And today's procrastination...

...comes in the form of the most ridiculously adorable slippers...yikes. they come together quick. too quick. because it's all i want to do...and can justify saying, "oh, they come together so QUICKLY!!"

hehe.

here they are:

and here are the links: 

Slipper Tutorial (please note, the video demonstration makes slippers the size of doll shoes. if you adjust the numbers of stitches and then play with the number of rounds according to the size of the child's foot, you're get something that looks more like a kid slipper. to make slippers for a 2-year-old, about a size 5, i started with 16 stitches in the hdc foundation chain, made 3 increase rounds, two hdc in each stitch rounds, and then 3 decrease-the-toe rounds. the mary jane strap is just another hdc foundation chain with a 12 chain loop at the end to go around the flower)

Big Flower Tutorial

Tiny Flower Tutorial (this tutorial is done with UK crochet terms, but she translates them into US terms)

hooray for pinterest!! ok. now. i seriously have to go make a cake. 

hehe.

Today's Pinterest Adventure...

So...I followed this link...for a Salted Caramel Mocha. Hehe...umm, yes please. About twice a week, I indulge in coffee craziness...almost always when Philip is here on Thursdays, and often on Wednesdays when I don't keep the baby. I don't know what it is about not having that responsibility and feeling the need to splurge...but the recipe looked fantastic. All except one thing...well, three things...1) I am lactose intolerant. Butter and heavy cream and milk? Yikes. 2) I'm not big on mocha. And 3) I didn't have any heavy cream in the house. Now, if you're going to whip up heavy cream, you can't use a substitute, but...if you just need the heaviness of the cream, you can sometimes get away with it. So, instead of the 1/4 cup of heavy cream in the recipe for the caramel sauce, I used 1/4 c. of almond milk and an extra tablespoon of butter, melted and mixed with the almond milk prior to adding it to the sauce. To say that leaving out the cocoa powder (thus, turning it into a salted caramel...umm...cappuccino??), and substituting almond milk for the frothed milk and heavy cream resulted in the yummiest drink I've had...all month...might be an understatement.


Yum.


So, here are the pictures...and yes, I only made a single serving, where the picture in this person's blog shows what must be a double...I had to make sure it was yummy before I ruined perfectly good espresso. ;)

Espresso. Yes, I already poured it into the mug before I took this picture. The leftover will be consumed sans caramel. :)

Almond milk does indeed froth.

Yep, poured the unfrothed almond milk allllllll over the counter (most of it made it into the mug).

With a little extra caramel drizzled over the froth--I skipped the whipped cream...I usually do.

Here's the recipe... :) Have fun!

Salted Caramel Mocha

• 1 shot of espresso or 3/4 cup coffee
• 1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons caramel sauce (see recipe below)
• 1-2 tablespoons cocoa powder (the hot chocolate kind, not the unsweetened baking kind – I used Archer Farms dark chocolate cocoa and loved it)
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• Whipped cream (optional)
• Extra caramel sauce and sea salt to drizzle/sprinkle on top

With an espresso maker:

Prepare espresso. Place caramel sauce, cocoa powder and sea salt in a mug and pour espresso over them. Froth milk and slowly pour into mug, stirring to combine everything. Taste and add more caramel, cocoa and/or salt to taste. Top with whipped cream, drizzle caramel sauce, and a tiny pinch of sea salt.

Without an espresso maker:

Prepare coffee. Place caramel sauce, cocoa powder and sea salt in a mug. Pour coffee into mug, stirring to combine everything. Heat milk in microwave or on the stove and add to mug, stirring everything to combine. Taste and add more caramel, cocoa and/or salt to taste.  Top with whipped cream, caramel sauce and a tiny pinch of sea salt.

Salted Caramel Syrup

Makes enough for around 3-4 salted caramel mocha or hot chocolate beverages

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons salted butter, cubed
• 
1/4 cup heavy cream, at room temperature

In a medium saucepan, cook the sugar over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a spatula (if it becomes lumpy, reduce heat and refrain from stirring). When it turns a deep amber color*, add the butter and stir until it is melted. Add the heavy cream and whisk until the caramel is smooth (be careful, it will bubble up when you add the cream). Remove from heat and let cool. Refrigerate extra syrup.

(Mindy's note...*it can burn at this point--just a warning. burnt caramel isn't quite as yummy as non-burnt. be careful!!)

New Endeavors

Yesterday, I posted here, and hope to be involved once a week or so in different ways...I will write as the "Health and Fitness Author" while Ruth, the real health and fitness girl has her baby and adjusts to life with her first littlie. I would love if you would stop by and check it out...more because the blog speaks to me every time I read it than because I'm writing there. Whether the article is about family, marriage, faith, decorating, style, or whatever it speaks about...it speaks to me. This month, the focus was on friendship...in marriage, in life, with God. Next month, we focus on thankfulness, and the book One Thousand Gifts, by Anne Voskamp...I'm about 3 chapters into it and I'm loving it. Definitely worth the time. It has opened my eyes...to gifts I have ignored. I'd love to know what you think.

So stop by...and check it out. :)   FancyLittleThings.com

The Homeschool Mother's Journal

I know I do these things all the time...but...I keep reminding myself that I write this blog more as a reminder of what I have done in a week (a month), what I have done with my kids...not necessarily to be inspiring or brilliant or...well, anything remotely like that. Hehe...because I aim to be those things, but then reality strikes. :) So, my friend Kendra has been including this in her blog lately...and I love it. 

In my life this week...A new devotional, thanks to my son, who knew I wanted something new and got it for me for my birthday. Grace for the Moment, by Max Lucado. The Morning and Evening edition. Also, I'll be writing on another blog starting this week...I'm terrified and excited all at the same time. This week's entry is pretty tame...kind of set up like this post, actually.

In our homeschool this week...We started talking about slavery. Which...I don't think has really hit my kids yet. But when we start the read aloud--Amos Fortune, Free Man...I think it will.

I am inspired by...my son's enthusiasm to build and create. My daughter's excitement about acting and organizing plays with her cousins. Reasa's love for helping.

Places we're going and people we're seeing...we're going to Bath to do Karate. :) All of the cousins and aunts and uncles will be at my parents' on Sunday for our annual pumpkin carving photo shoot. On Monday, we're headed to the zoo, to claim Reasa's reward points for her chore chart. 

One of my favorite things...How planning for our Halloween costumes has become all about research and learning about the characters. Not exactly school, but...fun.

What's working/not working for us...Trying to get all of our chores done before school begins is not working. I need to be more diligent about setting a timer, and starting schoolwork when I say we will start. This method drags the day out too much, and we wind up doing Math at a time when the kids don't function well.

Questions/thoughts I have...It amazes me how different my children are in the work that they do. I know they are different...I know they work differently...gosh we've been doing this for 9 years...but the differences still blow my mind. And sometimes frustrate me to no end. ARGH!

Things I'm working on...diligence. Consistency. Being intentional. Keeping the kids on task. Helping them become more independent with their work.

I'm cooking...black bean soup. Sausage and shells. Zuppa Toscana. Baking a wedding cake for a friend I've known since she was born. Crazy.

I'm reading...One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. The first chapter tore me up. I have to re-read it. 

I'm grateful for...enough.

I'm praying for...inner peace. I know that sounds trite. I'm dead serious.

A photo to share...

Reasa...helping me. Homeschool happens in lots of ways.

 

Click on the graphic at the beginning of this post to see more posts by homeschool moms.

 

A couple I forgot about...

It's not straight...or lined up...or perfect...but I loved it.

Just a simple little bag with a ruffle and a flower added. Laine claimed it the moment she saw it...

The link for that one... :) 

It's a little scary around here. Don't even get me started on the cakes...or the crochet ideas...

And the madness continues...

Just did this...hehe...

Shrug!

The shirt I started with was a men's xl long-sleeved v-neck from Old Navy...only...I got it for $1.50 at the Thrift Store last week...Next time, I'll start with something maybe a size larger than what I would normally wear...and it would work equally well with a women's shirt--probably better. I had to mess with the lines on this one a bit too much so the shoulders don't fall quite in the right place--had to take the side seams in about 3 inches so they would fall right, and the sleeves came in an inch and a half or so. In all? 15 minutes, friends. :) I'm going to get a ribbon that matches better...the actual color is kind of an olive-y brown...super comfy...I kind of love it.

Here's the shrug link.

More Pinterest...

...from a few days ago. Because, you know. I have nothing better to do.

Actually this has become my favorite method of procrastination.

There are worse things, right?

A quote I found...it is on the wall in my bedroom now.

Scrap fabric and fun patterns make my day.

Matching tiny clutch...

Here are the links I happily found on pinterest...

Audrey Hepburn quote

Plaid Purse (with free pattern)

Tiny Clutch--was just a picture, actually, from the linked blog...I kind of drew it up and threw it together...but it was inspired by pinterest!! ;)

Pinterest. It's an obsession.

It's not an addiction, folks. An addiction implies that I would choose not to do it anymore if I could.

This is just not the case.

I am having more fun with this as a creative outlet, doing little things every day that are fun. Inexpensive. Creative. Crafty.

Brilliant organizational ideas. Adorable gifts and thoughtful things. Purses. Bags. Recipes.

Basically, I'm in my glory.

So, since I've been in a bit of a blogging rut...I figured I'd blog a few of the things I've found and done. :) Today...

Mod Podge.

I am not a Mod Podge girl. I don't craft like that most of the time...until today. It's just not my thing, really. I'm more of a fabric/yarn/paper crafter. I realize that mod podge incorporates all of those things sometimes...I just haven't gone there in the past. Then I discovered this project. And I needed Mod Podge for this project. And I realized...I saw that pinned on somebody's board not too long ago.

Hehe.

I am starting with a modified version of that project (smaller pictures, larger canvas) to see if it works, honestly.

Hehe...not quite dry...

Also not dry...but love it. I have no patience.

I can't wait to try it with full-sized photos on large frames. Like...10x13. For, like...Christmas gifts. So that the edges of the pictures don't show. :) :) :)

But so far...it works. And I love it. And the Mod Podge recipe is here.

But seriously...spare time?? Yeah. Not so much anymore.

Like there was any to begin with.

Ha.

picture proof.

Lunch. :) 38 different foods.

Heian...kick-Bryson-in-the-face. 38 katas.

.8 home improvement projects. The kids painted them...I am still not sure what I'm going to do with them. :)

380 Crunches. (and a bag of red sequins allllll over the horrid carpet. And no clutter removal prior to picture taking. Don't judge.)

38 pushups...nonstop.

38 chair-assist pull-ups...completed in 3 sets.

3.8 pancakes. Yes, I was chewing. And that is a Lainie monster.

Blogging. And pinning.

Home Improvement project.

One of the 38 trips up and down the steps.

I only ate 3.8 of them, but I baked 38.

Couldn't do the leaves, but here are the pumpkins.  And the orange counter top :)

We took more pictures, but...these are the ones that made it here...didn't want to completely overwhelm you with silliness.

Like that doesn't happen here on a regular basis anyway.

;)

Best. Birthday. Ever.

Birthday Challenge: Complete

Do you have any idea how many servings of pretzel M&M's one consumes when she eats 38 of them??

That would be 2.5 servings, folks. A whopping 425 calories. That's right. Four HUNDRED twenty-five calories.

How about 3.8 nestles tollhouse cookies?? Roughly 380.

To say that I'm not counting my calories today would be...reasonable, I hope. In fairness, on this fine Wednesday, I did happen to burn something ridiculous like 2679 calories (thank you bodybugg). I will pretend that all of the calories I consumed in vastly inappropriate ways don't really matter on my birthday. ;)

Today has been the very best birthday of my entire life. In previous years, I have gone to bed so disappointed...because I depended upon everyone around me to make the day incredible for me. When this just didn't really cross their minds, I felt neglected. I go out of my way on my kids' birthdays to make them incredible. My goal? Spoil that child complete rotten. When no one thought to do that for me...it was kind of a crushing blow. I am at a very different place this year. I decided that I would make today awesome. And that's exactly what it was.

Awesome. Awesomest, even. Oh my gosh, we had so much fun. *I* had so much fun. :)

I had a couple of fails along the way with my crazy list of birthday challenge goals. For example...I didn't go to bed until a bit after my scheduled 12:32 this morning...Philip called after getting off work late, and since I was still awake, I gladly talked to him until my eyes just couldn't stay open any longer. That happened long about...oh...12:50. Then...my alarm didn't go off at 4:20 as I had planned. I awoke with a start at 5:31. So...I adjusted a bit. Counted the extra sleep (minus the time I didn't sleep before 12:50) as my first nap of the day.  And there, my third fail comes in...I only got 2 naps, counting that first one. BUT...I spent it snuggled into Philip while my kids read and played. :) WIN. For the record, I suck at napping, especially when I fill the days as full as I filled today. Also on the fail side...collecting 38 colored leaves while on a walk...it poured rain for a large part of the day. I substituted--38 different foods from the chinese buffet at lunch!! And I realized I don't have a mini-leaf cutter for my gumpaste leaves...so 38 leaves did not get cut...but 7 adorable orange pumpkins did. We adapt!! The only tasks not completed prior to midnight on 10/13: blogging for 38 minutes (here I am!!) and the 8 oz. of merlot (currently beside the computer...I'm sipping. slowly.). It. Will. All. Get. Done.

I think I overbooked myself just a tiny little bit.

As for the rest of the list...it got done. With a few variations. I realized after the kids went to bed that I had not intentionally said 38 encouraging things to my children throughout the day...so I made a list. I was amazed at how quickly I could come up with 38 things I adore about my children. I shouldn't have been amazed, really. Because I ran so much throughout the day (cramming in lunch at En En Chinese buffet, two hours out in the middle of the day for Reasa's horse lesson, dinner with my parents' at Bob Evans, taking the girls to youth group, a stop at Rite Aid (to get pretzel m&m's), and then the Salvation Army, then an hour and a little more at my parents' before picking up the girls...), I really didn't have the opportunity to eat as I would normally eat...so I really had to cram things in at the end of the day. I was still so full from lunch at dinner time that the thought of m&m's, shakeology, and the water I still needed to drink overwhelmed me just a bit. I still got all 3.8 teaspoons of peanut butter in my shakeology...but it probably amounted to about 1/4 of a serving of shakeology when all was said and done...it was totally awesomely yummy. I am stuffed. I had such a blast crossing each item off this list...and the things on the list...I mean, what a great way to spend a day!! I absolutely feel like I got hit by a truck...but...I had so much fun. We laughed so hard. We did hilarious things. We painted and giggled and mocked the horrible music that hit #1 on the charts every week of my birthday since 1973 (oh my gosh, the 70's sucked!!). The kids encouraged me throughout the day, and demanded kisses to fill my quota. My favorite moment?? When my alarm went off at 8:38, and the kids ran to me and EACH kissed me 38 times. I loved that. My next favorite moment happened when I hit 2.8 miles on the treadmill after not running more than 2 miles in months...and realized I would not be stopping for the rest of the run. I took a 45-second break at the end of the first mile, and at 3 minutes left, bumped my speed to 7 miles an hour. I realize this is no big deal, but I PLANNED to take breaks at the end of every 10-minute mile, knowing that I hadn't run and that I was significantly out of shape for running.

Have I mentioned how much I love Insanity?

Today, my house suffered. It's wrecked.

I don't even care.

I feel strong. I feel like I seriously, seriously kicked butt all day long. I threw in things that I didn't even plan to do. I wrote to our compassion child today. I cleaned a bathroom, and did a load of laundry. The kitchen is actually clean tonight before I go to bed (I told myself that stuff didn't matter today). I bought supplies for a couple of Christmas gifts I brainstormed throughout the day. ;) I had a really great conversation with my kid about something important. I realize that this day was completely selfish and totally self-focused...and that that could be an incredibly negative thing if it happened every day...but it won't. My first email this morning was a birthday wish from a dear friend. 168 friends wished me a happy birthday on my facebook wall, and another 10 in messages...and another 8 in text messages, then 2 birthday cards in the mail. Silly? Maybe. But wow. Tomorrow I will upload silly pictures that we took throughout the day...and I will remember how good today felt. And I will live off this high all day tomorrow...and for a long time after that.

I will also sleep until I have to wake up so that I'm ready for the baby tomorrow. I think I get a rest day after all this nonsense. I don't think Shaun T will mind. :)

My oldest is with my mom tonight, awaiting the arrival of my mom's Westie's puppies (she begged to be present for the births), my middle might be sucking her thumb (until I go up to kiss her one last time before I sleep) and probably dreaming about the next scene she will film for her mini-series, and my littlest...is hopefully sleeping...he struggled a bit with sleeplessness at bedtime tonight. And I will crawl into bed tonight so grateful for my 38th birthday. Grateful for every single moment of it. Grateful for the kids who helped me with 8/10 of a home improvement project. Grateful that Philip sacrificed sleep to spend the morning with us and take us out to lunch. Grateful for parents who love me so much that they let my kids blow paper at them all through dinner (then paid for it!). Grateful that this year...I got to make today something that I will never, ever forget.

I loved today. I am so very blessed.

Want a great place to pray for the 38 people who are most important to you? Try your treadmill. The downside? You might wind up in tears. It makes running kind of interesting. ;)

Birthday Challenge

So...tomorrow is my 38th birthday.

38.

I'm determined to live beyond that stupid number. I think after hitting 35, I have realized how quickly mid-life approaches, if I haven't already hit it. I recently read a Steve Edwards article in which he talked about how he chooses to approach birthdays...challenging his body to do extreme things...things no (fill in the blank)-year-old would normally attempt. I may not scale mountains or ride crazy distances on the saddle of a bike (and as much as I'd like to ride 38 km tomorrow, I know I won't have time...it almost made the list, but I still have to fit in things like "go to the library" and "take Reasa to a horse lesson")...but there are things I will do. I won't take 38 days to do it--that's a "maybe next year" kind of goal...I want to do it all in the 24 hours of my actual birthday...so, here's what tomorrow is going to look like, not necessarily in this order:

1)  wake up at 4:20 (that would be 3 hours, 80 minutes into the actual day)
2)  38 minutes of yoga
3)  38 push-ups without stopping
4)  38 pull-ups (it's going to take a couple of sets to do that one, with chair assist)
5)  380 crunches
6)  3.8 mile run in 38 minutes or less
7)  38 oz. water in am and pm
8)  3.8 cups of espresso/coffee
9)  3.8 home improvement projects completed (may include cleaning off 3.8 shelving units in the basement. not sure)
10) $38 to charity
11) 38 trips up and down the steps
12) 38 kisses to each child
13) eat 38 pretzel m&m's
14) bake 38 cookies
15) eat 3.8 blueberry pancakes for breakfast
16) 38 minutes reading for pleasure
17) 38 minutes blogging
18) 3.8 38-minute naps (i'm getting up at 4:20. this shouldn't be hard. :) )
19) 38 minutes read-aloud to kids
20) make 38 gumpaste leaves (ok, so I have a cake to work on for this weekend)
21) read 38 verses each from the old testament, new testament and psalms
22) listen to all of the songs that were number 1 the week of my birthday since 1973 (that's a heck of a lot of Mariah Carey. sheesh.)
23) pray specifically for 38 people
24) pin 38 items on pinterest
25) 38 kisses from my kids at 8:38 am (that's when i was born!)
26) eat 3.8 of the aforementioned cookies. maybe with candles in them. and i might just cut 1/5 of one of those candles off, for good measure (holy carb day)
27) take 38 pictures of things i want to remember (possibly including elements from the challenge). and upload them immediately. and start a birthday challenge album (over which i will not obsess--they may go into pocket albums, folks)
28) practice katas 38 times (so...each of the ones i know about 8 times)
29) 38 seconds in crane, 3.8 times (so the last time will be 30.4 seconds. :) )
30) drink my afternoon shakeology with 3.8 teaspoons of peanut butter. :)
31) brainstorm 38 Christmas gifts for my kids and family.
32) say 38 encouraging things to my children throughout the day
33) donate 38 items to the Salvation Army
34) cull 38 books from the boxes in my basement (this should be a piece of cake)
35) 38 Philip kisses (if he can be here at some point. we'll see. if he can't, this will be to text him 38 times during the day tomorrow while he works)
36) take a walk with the kids, collecting 38 colored leaves along the route
37) 3.8 hours of sleep the night before all this craziness...bed by 12:32 am, 10/12/11 (that's kind of a cool date, actually)(i should function ok with the naps right?)
38) 3 shots of bourbon and 8 oz. of Wagner Merlot (not all at once people. don't all fall over.)

For the record, there will be no Kingpin Apple Fritters included in this challenge. Primarily because I don't live in the San Francisco Bay Area, CA, and also because...frankly, I can't imagine trying to eat 3.8 of anybody's apple fritters. I enjoy a good apple fritter (hello, Wegmans), but...holy heck...3.8 of them??? I think I might have a heart attack right there on the spot. I will, however, vow to look more closely at the option next year, when I start my Birthday Challenge as it is meant to be done--over the full number of days before the date...so 39 days before the challenge.

Oh my good Lord, next year I'm going to be 39.

And let's just not even talk about 2013.

Mine.

Today I painted on my wall. Words, actually. I painted words on my wall. I did not plan to paint words on my wall when I woke up this morning. Actually, I did not plan to paint words on my wall two hours before I did it. But. I painted words on my wall. Words that mean something to me, for my family. I did not plan well. I didn't carefully determine exactly how I would do it. I didn't even make sure the whole thing was perfectly straight. I picked out a paint brush (two, actually), chose paint, and stuck some tape haphazardly in mostly straight lines. And I wrote. This is what I wrote, completely plagiarized from someone's pinterest post:

In this house...
we do REAL
we do mistakes
we do I'm sorry
we do second chances
we do FUN
we do hugs
we do forgiveness
we do really LOUD
WE DO FAMILY
we do LOVE.

It's not straight. It's not precise. It bucks against my absolute perfectionism. And I totally and completely love it.  Because it says what I believe. What I have always believed but have never had the courage to write on my walls. But there it is. The first thing you see when you walk in my front door. Because, you see...these walls? They're mine. This family? It's mine. And that wall? It is how I choose for us to live.

Period.