Begin Again and Again and Again...

I love to fold laundry fresh out the dryer.  I don't mind putting clothes in the washer.  I HATE putting clothes away. (if I were not too lazy to get up, I'd take a picture of the pile of clean clothes in my bedroom waiting to be put away :( I am trying to live a more frugal, self sufficient lifestyle.  Not out of need (but I am always mindful that it could be... it could always be...).  No, not out of financial necessity, but out of the desire to buy less and save more.  After all, every penny I save now, will be one less I need to worry over later! So... enter my homemade laundry soap!! Supplies: One cup of Borax, One cup of Washing Soda and 3/4 bar of Fels-Naptha soap.  I also used 1/2 cup of Oxiclean booster and a couple of drops of lavender essential oil. First, I used a mini food processor to grate and then finely grind the bar soap. The next step is as easy as measuring the other ingredients and mixing them all together!  I use...

Cheesy Cream of Broccoli Soup anyone? I love soup. I eat it pretty much everyday in the winter. But it's kind of a pain to make decent, easy homemade soup. Enter my new love: Yes, I finally sucked it up and bought a Vitamix. It. Makes. Soup. No stove required. How awesome is that? It also makes sorbet. No freezer necessary! Smoothies, bread crumbs, cheeseburgers even. Love it! I've joined a Christmas Card swap here . I'm very excited! I love Christmas and Christmas Cards!! You still have time to join! :) I am about half way finished with my Christmas shopping. Yeah, I'm one of those people. I love giving gifts and I stress about it, so I've found the sooner I can get it done, the sooner I can enjoy the holidays! Sat at a basketball tourney all day today. Worth every minute! My daughter's team took first place and they each received a t-shirt that said "champs" on it! Super cool to see how excited she was! I'm so proud. They played very well a...

Ha ha ha he he he lol!! Gosh I love the title. I found a shirt with this slogan on OneMoreMile.net and couldn't stop laughing. This is how I think of myself these days. I mean, I am a mother after all! :) So, this running thing. Ugh. Does coughing up half of your lung after only 25 minutes of walk/running count as a breathing exercise? I am so embarrassed at how incredibly out of shape I am! I can lift weights all day, but running.... Let's just say, I started this c25k program on the first and I just finished week three last night. Yup, my three weeks are looking a little bit like four! I keep telling myself that it is okay. I mean, I'm still doing it! I've run outside once and holy moly was that hard!! But I'm still here. I've been neglecting my blog, which seems to be a habit with me, but I will try harder. There are so many awesome people out there in blogland! And above is where I've been spending my weekends. I love basketball, don't get me wrong,...

Yes, that's right folks! 11 shopping days left until Christmas and yours truly is NOT anywhere near finished! I started off on fire, thinking I'd be done, no problem. I've somehow hit a snag though and lost the momentum. Instead of shopping today, I'll be doing this: Riding the bleachers for the third day!! Friday night, my oldest daughter had a game, my other two daughters both had games yesterday and they each have a game today. I love basketball, but I do not love bleachers! My back is beginning to protest, and I need to shop... Christmas is in 12 DAYS!!! Whew, I am done whining :) How about some positive stuff like: Mike noticed this a couple of weeks ago (at yet another basketball tourney ;)! The building are on different sides of the street, but if you stand directly across from the wedding chapel, this is what you see! Hilarious! For those of you in the know, yes, this is in Wisconsin Dells. And yes, you are right, leave it to a man to notice! In case you are won...

Wow! It's been a while since my last post. I've been busy, although I can't really name specifics... Planning a vacation (Vegas here I come), midwinter dance (oldest daughter), chickens :) , basketball, work, etc, etc. I've also been riding the fantastic whirlwind gypsy caravan, One World, One Heart. If you haven't checked it out, click the button to the right. You'll be amazed!! **A big shout out to my niece Haley who is celebrating 5 years of remission from Leukemia!!! We love you Haley!!**

These pics are a quick tour of our last week! It's been a good week:)