Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Wherever You Are
Sunday, May 29, 2011
My Big Fat Confession
I have a confession. I have a serious problem. It’s probably something that everyone has struggled with at some point. I’m rarely ever content. That’s such a difficult confession. There are so many “mom bloggers” that I follow that are just so….content. They’re perfectly happy with every aspect of their lives. Or at least that’s how it seems. I’m sure they have a stretch mark or dimple booty or something small they would change…but overall…they’re content.
I had a meltdown Saturday. My poor husband didn’t know what to do with me. Let me explain how this went. Amelia didn’t sleep well the night before and I was tired. Caroline had a cold was sickly all day Friday. It is no secret in this house that Judd has to work on Saturdays. It’s just how it is. It’s the life of a farmer…and his family. Why I lost my mind over this fact is simple. I woke up tired, and a million “little things” went wrong. I smashed my finger, I stubbed my toe, I was tired, I was hungry, etc. etc. The list could go on for hours. All of this led to me getting on the computer to play on Facebook for a few minutes in silence. My newsfeed was FULL of people talking about their super fun Memorial Day plans, boat rides on the lake, family events, reunions, and 4 days weekends. Memorial Day weekend is like any other weekend to us…the rice and soybeans don’t stop growing just because of a holiday. There were a bajillion pictures of people out at the pool, going on vacation to the beach, going to do this and that. And I got jealous. There, I said it. I was so jealous of their family time and…I’ll say it…their vacations. Their week long vacations away from their houses and familiar towns. I wanted it. I still do, honestly. But we farm, so December is our month for a vacation. Please don’t take this as something you need to say, “Oh I’m so sorry – I can’t imagine…blah blah blah.” It’s okay. I knew that this was what life was going to be like before we got married – I guess I just didn’t realize what an adjustment it would be for ME and NOT for Judd. He grew up with this. His Daddy always worked on Saturdays. Mine didn’t. We took a vacation almost every summer to an amusement park or wherever and just spent time as a family. He did that in December – along with everything else.
I say all of that not so you’ll pity me and my lifestyle. There are definitely perks to my lifestyle – I can’t lie. There are wonderful things about farming. Judd gets the entire month of December off work. But trying to fit an entire year’s worth of events into one jam packed month is difficult. December now holds our anniversary, Amelia’s birthday, other family birthdays, and the obvious one – Christmas. (We won’t even mention the crazy amount of duck hunting Judd does in December!) But either way, we do enjoy our time together in December! One of the real perks of farming is that Judd loves his job. He TRULY loves what he does. I would never want him to dislike the job he had to go to 6-7 days a week!
I’m working really hard on being content. I want to be content with our lifestyle. I want to take the good with the bad and just DEAL with it…but it’s so hard. It’s so hard to hear about all the fun vacations people are taking. It’s hard to read statuses on FB about everyone being excited about it being Saturday. Saturday is just another work day here. I’m praying really hard for the Lord to help me change my heart. I have more blessings than I can count. My kids are healthy. That is such an amazing blessing – and I thank the Lord for that every single day. I have an A-MAZING family – on both sides. I have a husband who does major strenuous manual labor all day long for our family. He works his tush off, folks. Seriously. He shovels, he rides extremely bumpy tractors, he builds things…this list could truly go on forever. I’m so thankful for him. I get to stay home with my babies. That is so important to me. I love being with them and watching them grow. I love seeing each milestone and knowing that I’m the one with them all day. I couldn’t be more appreciative of that fact…or I probably could…and should be. The blessings list could far outweigh the negatives in my life! (Sing it with me folks, “count your blessings, name them one by one…and it will surprise you what the Lord has done!)
Just typing those good things out has made me realize how good I really have it. It stinks that Judd has to work so much the majority of the year – but I truly believe if I’ll change my heart to be more content with my situation, I will be happier with where we are and not constantly wanting.
Someone else HAS to be feeling this way about something (it doesn’t have to be about work!) and I hope that we can pray for each other! I need prayers to change my heart. I want to be one of those bloggers that is so happy with life that it encourages YOU to be more happy with yours. I’d love to pray for you and have your prayers in return! That’s what we’re here for, right? My heart is racing over putting this confession out on the world wide web, but I need to!
I know most of you probably didn’t care to read all of this and probably didn’t make it past the first pity-party-paragraph, and that’s okay. Writing this post was mainly for myself. It’s part of the self-betterment goal I’m going for. I ordered a book recommended by a friend called “Calm my Anxious Heart: A woman’s guide to finding contentment” by Linda Dillow. I’m going to read it and I’ll do my best to let you know how it turns out.
If you’re feeling this way about something (or anything that you’d like prayers for!) leave a comment. We will pray for each other! It takes only a few seconds to leave a comment – and the prayers you will receive could change your heart…and your life if you allow it! Thank you for your prayers!
Friday, May 27, 2011
Yummy Meatloaf Recipe!
As much as I’d love to take credit for this entire recipe, I cannot. I used The Pioneer Woman’s recipe but just tweaked a couple things.
What you’ll need for the Meatloaf:
- 6 slices of bread
- 1 cup milk
- 2ish lbs of ground beef
- 1 cup Parmesan Cheese
- 1/4 tsp Season Salt
- 3/4 tsp Salt
- Black Pepper
- 1/3 cup minced Parsley
- 4 eggs
- Bacon
She called for white bread, but wheat was all we had, so I went with it! You can also use plain crackers if you’d rather. Pour 1 cup of milk over the 6 slices of bread in a bowl. Yuck. Mushy bread. I know. Leave it to get soggy. Double yuck.
Get your ingredients together to mix with the ground beef.
Take four eggs and beat them.
Mix the dry ingredients (Parmesan, salts, pepper, parsley, etc.) Even though your bread is soggy mush at this point, mix it in, too. Break it into small cubes and mix with your beef.
Pour the eggs over the mixture. Dig your hands in and mix it all up. Really get your hands mushy.
Place the beef mixture into a pan and form into a loaf. Obviously.
*Ahem* PW calls for a broiler pan, which I do not own. We like to soak our food in fat and grease because it makes it taste better and we want to die from heart attacks – but if you’d like the fat to drain off, use a broiler pan lined with aluminum foil. Carry on.
Now take a yummy package of bacon….
And place it in strips over your meatloaf. Tuck the edges in on the sides.
Now for the sauce. You will need:
- 1 1/2 cups Ketchup
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- Tabasco to taste.
Mix all of this together.
Pour 2/3 of the mixture on top of your meatloaf. Put it in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 min. Then, pour the rest of the sauce over the meatloaf and cook another 15min.
Deliciousness.
I will say – WHEN I make this recipe again, I’m going to try it with a tomato sauce instead of the sauce she suggested. It definitely had more of a ketchup flavor than I would have liked. Overall, it was really good!! My favorite part? It had ingredients in it that I already had in my house. I don’t like recipes that call for 500 ingredients I’ve never heard of!
Giveaway Winner!!
Friday, May 20, 2011
Giveaway Time!
Okay, today’s giveaway is actually a collaboration! I’m teaming up to a super sweet lady named Debbie, who owns Debbie’s Designs. Here are some of the CUTE things she has made…
Boy’s Jon Jon with an applique patch by Squiggle Stitch…
Adorable girl’s jumper with owl applique & monogram by Squiggle Stitch…
SUPER CUTE peasant dress with matching raggy ruffles!
Look at the attention to detail with the perfect covered buttons! I’m telling you – adorable!
Precious ruffle neck dress and a hairbow to match!
She also makes hairbows!! Check out this picture of Caroline in her korker bow from Debbie’s Designs…
Okay – so now you’re ready to find out about the giveaway, huh? Well here it is! The winner will have their choice of one boy’s jon jon or girl’s jumper dress (the first two pictured outfits above) from Debbie’s Designs with their choice of applique & monogram by Squiggle Stitch!
Please make sure you “like” the correct “Debbie’s Designs” on Facebook. There are more than one to choose from! To make it easy, just click the link here or anywhere else that reads “Debbie’s Designs” in this blog post.
Follow my directions very carefully! You can earn extra entries to increase your odds of winning!
First thing is first – you MUST like Debbie’s Designs on Facebook & like Squiggle Stitch on Facebook! This was originally a Facebook giveaway, but due to FB’s rule changes, we’re hosting it on the blog. Like both of our pages for ONE entry. Come back here and leave a comment telling me you’ve done it. You cannot enter the giveaway without liking both pages! C’mon…we’re not asking much!
To earn a 2nd entry – use your blog to make a post about this giveaway! You can grab my blog button on the right hand column and put it in your post if you’d like! Come back here and leave me a comment telling me you’ve done it and put the link to your post in the comment to verify.
To earn a 3rd entry – make a Facebook status about the giveaway and tag Debbie’s Designs & Squiggle Stitch in the post. You do this by adding the ‘@’ symbol before you type out the name. Then, come back here and leave me a comment telling me you’ve done it.
To earn a 4th entry – Make a tweet on Twitter about the giveaway and LINK to this post! Then, come back here and leave me a comment telling me you’ve done it and put a link to your tweet in the comment to verify.
READ THIS PART VERY, VERY CAREFULLY to make sure you get all the entries you deserve:
Put a SEPARATE comment for each thing you do that gets you an entry. For example: if you like the two pages and make a FB status about the giveaway, comment two different times to let me know that you’ve done these things. It’s easier to pick a winner with a number generator when each entry is separated in the comments section. Please do this to make sure you get the credit you deserve!
So there you go! Do all four things to increase your odds! The giveaway winner will be chosen on Friday, May 27, 2011.
Be sure to leave your email address in at least one comment so we can contact you when it’s over if you’re the winner!
Please note: Debbie will give you your fabric choices for your outfit when the winner is chosen!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Smorgasbord of Thoughts
Do you need a definition of smorgasbord? It’s actually a word for a giant buffet of different types of foods. But we use that word to basically say “a lot of different ____.” So in my case, a lot of different thoughts. Good. Now that we got that out of the way…
I’m super excited about Squiggle Stitch’s new line of boutique clothing! If you haven’t gone already, go check it out! Seriously, you’ll probably see my children dressed in these outfits all summer – because they truly are A-DORABLE. No, I’m not making them. I wish I could! Embroidery is more of my thing – sewing is something I am very limited with. Hopefully someday I’ll actually have time to sit down and try to sew something together.
I’m also super excited about my new curtain. I’m having a roman shade curtain made to go over the door in my living room that leads out to the playroom. The playroom/sunroom/sewing room used to be a patio – so the door is one with the glass windows in it. I love that it lets in so much light from the sunroom, but I don’t love that you can constantly see the MESS of toys when the rest of house looks “put together” and clean. (“Clean” meaning: you aren’t tripping over the piles of junk in the floor and the majority of the dirty dishes are put somewhere other than the counter…even if that place is just the sink. My mother just died reading this knowing that people might actually see my house looking like a war zone.) Anyway – look at this beautiful fabric!
Home Decor Print Fabric-Smc Designs Havlat/Honey (since I know you’re all wanting to go buy several yards for yourself…)
I also got a little extra to make a couple of throw pillows. It’s going to be right beside my red dresser with my gold/red/green mirror. This fabric couldn’t be more perfect! I’m really excited! I got it at Joann’s and used a 40% coupon. WHOOP WHOOP!
Yesterday I went to Kroger to transfer a prescription. I got a flyer in the mail saying they would give me $75 if I transferred a prescription. Um, YES PLEASE. I’ve seen the $25 ones and I’ve always wanted to do it but we don’t get much medication. I transferred Amelia’s medicine over there this time and I’m super pumped. While I was waiting on them to fill the prescription, I walked around the store. I’m usually not there during the day because I have to go grocery shopping at night when someone can stay with my children. Effective, serious couponing is nearly impossible with small children. I’m sure there are saints out there who manage it but I am not one of them. Anyway, I was wandering around and just happened to catch the meat trolley pulling away from the Manager’s Specials section. AWE-SOME. I got 3 hugemongous pork loins that are usually $15-16 a piece for $5, $6, & $6. I also 3 pot roasts, 2 steaks, and several other things. I got several other things and checked out. My total before coupons & prescription transfer money was $93.00. My total after coupons & prescription transfer……..$17.62. I got a TON of meat. I came straight home and it’s now all in the freezer. We’re seriously stocked up on meat. We have tons of ground beef, pork loin, pork chops, steaks, chicken, and roast in the freezer. Catching the manager’s specials is awesome. I plan on going back and getting a few freebies and small things later this week.
Something I’m NOT excited about is the fact that my sweet, gentle, adorable oldest child pulled my expensive Nikon camera off the bar by the strap that was hanging down. The camera body is okay, but the lens is totally broken. This is why most of my pictures will be blurry until we get a new one. I have a 50mm lens for my Nikon but it isn’t AF-S. You have to focus it in manual mode….which is difficult when your child won’t sit still for more than 2 seconds.
Caroline got a haircut yesterday and I really wanted to take her picture and put it on here. This is what she’s giving me….
Sorry that’s slightly out of focus. Please read the above paragraph again. Anyway, her hair isn’t in her eyes – and that’s always a good thing.
Just for good measure.
Another thing I’m excited about…
Meet Sassy. She’s our yellow lab. She’s about 10 weeks old and she’s the sweetest thing ever. I totally love her. Yes, we’re totally insane. We didn’t have enough going on in our lives with a business, 2 kids under 2 years old, and the busiest farming time of the year – so we bought a dog. Regardless of how crazy we are, she’s cute and sweet and Caroline LOVES her. In this picture she is bending down so that Sassy will lick her face.
I also made Pioneer Woman’s Meatloaf, and BOY was it delicious! I took pictures and stuff and I’ll put them up when I have time, which could be never. Anyway – it was delish and Judd said it was a “manly” meal. Whatever that means.
Well, that’s all the news I’ve got and this post is crazy long already. Thanks for making it through all of that.