Spring Break Fun!

We were supposed to spend a day picnicking at San Antonio Falls near Baldy summit during spring break, but it rained just about the whole week. The one day it didn't rain it wasn't warm enough to take the girls up there.

A cold day demands hot chocolate! We decided to have a "tea" (hot chocolate) party. The girls and I made homemade biscuits to go with our hot chocolate. Gwennie had hot herbal tea. The girls did a lovely job setting the table with all kinds of mismatched dishes and teacups, and some cute, cheery placemats with a cherry motif. All stuffed animals residing in the household were invited to partake of our festivities.

The bottom plate of biscuits were large and round. The top rack of biscuits were little heart shaped biscuits. They were super cute! The recipe we used had half white flour and half whole wheat. The biscuits rose beautifully, and they came out absolutely delicious!

Hubby bought me a variety pack of Knott's Berry Farm jams on our trip there last month, so I kept them in my bedroom until I could make homemade biscuits for the whole family. (When you have teenagers, if you open up all that jam it is gone very quickly! I wanted to make sure everyone in the family got to have some.) The jams were so yummy! We had strawberry, grape, apricot/pineapple, blackberry, and apple cinnamon to choose from. My favorite was the apple cinnamon, followed by the sweet, dark blackberry. All of the different flavors were really great! Jenna decided the gold bow from the wrapper would look nice around our jam display... :0)

We had a lot of fun on spring break, but I think my two favorite things out of the whole week were our tea party, and when we all went to see "Mars Needs Moms" in 3d. It was an excellent movie with a great family theme! It's too bad spring break couldn't last longer...

Kickin' off Summer!

Yesterday, we decided to take some friends up to Stoddard Canyon and kick off summer by playing in the water and going hiking. Tiny and I had a little adventure when we hiked up the middle of the creek and had to climb down a 20 foot log on our hands and knees to get back out.

I think the crowning glory of the day, though, was watching everyone go down the waterfall. Tiny went down first, and then he proceeded to be lifeguard while Leinani, Lai-ana, Patty (who is a teeny half-pint), and Jeremy all slid after him. Then, Christian, Kai-Kai, Marky and I hiked down and around the creek to get them Marky and I had our own adventure sliding down the shale cliff. Then we all piled into the back of Tiny's truck and flew back up the bumpy dirt road. Good ole country fun!

Bringing Sexy Back...

Ok, not really, I just thought it would be a cute name for this blog post. LOL.

After yesterday's BBQ sauce fiasco, I was determined to redeem myself.

This morning, while the kids were at school, I put a cute, little (but not skimpy), kind of sparkly top on. Then I slid into my favorite, dark, slimming pair of skinny jeans. The finishing touch-my husband's favorite pair of black high heels-open toed, to show off the cute pedicure he got me the day before our wedding-pink, black, and white plaid. Yep, sounds tacky, but take my word for it, it's cute. If you still don't believe me, here's a pic. (Meh, disregard that dark spot on the conrete, ok?)


[Same pedi, different shoes]

I went into the bathroom and put on some foundation, mascara, and a light touch of glossy pink lipstick. Then I brushed through my hair so it would be nice and shiny and full.

I hopped in the car and excitedly drove to my husband's work, intending to surprise him for lunch. As I drove, I prayed that God would bless and anoint our marriage and help us to love and respect each other for all of this lifetime. I also decided, right here and now, that 20 years from now I still want to excitedly get dolled up for my guy and giggle in anticipation as I drive out to surprise him at work.

When I got to my destination, I parked my van right next to his big ole Dodge Ram (that still actually says "Just Married" on the back window-we're taking care of that today) and started walking across the parking lot.


Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a forklift coming around the corner, and heard a low whistle, and then "What is my wife doing here when I thought she was at home, resting?" He looked at me with a huge grin and a gleam in his eye as he pulled up in the forklift.

We went out for Mexican food and had a really nice lunch together. We got to chat and spend time together alone (that doesn't happen often with all the kids at home.) He just kept staring at me up and down the whole time with this adorable grin. It made me feel so pretty! It was wonderful. Next time I am going to bring him a lunch from home so that we don't spend our money. I appreciate his hard work so much, i'm glad I was able to show up and show him how much I adore him in the middle of a long, hot workday. :-)

Of BBQ sauce and other things...

Yesterday, while my husband slaved away at work, I was at home excitedly making one of his favorite things: BBQ sauce. I don't usually eat BBQ sauce, but he loves it, so I thought i'd try my hand at making it homemade. I had an awesome dinner in mind for us: bbq chicken, beef spareribs in tangy sauce (recipe to come) that had been baked for 4 hours on low and then grilled for a bit afterwards, southern style beans and rice, corn on the cob, and french bread with butter. I know my honey likes slightly spicy BBQ sauce so I found a recipe that had a good kick to it. It called for 4 tablespoons of cayenne pepper, among other things...

Unfortunately, as I was measuring the cayenne, it didn't want to come out of the bottle. It just sat there, stubbornly sticking to the top and sides instead of falling into the measuring spoon as I wanted it to. I gave the bottle a couple of hearty shakes, and it finally decided to leave its safe haven-most of the bottle spilled into my BBQ sauce mixture. WOW! I like hot but this was ridiculous.

Hubs came home and I sadly told him about killing the sauce. He tasted it and started seriously cracking up and asked me to use considerably less cayenne next time. I playfully told him that he hurt my feelings making fun of my sauce and that he WOULD be eating it on his chicken at dinnertime or I would beat him in his giant head. (Hey, what can I say, this submission thing comes slowly, eh?)

**BTW, guess who had BBQ sauce on their chicken at dinnertime? Pretty much everyone except the littles. It wasn't so bad when lightly smeared on the chicken and grilled. Haha-oh, and dinner came out awesome! We ate like kings! :-)

Laundrymat fun...

What better way to entertain ourselves



...at the laundrymat...



...than by taking pictures?

Field Day

Last night, Gwen and Jenna diligently packed their Trader Joe's totebags with a fresh towel each, some sunscreen, and a change of clothing. Today was to be Field Day at school, in which they would enjoy water balloon hot potato games, a BBQ, and lots of other fun summer day activities.

This morning I woke to see hail bouncing off of the roof across the way outside my window, accompanied by lightning flashes and huge rumbles of thunder. I had them dress warmly but still let them take their totes just in case it warms up. It's 10:30 a.m. and it's still overcast and muggy. I hope it warms up so that they can do all of the fun activities they had planned at school!

Gwen said that it rained because Autumn doesn't get to go to school and have water day so God sent her her own water day. :) I told the kids that when they hear really loud thunder it means God is bowling with the angels and he just got a strike. Do you think God yells "YESSS!" and dances around when he gets a strike? That would be awesome.

The kids get out of school on Friday for the summer. I can't wait to have them home with me again. This summer is going to be so fun!

I'm on dial up now, so I will have to play around with trying to upoad pics. I don't know how well it will go with a slower connection. But as Bob, my internet provider says, "Better slow than no!" LOL!

Don't squeeze the Charmin...

My toilet paper is white.

My toothpaste is also, white.

Thus, last night while taking a bathroom break from cleaning the kitchen, I did not notice that somebody [most likely under 3 feet tall] had apparently painted our toilet paper quite liberally with toothpaste...I did not notice, that is, until I was almost done using said toilet paper.

Oh, dear Goodness, the PAIN.

Of course, the girls thought it quite unfair that mom ran very quickly upstairs [squirming, cringing and moaning] for an impromptu "Bubble Bath" before the kitchen was clean and they didn't get to have one, too.

**I am beginning to think that Blogger will never let me upload pictures again. At least I am getting better at using Photobucket again, though.

Prayers answered...

can be a funny thing. God has this strange way of answering prayer sometimes. Take my prayer to get up in the morning, for instance...ever since I prayed for Him to help me get up earlier, I have found that He has placed things in my life that actually make me HAVE to get up earlier. For example, my neighbor came to me a week or two ago and explained to me that sometimes she has to go in to work early (I mean really early-she has to be there by 6.) Her teenage girls watch her 10 year old son until they leave for school at 6:55, at which point she does not want her son to be alone until it is time to walk to the school bus stop. She asked if I would kindly watch him on the mornings she goes in early and walk him to the bus stop with my girls. I told her i'd love to. I really feel like it is part of Him answering my prayer to get up earlier. So, this morning when I woke at 6:35 and the sun was already mostly up behind the gray puffy clouds, I got out of bed and got myself some coffee so i'd be a bit awake already when my young charge got here. I enjoyed the solace of the morning (for a few minutes at least) and I got my dishes put away and some minor things done before the kids got up. It feels like I had a total head start to my morning!

Matthew 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

To my delight, (and our family's benefit) another thing I have been praying for was granted to our family recently. We needed a vehicle pretty badly. (It is hard to go grocery shopping among other things around here with no working vehicle and several children. Public transportation in our area leaves much to be desired.) We have been bessed with a "new" van! It's a 2005 Chrysler Town and Country. It's in great shape, has less than 78,000 miles on it and it has only had one previous owner! I'm so excited! Please pray for us that we will be able to keep up our small monthly payments for the next two years. :)

I will insert pictures later, blogger is not letting me upload pics this morning for some reason. :/

Mornings...

^walking Gwen and Jenna to the school bus stop this morning

<--Autumn, sleeping

Proverbs 31:15
She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.

I have been praying that God would get me up and out of bed earlier. I have always loved the time before the dawn and I enjoy watching a quiet sunrise in solitude while drinking my coffee. It is a great way to gather my thoughts and take some time with Him before all the kids wake and the day is thrown into our daily hectic schedule.

Right now I wake up at 7:00. I'm getting better-it used to be around 7:15 or 7:30. My goal is at least 6:30 or maybe 6. When the kids were little, I used to get up at 5 or 5:30 and I was always falling asleep by 7:30 at night because I was so tired, so instead of just waking up super early right off the bat this time, i'm gradually waking up earlier and earlier. It will get easier after we "spring forward" I think, and, of course, when it warms up a bit so that getting out of bed before sunrise doesn't seem so darned cold and uninviting-right now, my blankets are so warm and cozy I just keep snuggling up in them until I fall back asleep.

I sleep with my blinds open because I like to be awakened by natural sunlight. Usually if I wake and it is still dark, I go back to sleep. (Shame on me.) If I wake and the sun is up I get out of bed. I don't use an alarm clock, my body just naturally wakes up every morning-first at 5:30 (I go back to sleep) and then again once or twice by 7.

Right now, I wake up at 7, get my shoes on, get some coffee and have a few minutes of quiet, and then wake up the bugs (Gwen and Jenna) to get them ready for school. (Yes, they go to public school. I homeschool my 13 year old.) After I walk the girls to the bus stop I wake up Christian (he's lucky, he gets to sleep in until 8) and have him get dressed, eat brekkie, and we start on his lessons. I put away all the dishes and then start a load of laundry. Usually Autumn wakes up by 8 or so and we eat breakfast together and then we do her "schoolwork" too. (She's doing preschool work right now.)

My goal is to wake up earlier so that I can devote about a half hour to my morning devotional uninterrupted, and possibly have time to start my laundry and put my clean dishes away and do my morning housework routine before I wake up all the kids. It would be awesome to get all that stuff knocked out before the kids are up. The day would probably seem less busy as well. It might even leave me some time for sewing!

I am a constant work in progress. I'm striving to be what He wants me to be as a mom, and a human being, and it is coming slowly and with effort-but that's ok. At least it is coming.

January 12, 2009

<--Little Miss Autumn at her Santa Bear tea at Christmastime at the library. All the kids made little glittery reindeer antlers to wear. :)

Autumn woke up sick. I spent the morning cuddling with her and trying to nurse her back to health. Apparently it worked because by midafternoon she was feeling fiesty, playing with her sisters and eating everything in sight. :)

I'm trying to lose a few pounds and get healthier in the hopes that I will have more energy to keep up with my family! Last night we had a grilled London Broil over a really nice salad with some sunflower seeds sprinkled on top. Then I went and killed it by throwing some ranch dressing on it. ;) It was HEAVENLY! I'm sure it had a decent amount of iron in it as well, which I need really badly right now, as my anemia has been really bothering me.

I weighed in this morning and got my starting weight. I'd like to lose ten pounds. Not because I want to be a "hottie" or something, but because when I was about ten pounds lighter, I had a lot more energy (and I could fit into most of my pants! LOL!)When I weighed in this morning I got a pleasant surprise-I was about 5 pounds lighter than I had anticipated! :) I love the outdoors and it is hard to enjoy them when i'm anemic and sluggish and my asthma acts up-I have noticed, that in my life, all of these things can usually be kept in check with proper nutrition and activity. My body functions so much better when I make an effort to live healthfully.

I really feel like I need energy to do the Lord's work, to take care of this adorable, rambunctious family I have been blessed with. I have been praying that He will help me to eat healthfully and that He will just grant me energy and vibrance so that I may be a shining Light to my family. Wish me luck! :)

**I won't be posting my weight on my blog for personal reasons.

January 7th, 2009

Yesterday we just took it easy. My body is almost out of pain now, with the exception of my kidney area being very sensitive. My iron is low again, and I am having some trouble with fatigue and shortness of breath. My girls are having some trouble getting used to an early bedtime since Christmas break ended. Instead of going to church, like we usually do on Wednesday nights, I decided that we would stay home, have a cozy dinner, and go to bed early. We all needed the rest! :)

We had dinner, which really warmed up us, and the house too. Then we hung out in the living room eating pumpkin pie and watching Drake and Josh together (those guys are so funny! :P ) I put the girls to bed early, at 7:30, and it didn't work out very well, because they kept getting out of bed to play with their toys. I kept going up there and making them get back to bed, but by the time they finally DID fall asleep it was after 11. Of course they were cranky and not wanting to go to school this morning when I woke them up.

I went to bed and watched a food network program (hey I love to learn about how to cook better), and then did my nightly Bible reading and prayers. Boring day? probably. At least it was relaxing though.

January 6th, 2009

Took it easy most of the day yesterday. I did have to go out shopping to get some milk and bread and necessities, and it HURT! Sitting around the house didn't hurt that bad, but when I got in the truck and went out every bump magnified the pain my my ribs. YEOUCH!

I made navy bean/sausage soup last night. It came out quite good. I put some white beans, sausage, onion, garlic, diced carrots, celery, a tiny bit of diced zuhhini, and some cubed poatoes in and let it simmer for a while. The kids loved it! They all had seconds except for Jenna. It was really good with some soft bread dipped into the broth. I felt so warm and cozy after eating it!

We went over to Wal Mart to buy the family a puzzle to do together after dinner. It's really cute, Americana looking. It has a lot of bright, vivid colors which I thought would make it easier (and more fun) for the little ones to help put together. The girls got Tinkerbell puzzles for Christmas and now they are puzzle crazy. I love doing puzzles too so I thought it would be a fun way for our family to spend some relaxation time. :)

Still taking it easy, I spent the morning relaxing with Autumn crocheting her a pink blanket.

Kellie's biopsy results should be back within 3 days from yesterday. I'm still praying over it and hoping He will keep her healthy!

January 4th/5th, 2009

We went to the snow yesterday, as kind of a last hurrah before school starts. We had to go all the way up Mount Baldy near the ski lifts because most of the snow had melted. There were SO many people there! We borrowed the church van and took another family from the church, and two sleds.

Unfortunately we weren't at the snow for very long...shortly after we got there, this lady came hauling butt down the mountain and plowed into me. Instead of going down the part of the hill the rest of the sledders were sliding down, she decided to sled down where the spectators were standing. I was the first spectator and boom! Down I went. I didn't even see her coming. I spent last night at the hospital-I got bruised really badly on my ribs and where my left kidney is, but the doc said my kidney function looks ok and that i'm probably just going to be really sore for the next few days. The left side of my body HURTS. Elbow, shoulder blade, ribs, sore abdominal muscles, and pain all around my kidney area. Not fun. I'm taking it easy today and trying to relax.

My sister is out at Loma Linda hospital having a biopsy on her lymph node today...I keep calling the house to see if they got home yet, and if they know anything today that we didn't know yesterday.

I'm so cold, I think i'll make a white bean/sausage soup for dinner to help warm up the house (and me.)

27 Days of Thanksgiving

Jenna and Autumn sleeping. They are just as cute as puppies in a basket! :)

Day 1: I am Thankful for having an extra hour to sleep in this morning. :) I awoke feeling quite refreshed and happy for another wonderful Sunday.

I woke up at 7:40 (which would have been 8:40 but for daylight savings time) just feeling ready to face the day.

Started my day with prayer that He would give me the energy to keep up with my family and take good care of them, and that He would make getting everyone to church to worship the main focus of my day.

I did my morning routine (put away dishes, start a load of laundry, Cream of Wheat with toast for brekkie, dishes after brekkie, etc.) The kids and I had breakfast at the table and enjoyed each other's company-until Autumn started putting her feet on the table and giggling and I had to make her go sit down on the couch "until she could have better manners". She came back and acted like a lady for the rest of breakfast. The girls did artwork at the dining table while I straightened up the kitchen after breakfast.We got ready for church, and at 10:45 we left for Sunday morning worship. We usually go to the 11:00 service at Princeton Baptist Church.

The praise band had a new drummer this morning, and I feel he really added depth to their music. They played some really uplifting and moving songs, and I just felt so overwhelmed with emotion and blessed at the amazing life I have been given-love, faithfulness, children, home, food, family, wonderful church family-hey, maybe this whole paragraph will be a basis for my 27 days of Thankgiving! LOL!

Our pastor, Rick Scroggins, started a 4 week series of preaching out of the book of Ruth. This morning's sermon was about facing our problems and taking them on with faith in God rather than enduring them or escaping them. (When you endure your problems you don't learn from them, when you try to escape them you take them with you.)

Like Jeremy Camp says, we must "walk by faith, even when we cannot see". This is one of my favorite songs! It's just beautiful!

We just got home and we're gonna head over to my mom's house to hang out with mom and Echo, my sister Kellie, Chavi, Michelle, Amanda and Becca. Just family, old friends, and fun. We're gonna make tostadas with spanish rice for dinner, and probably watch "Veggietales: The Pirates who Don't Do Anything". Fun!

Wishing you all a lovely Sunday,

Carissa

ABC's of Homemaking

A vintage photo of my beautiful grandmother, Doris Staley. She was always a lady.

ABC's of Homemaking

*Aprons--y/n -- If yes, what does your favorite look like?*

I have several from my grandma and great grandma, but I don't wear them often enough. My favorite is a very old mint green one that was great grandma's...it's kind of sheer with a scalloped pocket on it.

*Baking--Favorite thing to bake?*

Choc-oat-chip cookies


*Clothes line?*

Yes! I have a small backyard (patio) and I have a retractable 6 line clothesline. It holds up to about 3 loads of clothing. SoCal gets pretty hot so I can usually hang stuff up. I hardly ever use the dryer.

*Donuts--Have you ever made them?*

I have not but would love to try one of these days! I have a recipe for them in one of my grandmother's old cookbooks.

*Everyday--One homemaking thing you do every day?*

Laundry. Every morning I pop in a load and before lunch it's on the clothesline. (Thanks for more efficient morning routines, Flylady! :) )

*Freezer--Do you have a separate deep freeze?*

Yes! Thanks to my good friend Marion, who gave us her extra freezer last spring!

*Garbage Disposal?*

Yes, but the last place we lived in for 7 years didn't have one.

*Handbook--What is your favorite homemaking resource?*

Online. There are so many inspiring sites!

Ironing--Love it or Hate it? Or hate it but love the results?*

Love it but don't have much time for it. I mostly iron while sewing...(I was taught well by the lovely Domestic Diva! Press press press!)

*Junk Drawer--y/n? Where is it?*

Yes, in the kitchen. Luckily it's not too bad though.

*Kitchen--color and decorating scheme?*

Plain white, with lots of tea stuff (teapots, teacups, vintage tea advertisement that Marion gave me for Christmas one year, miniature tea cart on breakfast nook..etc etc etc)

*Love--what is your favorite part of homemaking?*

Cooking for my family, picking out favorite pictures of my family and hanging them up.

*Music while you clean--y/n?*

YES! I listen to the local gospel station, 89.7 KSGN FM You can listen to it online at their website too! It's a really great station!

*Nylons, machine or hand wash?*

I never wear nylons.

*Oven--do you use the window or open the oven to check?*

Open the oven.

*Pizza--What do you put on yours?*

Sausage, mushroom, and green peppers.

*Quiet--What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment?*

Bible study and prayer. Usually around noon. I try to read whatever we are currently going to study during Wednesday night services.

*Recipe Card Box--y/n? What does it look like?*

No. Several cookbooks though.

*Style of house--What style is your house?*

2 story townhouse style apartment.

*Tablecloths or Placemats?*

Tablerunner/placemats, for now.

*Under the kitchen sink--organized or toxic wasteland?*

Pretty organized.

*Vacuum--How many times per week?*

As often as needed, I try to vacuum once per day because the littlest has pretty bad asthma and we try to keep the dust under control.

*Wash--How many loads of laundry do you do per week?*

Between 5 and 7. (One per weekday and sometimes one each weekend day.)

*X's--Do you keep a daily list of things to do that you cross off?*

Yes.

*Yard--y/n? Who does what?*

Backyard, Christian and Tiny help me with it, but it could use a good cleaning right now.

*ZZZ's--what is your last homemaking task for the day before going to bed?*

Bedtime routine: girls put pajamas on, we lay out clothes for the next day, we have family prayer time, and then tuck in.

God Bless,
Carissa Dawn

Spring Break!

Today was our first day of spring break!

Christian's alarm clock went off, as usual, at 7. LOL. So much for sleeping in on the first day of spring break! I hung out and played online and enjoyed my morning coffee for awhile as the kids slept in. Then, after a liesurely morning, we made brunch together. The kids helped me make drop biscuits, gravy, sausage, fried taters topped with melted cheese, and scrambled eggs...yum!

Now Christian and I are going to tackle cleaning the back patio. It's kind of a cold day but i'd like to have it nice and tidy before the weather gets nice again so wecan have dinner on the patio when we want to. :) Woohoo for spring cleaning!

I'm hoping to take all the kids to see Horton Hears a Who on Monday! Yay!

Outside my Window

The first thing I do every morning is walk around the house and open the blinds in every room. If it's not too hot or cold, I open all of the windows and the front and back door as well to get some fresh morning air in the house. This lets all kinds of wonderful sunlight in, and hopefully saves me on electricity as I turn off nightlights that were left on overnight, as well as just making me feel happy and refreshed and ready to start my day.

My walk around the house ends in the kitchen, where I stop to make my coffee. While my coffee is brewing I always open my kitchen window and look out. Right outside my window there is a light golden brown bamboo mesh fence extension that sticks out about 3 feet or so above my plain brown wooden fence. It is a roll of bamboo, tied together so that the bamboo sticks are parallel to each other. It is not a very tightly assembled roll, and there are small spaces between the bamboo sticks. I like it because I think it looks somewhat tropical.

The big thing I love about it though, is that a morning glory vine has woven itself around and through the fence. The vines just happened to grow into two U type shapes, which makes them look almost like those fake flower swags one would hang inside their homes. These are not fake looking though. They are periwinkle colored morning glories with bright purplish pink lines radiating out from the centers like stars, on vivid green vines with thick, healthy leaves unmarred by backyard pests. In the early morning, while the sun is still not far above the horizon, sunlight filters in the most amazing way through the spaces in the bamboo fence, illuminating the fence as well as the morning glories from behind. They almost look as if they are lit up from within. I love looking at it every morning, it's such a nice way to start my day.

I took a picture of just a small section of the fence the other morning, and it just doesn't do it justice.

Labor Day Weekend

Summer is drawing to a close, and I hope you had as much fun as we did this year!

I know this is a brand new blog, but I will be taking today, Sunday, and Monday off so no Gem of the Day for the next three days. I may blog about life in general though this weekend. We had our first week of school this week and i'd like to take these three days to relax with my little ones and get some housecleaning/organizing done to prepare us for the next week of school. Things get very hectic around here during school time! :)

I hope you have a lovely holiday weekend and please remember to drive safely. Make the most of it, you know Labor Day is kind of the Last Hurrah of summer!