... the sun is coming up over the bluff and I think it might actually be a nice day today!

I am thinking... wow ... so much right now!  So much has changed since the last time I did one of these posts.  So, I'll just stick to what I am currently thinking and that is that I'm hungry and that I think it's cool how God works in awesome ways when you just let Him have something.  

I am thankful for... my marriage and what it is becoming, how it is changing me into the woman I want to be.

From the learning rooms... ONLY 10 MORE DAYS OF SCHOOL .. HANG IN THERE GUYS!

From the kitchen... we are having an easy rest-of-the-week because Rick is now on a business trip.

I am wearing... my workout clothes since I just got back from the Y a little bit ago.

I am creating... curb appeal.

I am praying ... that Rick and I hear God speak clearly about where He wants us to go, when and how. 

I am going... to spend the morning purging my closet and the afternoon buying flowers for all of my pots.

I am reading... 1 Samuel and the book of Psalms.

I am hoping... what we want is what God wants.

I am hearing... the clock ticking and a mama bird chirping outside.

Around the house... curb appeal action needs to take place and all closets need to be purged.

One of my favorite things... is planting flowers, and I'm doing that today.

A few plans for the rest of the week... I'm going today to buy all of my flowers for my pots.  Tonight is The Biggest Loser finale, and Rick's on a business trip, so I plan to be in my jammies by 7:00 to watch that.  Tomorrow night I am hoping to have a friend over to watch American Idol and have an easy dinner.  On Thursday night I'm going to a clinic at The Home Depot for gardening and yard maintenance.  On Friday we are meeting with a realtor about selling our house and are then hoping to go see Joyce Meyer.  On Saturday Rick is playing golf so I might take Dawson to some garage sales.  On Sunday we'll be working hard in the yard to finish up those projects.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...

Here is the playset, almost complete.  Rick worked hours designing this thing, over the course of a couple of weeks.  He built it himself.  It's rained for two weeks straight, so the rails still aren't up.  But, the little guys are loving the slide and Dawson and his friends have had numerous nerf gun fights on it.  It's perfect.  Thanks, Daddy, for being so awesome!

For true simple women, visit The Simple Woman's Daybook.

Menu Plan Monday

Rick is on a business trip some of this week, which means we are keeping things light and easy!

Monday ~ Chili cheese burritos

Tuesday ~ Pancakes

Wednesday ~ Fend for Yourself

Thursday ~ Pizza bread

Friday ~ Hamburger helper, cheeseburger macaroni

Saturday ~ Probably soup and grilled cheese

Sunday ~ Sausage and egg biscuits

If you want to see some real meals with real recipes and such, go to The Org Junkie.  If you want easy and completely unhealthy, stick with me !!

Whatever you decide to do, have fun doing it!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Okay, I finally did it. I made homemade laundry detergent today. You can go here to get the recipe.

The Borax was easy to find. It was at Walmart. I had a difficult time tracking down the Arm and Hammer Washing Soda, but finally found it at our local Reasor's. Reasor's probably has the Fels Naptha soap, too, but I didn't look. They don't have it at Walmart. I actually picked mine up in Portland while I was there, because I just happened to see it.

All total I think I spent about $7.00 plus the cost of my bucket which was $4.00. The Fels Naptha bar can be used for three batches of soap. The Borax and Washing Soda may last me the rest of my life. I haven't created the mathematical formula for this, but it seems it basically costs next to nothing. I'm sure willing to give it a try. My homemade fabric softener has been awesome, and it only costs about $1.00 for a 64 oz. bottle! I've heard nothing but good things about this homemade laundry detergent.

It was easy to make. I'll let you know how I like it!

** Update: My first regular batch of laundry detergent lasted from May 8th to July 25th. That's almost 3 months. Since my container was only half full the first time, I decided to double the batch this time. That means one batch of laundry detergent will last me close to 6 months!! Awesome! And it probably only cost me about $2.50 for a 6 months' supply, if that!

My Trip to Portland

As I posted last week, I went to Portland, Oregon, last Thursday through Monday to visit my brother. It was a very timely visit, and I had such an amazing time!

My brother, Tim, and I are eight years apart ~ I'm the oldest and he's the youngest. He's always been my baby. Over the years we have grown apart, especially in our beliefs. I am extremely conservative and he is extremely liberal. I live in extravagance (as much as I can get away with) and he lives a simple life. I love all foods processed. He eats tofu. You get the picture. That all being said, I was really excited about getting the chance to see how he and his wife and high school sweetheart, Shawna, lived.

Here is a recap ~

My mom flew from Kansas City to Portland and I flew from Tulsa, so we met at the airport. Tim "picked us up". What that means is he stopped by the bike rack on our way out of the airport to get his bike, we loaded a train and took it to a bus stop, transferred to a bus that took us about two blocks from his house, where we walked the rest of the way. Let's just say I did not have a small bag!

We arrived at their little house they bought in Portland and waited for Shawna to get home from work. Once she arrived we started walking the first of many miles!

On Thursday night we went to Alberta street to an artsy street fair they have the last Thursday night of the month. People line the streets with their goods to sell, some seriously baking some cupcakes that day and setting them out for sale. But, you can be rest assured that all products were green (and I don't mean moldy!) There were some STRANGE characters: like the two people walking around on stilts and the couple that literally dropped to the ground in the street and did some weird acrobatic move. It was crazy! They were a laid back, funky kind of people!

On Friday we headed to The Pearl District. It's the cool, downtown area. We took the bus there, of course, and walked around the rest of the time. We looked in cool shops and had a blast at a handmade soap store.

On Saturday we headed back downtown to go to the Saturday markets, both food and craft. We bought some goodies to fix dinner with on Sunday night and I got a cool bag. We went to Powell's Books which is a HUGE bookstore! It was awesome! I got each of the kids a really cool book for $1 each. Then we went to a fun thrift store. We stopped for coffee, and let a monsoon blow through, then started the trek back to the bus stop. Along the way we experienced a "march" whereby the participants were wanting to get marijuana legalized for medicinal purposes. Weird.

On Sunday we went to Mississippi street and went through some more small stores and a garden area. We stopped by the Rebuilding Center to see if we could find Tim and Shawna a fireplace mantle for their house. On the way home we saw some stuff on the side of the road. In Portland, it's all about recycling. So, if a family is done with an item they sit it on the side of the street and it's free for the taking. Tim and Shawna have a small house and storage is an issue. We found a nice trundle that rolls under the bed. So, yep, all four of us took a corner and we carried it the four or so blocks to their house. After we got back we fixed a yummy organic dinner.

On Monday it was time to head home. We boarded the bus, then the train and arrived at the airport with plenty of time to catch our flights home.

I was so ready to get home to see Rick and the kids. I missed them so much! But, I saw some things in Portland that really got me fired up about the way we live. I've mentioned previously that the people in Portland just done care about the things that cause us stress. I'm sure some do, but the general population does not. It caused me to have a longing for something different than the life we are living. Rick and I have really been evaluating our way of life and have realized that we don't like it. "This" is not "us" and we've been trying to make it "us" for so long that we don't really even know who we are anymore. We want to be able to do the things we want to do, without worrying all the time about how it affects someone else, or about what they think about us. We are good people. We're not out to hurt anybody. But in the process we've done nothing but hurt ourselves.

Portland opened my eyes to so much. It has caused me to come down from my conservative views, somewhat, and I do hope that spending time with me maybe caused Tim and Shawna to come down on their liberal ones as well. I felt like we met in the middle and really truly enjoyed each other. That's what was most important to me on this trip anyway.

Five Things Friday

Apparently there's another one of those surveys going around.  I thought it was kind of fun ~

What five things do you not leave the house without?

1.  My purse

2.  A travel cup with coffee, or a glass of tea in the afternoon

3.  My camera

4.  At least one kid

5.  My cell phone

What can't you leave the house without?

Kings Kids Parents Day

At Brynne's preschool this morning they hosted Parents Day. We were invited to come have breakfast with our children in the classroom.  Brynne and I were both blessed that Rick could arrange his schedule to come also.  He even had to call into work from his car to participate in an important conference call.  There was only one other dad there, so I hope Brynne knows how special it was and how blessed she was to have her daddy there.  Here are a few pics ~

Menu Plan Monday ~ Late Edition

With "life" and my trip to Portland, my menu has been all askew.  Last night we had a leftover buffet to clear the refrigerator.  I still have plenty of food in the pantry and freezer due to meals not eaten, so a trip to the store this week will probably not even be necessary.

Here's what we're having:

Wednesday ~ Hamburger patties with brown gravy and scalloped potatoes

Thursday ~ Soft tacos

Friday ~ Sub sandwiches and chips

Saturday and Sunday ~ In Missouri visiting my parents

Change

Here's a question ~ Is it okay to change for someone else?

Do not read anything into that question!!

I've had that question posed to me, and it got me thinking. Then with the two good friends of mine who e-mailed me today whose marriages almost ended yesterday, it really got me thinking.

Of course, we need to change for the benefit of ourselves. But, sometimes, do we make changes for someone else that benefit us as well?  

For instance, I was a "fun girl" before I had children.  I liked to drink and smoke.  But, at some point I decided I should change that part of me for the benefit of my children.  (I was never a drunk or a chain smoker, but I just had fun doing it!) I still, after all these years, crave a good cigarette .. craving one right now!  I haven't had one in 8 years this month. I loved smoking! I didn't do it for long, but I loved it!  But I know that it would upset my children if I did it, so I don't.  I changed a part of myself for the benefit of someone else and in the process benefitted myself.

I think I feel the same way about molding and changing myself, some of the person that I am. If what I am doing or a way I am acting causes someone I love pain, or unhappiness, shouldn't I want to make changes for them?  And in the process, become freer and better myself??  My answer to that is yes! There is balance, I know that. I don't want someone's total happiness at the end of the day to be based on what I did or didn't do that day. That never works! That kind of inner happiness can only come from the Lord, so I pray that for every person I love.  I can't be anyone's lord or savior.  But to say I'm not going to change because "this is just the person I am", seems selfish to me.  Just because we are the person we are doesn't mean that's necessarily good.

What do you think?

I wish it was as easy at quitting smoking.

Leaving Portland

I am sitting at the Portland airport awaiting my flight to come home.  I've been gone since Thursday.  I'm ready to go home.

A few days before I left, life came to a head.  Much happened in a very short period of time. Leaving home to come to Portland was at a strange time, I thought.  I was scared to leave home and come here.  I didn't want to leave Rick.  I didn't want to be away from my place of comfort. But somehow I just knew that God needed me to go and let Him do His work. And it wasn't just something I needed.  Rick needed it too.

To say that God spoke to each of us is an understatement.  

I don't know how much you know about life in Portland, Oregon.  Whatever your life is like, this life is likely completely different!  The consciousness about the environment is to the extreme.  People are laid back, happy, relaxed, not stressed! Even the babies and pets are relaxed.  I don't think I heard a baby cry all week.  Dogs just sit on the sidewalks while their owners are in stores or restaurants.  I was at so much peace. Yet, I was shown that there is such another way of living .. a way that I want to experience .. a way that I want my family to experience.  We need to change, folks!  We need to start living!  The people here don't care about fashion or exquisitely styled hair and makeup or extravagant houses or nice cars or all the luxuries.  Those things just don't matter. At first it was weird! At first it appeared that people have little to nothing!  But, who's happier? I can certainly answer that! I want some of that .. I need some of that!  We are irresponsible if we don't do some of that!

Rick had an eventful weekend himself.  First, he had to do the "Thursday" schedule, which he was quick to tell me "sucks" (and it does).  Friday went okay, I think, except that there was a monsoon that practically flooded our property. On Saturday he woke up to no power.  He muddled through with the kids.  At 4:30 in the morning Sunday morning, Brynne started throwing up and was sick the rest of the night and all day Sunday.  The older kids came home Sunday night from a weekend youth trip.  Today, it's back to the schedule.

The schedule ...

Things ...

We have boxed ourselves into a way of living that we have found that we often can't do what we truly want to do.  We are tired of that.  We are planning some major changes. These changes are not because of the problems we have been having in our marriage.  We are not running from something, but toward something.  These changes are out of necessity for us to truly live, and living "abundantly".  Abundance is such an obscure word.  It means something completely different to me today than it did one short week ago.

One week ago today, my life changed.  But it was the day of a new beginning .. a real life .. not the one you think I should live, or even the one I have been living .. but a life of real living.

And I can't wait to do it with my husband, and my children and the rest of my family.  I have never been happier than I am at this moment.  I have never loved Rick like I do right now.  And to know that he feels the same way means everything to me.

Checking In

Hi everybody.  Just wanted to check in and say I'm still around.  It would be safe to say that a "shaking" is occurring in my life, so continuing on my hiatus from blogging, to spend more time on the important things, is necessary.

If you are a Facebook friend, I have cancelled my Facebook account for good.  I would like to sincerely ask each of you to examine your lives, and your marriages, and determine whether Facebook has been good for you or not.  If you feel a conviction that it's stealing something from you, I encourage you to deactivate your account.  Spend that time, instead, with those who deserve your attention.

I am currently sitting at DFW waiting for my connecting flight to Portland to visit my brother and sister-in-law.  I will be home on Monday night and hopefully will be posting some pics from my trip, and a summary of it, late next week.

Until then, take care !!