A group of us friends here in Mobile have decided to do another Cheryl Brodersen DVD Bible study this summer. Last summer we did the 1 Peter study and had a great time - even if it did last LATE into the night! This time we're doing Daniel.
As I skimmed through the study's introduction (the morning of - I'm not good at doing these things in a timely manner - oops!), this statement jumped out at me, "A study of these chapters [Daniel 7-12 - lots of prophecy] will not only expand your understanding of God's plan for the future of the world, it will also fortify your faith to trust Him for your own future."
I am really looking forward to studying this book! What a timely message what with the end of the world approaching and all :) Also, I don't think I have ever thought of prophecy in the context of how it can "fortify" my faith in the sense of that personal, day to day faith.
Anyway, this week study was at my house. John took the girls to a Bay Bears (baseball) game since some wonderful friends of ours had extra tickets and it was free! (Otherwise, I make them hide out in their bedrooms in the back of the house - he, he).
The ladies and I went through the homework portion of the study, then popped the DVD of Cheryl teaching. Cheryl had just said something like, "In conclusion," and the DVD froze. We waited, but nothing...totally stuck. I go to grab the remote for the DVD player, but it's nowhere to be found. Figures!
So, we all get up and start searching - looking under the couch, rummaging in baskets, lifting up the pillows on the couch (how embarrassing!), but it's nowhere in the living room. Meanwhile, John had returned with the girls. I went to get them to come help look for it -since they probably are the ones who lost it - while the search expanded into the kitchen, dining room and school room. Five women searching my house for a remote control!
We couldn't find it anywhere. I tried to get it to skip ahead using the buttons on the DVD player, but it would only start over from the beginning. We left it playing on mute and started chit-chatting. Next thing we knew, Cheryl was back to the end of her message. We had talked all the way through the entire teaching and not even realized it! It was pretty funny :)
And I still haven't found that remote...
Friday, May 27, 2011
Friday, May 20, 2011
Never Ending Laundry
As the number of children, and therefore laundry, began to multiply in our house, I have tried to live by the motto, "A load a day, keeps the laundry at bay." But a missed day or two, never bothered me, it was all manageable, more or less.
That was until several months ago when I decided I was tired of buying pull-ups for Lexi (she's four!); it was time for her to sleep in underwear at night. I would do everything humanly possible to help her stay dry at night and suffer the consequences if she didn't.
The consequences were a never ending pile of laundry!
Every night I would layer one plastic sheet over her bottom sheet followed by another sheet so that I could just whip the layers off when she wet the bed in the middle of the night. By morning, I would have a pile of laundry to last me for a week (not to mention the piles of laundry generated by four girls who must have been quick change artists in another life). It was horrific. But, I was determined never to buy a pull-up again. I had to find a way to manage the laundry beast.
And so began what I like to call "the laundry queue."
Each night I get a load ready to go into the washer the next morning. If there's a TON of laundry, I get two loads ready. I have space, so I put them right in front of the washing machine - in a line (hence, "the laundry queue"), but they can be in a basket, in a pile on the floor, or even in a mental line in your brain.
First thing in the morning, I run out there and get it going. (The kids can so this, too, obviously). If something more pressing has come up during the night - vomit, pee, etc - that load can jump to the front of the line. That's also why I don't put the waiting load in the washer.
When it's finished, switch it to the dryer (obviously) and toss in the waiting load. When both loads have finished drying, we fold them as soon as possible and put them away. I try to get all the steps done in one day.
See, so simple! (Just kidding - I know that's what we all try to do!)
I think the key to the laundry queue's success is that I know what's going in next and I have it ready - for that day and the next.
It's just like menu planning - if I don't make a menu for the week, we won't eat. I need a plan in order to get dinner on the table. It's the same with laundry. John needs clean uniforms for work, the girls need clean underwear, and the bathroom needs clean towels.
As I was working nonstop on Lexi's wet sheets every morning, I realized that if I don't have a system for controlling the laundry, it will control me. And I, for one, am tired of waiting up until midnight to switch a load of laundry to the dryer because John had no clean clothes for work!
Here's an example of how I plan it out:
John's has enough work clothes to get through three days, so they are first in line Sunday or Wednesday so that they are finished by Sunday night and Wednesday night.
We change the sheets on Friday and Saturday which creates a ton of laundry, so I try to make sure there's nothing in the queue for those days by tossing in an extra load earlier the week, so we don't create a backlog of laundry later.
I also have a cutoff time for the last load of the day. I try not to start a load after 3 PM. That way, I'm not waiting up for laundry to finish washing so I can put it in the dryer; and I'm not wasting my family time working on taming the laundry, either. (Unforeseen disasters of life are not included in this policy, of course!)
I will leave a load in the dryer to be folded the next day. And, if I have a huge pile to be folded and put away, I try not to wash any more loads until I get the clean stuff finished. (If you have stayed on top of the essentials, like work clothes and underwear, it's okay to put off a load in order to catch up with the folding and putting away.)
I know it sounds crazy to plan your laundry, but it really does work! Since I have started planning my loads of laundry like this, I have at least two days a week in which there is absolutely no laundry to be done. It's so wonderful!
That was until several months ago when I decided I was tired of buying pull-ups for Lexi (she's four!); it was time for her to sleep in underwear at night. I would do everything humanly possible to help her stay dry at night and suffer the consequences if she didn't.
The consequences were a never ending pile of laundry!
Every night I would layer one plastic sheet over her bottom sheet followed by another sheet so that I could just whip the layers off when she wet the bed in the middle of the night. By morning, I would have a pile of laundry to last me for a week (not to mention the piles of laundry generated by four girls who must have been quick change artists in another life). It was horrific. But, I was determined never to buy a pull-up again. I had to find a way to manage the laundry beast.
And so began what I like to call "the laundry queue."
Each night I get a load ready to go into the washer the next morning. If there's a TON of laundry, I get two loads ready. I have space, so I put them right in front of the washing machine - in a line (hence, "the laundry queue"), but they can be in a basket, in a pile on the floor, or even in a mental line in your brain.
First thing in the morning, I run out there and get it going. (The kids can so this, too, obviously). If something more pressing has come up during the night - vomit, pee, etc - that load can jump to the front of the line. That's also why I don't put the waiting load in the washer.
When it's finished, switch it to the dryer (obviously) and toss in the waiting load. When both loads have finished drying, we fold them as soon as possible and put them away. I try to get all the steps done in one day.
See, so simple! (Just kidding - I know that's what we all try to do!)
I think the key to the laundry queue's success is that I know what's going in next and I have it ready - for that day and the next.
It's just like menu planning - if I don't make a menu for the week, we won't eat. I need a plan in order to get dinner on the table. It's the same with laundry. John needs clean uniforms for work, the girls need clean underwear, and the bathroom needs clean towels.
As I was working nonstop on Lexi's wet sheets every morning, I realized that if I don't have a system for controlling the laundry, it will control me. And I, for one, am tired of waiting up until midnight to switch a load of laundry to the dryer because John had no clean clothes for work!
Here's an example of how I plan it out:
John's has enough work clothes to get through three days, so they are first in line Sunday or Wednesday so that they are finished by Sunday night and Wednesday night.
We change the sheets on Friday and Saturday which creates a ton of laundry, so I try to make sure there's nothing in the queue for those days by tossing in an extra load earlier the week, so we don't create a backlog of laundry later.
I also have a cutoff time for the last load of the day. I try not to start a load after 3 PM. That way, I'm not waiting up for laundry to finish washing so I can put it in the dryer; and I'm not wasting my family time working on taming the laundry, either. (Unforeseen disasters of life are not included in this policy, of course!)
I will leave a load in the dryer to be folded the next day. And, if I have a huge pile to be folded and put away, I try not to wash any more loads until I get the clean stuff finished. (If you have stayed on top of the essentials, like work clothes and underwear, it's okay to put off a load in order to catch up with the folding and putting away.)
I know it sounds crazy to plan your laundry, but it really does work! Since I have started planning my loads of laundry like this, I have at least two days a week in which there is absolutely no laundry to be done. It's so wonderful!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Ashley's Amazing Train Track
Anyway, I thought it was pretty great considering one entire half of it was elevated. I added a close up of the circle so you can see for yourself the awesomeness of it! :)
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| Notice the Creative Use of Jenga Blocks! |
Monday, May 16, 2011
A Wise Woman Builds Her Blog...
Well, after hours and hours of neglecting my children and wanting to smash the computer with a hammer and wishing I had taken some kind of computer course in college, I have finally figured out how to make a pretty blog site. Hooray!
Not quite sure it'll qualify for being worth the effort for my family seeing as how John will be home in about fifteen minutes and there's not a Thing for Dinner and Nothing in the Fridge! And I have massively overused the breakfast for dinner option lately as well as PB&J and burritos. Rotisserie chicken it is, then!
It is a pretty blog now though, isn't it?
Not quite sure it'll qualify for being worth the effort for my family seeing as how John will be home in about fifteen minutes and there's not a Thing for Dinner and Nothing in the Fridge! And I have massively overused the breakfast for dinner option lately as well as PB&J and burritos. Rotisserie chicken it is, then!
It is a pretty blog now though, isn't it?
Friday, May 6, 2011
Cinnamon Roll Recipe
I've always made cinnamon rolls totally from scratch, but I've been wanting to try another recipe that calls for "hot roll mix." I've just never had that in my pantry and I had no idea what it was!
So when John reminded me the night before his last day of work that he needed about 20 cinnamon rolls, hot and fresh, the next morning, I thought it would be the perfect time to use a mix. I googled it so I knew what to look for at the store and it was only $1.64 - totally worth the savings in time!
I was really wondering how many rolls I would get from one box of hot roll mix (I bought two). I discovered that if you roll from the long edge (which is not what the box says to do), you will get about 14 rolls. If you follow the box instructions and roll from the short side, you will probably get 8-10 rolls. I made two boxes and we ended up with about 28 cinnamon rolls which was more than enough!Here's the recipe:
1 box hot roll mix
1 pck yeast mix (comes in box)
2 T sugar
1 C hot water
2 T butter/margarine, softened
1 egg
Filling (from my "scratch" recipe):
1/4 C butter, softened
1-2 T cinnamon (depends on how "cinnamony" you like them!)
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1/2 - 3/4 C chopped nuts
Frosting (from my "scratch" recipe):
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 C butter, softened
1 C powdered sugar
1/2 t vanilla
Combine hot roll mix with yeast package and sugar. Add hot water, butter, and egg. Mix untill dough pulls away from sides of bowl. Knead dough for five minutes, until smooth. (You will probably need to add a couple sprinkles of flour to keep the dough from sticking to the sides of the bowl if you're using a mixer.)
Cover dough and let rest for 5 minutes. Grease 9x12 inch pan or two 9 inch round cake pans (should fit 7 rolls each)
Roll dough out to a 10x15 rectangle. Spread about 1/4 cup softened butter over dough. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Sprinkle sugar mixture over buttered dough. Add chopped nuts, if desired.
Roll up starting with 15 inch side, pinch seam to seal. Gently slice the roll into 1-1 1/2 inch sections and place in prepared pan about 1 inch apart.
At this point, you can cover the rolls and refrigerate them overnight. They will rise slightly overnight in the fridge, but you will probably need about an hour in the morning to let them come to room temperature and rise a bit more before baking.
Or, cover and let rise in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size. Rolls should be touching or nearly touching each other in the pan. They will expand a little bit while cooking.
Frosting: The frosting can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated until needed, but you will need to let it come to room temperature (or zap it in the microwave for a few seconds) to make it spreadable.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 20 -25 minutes or until golden brown on top. Let the rolls cool slightly. Frost and enjoy!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Capturing the Moment: A Picture is Worth a Billion Words
Since this is his last day at the company he's been working for the past three years, John asked me to make a couple batches of cinnamon rolls so he could bring them in this morning for everybody. He said he wanted to go out with a "bang!"
So, last night and very early this morning (he has to be there by 5:30 am), I got the cinnamon rolls ready. Pulled them out of the oven and frosted them right before 5:30, so they would be nice and warm when he brought them to work. They looked and smelled heavenly.
After John left, I sat down to enjoy one with my coffee in peace and quiet before the girls woke up; and while I was sitting there, I thought, I need to put this recipe on my blog and I need to take a picture of a cinnamon roll before they're all gone. People like to see pictures of what you're writing about, right?
I got out a pretty plate, put a new cinnamon roll on it and frosted it carefully. Then I realized I couldn't take a picture of it on my dining room table because it wasn't nice enough. So I got out some pretty napkins and arranged them with the plate on it. Then I thought I should put a mug of cofffee in it to really complete the picture. So, I dumped my coffee into a nicer mug and looked for the camera.
The camera was full, so I had to go through and delete a bunch of pictures. I was ready to start shooting. I took one picture and the camera shut down, low battery. Oh no! No worries (as Lexi would say), I could probably snap a few by turning it off and on real quick.
As I was leaning over my dining room table, one half covered with junk, the other with a pretty napkin, taking pictures of a cinnamon roll on a fancy plate at 5:30 in the morning with my camera shutting down between each quick snap, I thought, "I am truly crazy!"
I'll post the cinnamon roll recipe later...with a picture, of course!
So, last night and very early this morning (he has to be there by 5:30 am), I got the cinnamon rolls ready. Pulled them out of the oven and frosted them right before 5:30, so they would be nice and warm when he brought them to work. They looked and smelled heavenly.
After John left, I sat down to enjoy one with my coffee in peace and quiet before the girls woke up; and while I was sitting there, I thought, I need to put this recipe on my blog and I need to take a picture of a cinnamon roll before they're all gone. People like to see pictures of what you're writing about, right?
I got out a pretty plate, put a new cinnamon roll on it and frosted it carefully. Then I realized I couldn't take a picture of it on my dining room table because it wasn't nice enough. So I got out some pretty napkins and arranged them with the plate on it. Then I thought I should put a mug of cofffee in it to really complete the picture. So, I dumped my coffee into a nicer mug and looked for the camera.
The camera was full, so I had to go through and delete a bunch of pictures. I was ready to start shooting. I took one picture and the camera shut down, low battery. Oh no! No worries (as Lexi would say), I could probably snap a few by turning it off and on real quick.
As I was leaning over my dining room table, one half covered with junk, the other with a pretty napkin, taking pictures of a cinnamon roll on a fancy plate at 5:30 in the morning with my camera shutting down between each quick snap, I thought, "I am truly crazy!"
I'll post the cinnamon roll recipe later...with a picture, of course!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Okay, so I just accidentally deleted the post that I spent the morning working on in the midst of arguing and tattling children! Aagh!
I'm just going to quickly summarize:
Seven pillars - a common structure in ancient times with one pillar in the middle and three on each side of it
Significance - Refer to Proverbs 8:12-14, wisdom says of herself that she dwells with prudence, that
she posesses knowledge and discretion, that counsel and sound judgement are hers, and that
she has understanding and power.
Lots to think about here especially when you tie it in with Proverbs 8 which I have always found to be a fascinating chapter. I hate to drop this topic, but I must go be mommy!
I'm interested in your thoughts on this subject...feel free to share, thanks!
I'm just going to quickly summarize:
Seven pillars - a common structure in ancient times with one pillar in the middle and three on each side of it
Significance - Refer to Proverbs 8:12-14, wisdom says of herself that she dwells with prudence, that
she posesses knowledge and discretion, that counsel and sound judgement are hers, and that
she has understanding and power.
Lots to think about here especially when you tie it in with Proverbs 8 which I have always found to be a fascinating chapter. I hate to drop this topic, but I must go be mommy!
I'm interested in your thoughts on this subject...feel free to share, thanks!
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