Wordless(mostly) Wednesday...

less than 2 hours left in this day but it still counts!...



(my dad's works)


(old flame)


(new baby)

De-Cluttering Help...

My bloggy/fb friend Makin' Projiks posted this on facebook this morning. Oh My Gosh. I am now in love with Clutter Busting with Brooks Palmer. All of my plans for today are out the freakin window because of him. Dadgumit.

Painting is DONE!!

We have hemmed and hawed for months and months about painting our dining room and kitchen. I just could NOT find the right color even though I knew what I wanted. Lowe's started carrying a new line called Creative Ideas with Color and **Finally** I found the perfect match! Its called Gecko and boy is it ever green! Like the new growth on our holly bushes or newly leafed out oak trees. GREEN! We need to add some artwork and I really want a pot rack. I'll just bask in the green-ness for now though!

random stuff...

It has been seriously hard to blog without my own computer! Hopefully it will be fixed soon and I can get on with sharing pictures and so forth. Right now I'm sharing with Amy so I only have access to her pictures(and her camera broke so she's down to her cell phone). Here are some recent ones...


sunset over our back fence



the triplets


what really goes on in the girls' room


running with tiger at Long Park

In other news...

We were finally able to take a load of stuff to the local thrift store! Of course it barely made a dent; I'm still in the process of clearing out dresser drawers and closets! Maybe after another 3-4 loads we'll be to a manageable state. It would be nice to be able to get the last of the carpeting out of everyone's closet floors soon.

We've chosen one of the three paints for our kitchen/dining area so far; a nice super saturated olivey green for the dining area. I want to put orange in the kitchen area and a peacock blue or plum on the soffits to connect the two. Last week the kids helped peel wall paper but we still have a few small sections to go. Maybe today...(to see the paint sample go to http://www.valspar.com/explore-colors/choose-a-color.html; scroll down a bit and click on Creative Ideas for Color. Then click on Kids & Fun. Our oolor is the second green right above the word Kids; called Gecko). This is the color I've had in my mind's eye forever but for some reason I never came across the paint card(I think they just added the Kids & Fun line to our Lowe's store). It looks SO good with our warm wood stained cabinets and wainscoting.

I made a new dish last night and everyone scarfed it up! Its from Rodale's Naturally Great Foods Cookbook(1977 edition) and is called Dutch Kale with Sausage and Potatoes(or something like that). I simmered 4 medium sized potatoes(cubed) with a large bunch of curly kale(torn into small pieces) until both were tender. Meanwhile I fried a pkg of beef smoked sausage and an onion in a bit of butter then added a cup of milk. The kale and potatoes were drained and added to the sausage mixture along with a shake of cayenne pepper; some garlic powder; and black pepper. Simmer for a few minutes stirring to break up the potatoes a bit. This was YUMMY and all the kids ate it. We had no leftovers!! Tonight we're having chicken leg quarters; green salad; and parsnip patties(from the same cookbook).

We are planning an early spring camping trip out west to celebrate Mark's 44th birthday. Our destination is the Caprock Canyon State Park (you'll have to copy and paste this because Amy's comma button doesn't work so I can't make it a clickable link) http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/videos/state_park/panhandle_plains/caprock_canyon.phtml (video of the canyon worth watching!!).

And some sad news...

Our beloved guinea pig; Basil Ferdinand; died last night. He was old for a piggie and we noticed he'd been slowing down/losing weight over the last month. We'll miss his sweetness.

Now I must get busy doing something; I hear the girls stirring.

Yesterday was a terrible day for breakable things at my house. Bright and early Tallulah knocked the dog food bowl off the counter and it shattered into a million shards. Then she was sleeping on the microwave and stretched out to push my favorite vintage crockery mixing bowl to the floor. It had another vintage bowl nested in it so two were lost at once. Later on Tibert jumped into my windowsill and caught his foot on a candle holder; sending it sailing. Lastly; he jumped onto a bookshelf and flipped an oval mirror off. I haven't lost so many things in the past 10 years!! Hopefully this will NEVER EVER EVER happen again!


(crock from Marshall Pottery)


Now I've got to protect these beauties from the cats! My brother got a nifty glass cutter from his girlfriend this Christmas. He finds bottles at their local recycling center/dump and can have as many as he can haul away. The beer bottle juice glasses are probably not dishwasher safe but that's ok. Three of the wine bottle coolers didn't survive the shipping and one juice glass broke but I have enough and he can always make more later. The blue ones are not mine but the green and brown ones are(except for the green juice glass). I LOVELOVELOVE them!! The kids helped me unwrap them and now Ryan wants a cutter so he can make some.



(cobalt juice glasses)


(beer bottle juice glasses)


(wine bottle coolers/iced tea glasses)

Carpetless...

And loving it!! There are small pieces from 3 closets left but the rest is gone, gone, gone! Mark took up the tack boards in the living room but they're still down in the hallway, our bedroom and the girls' room. We are still not sure if we want paint or stain. There are some major dark chocolate stains in the living room, probably from woodwork my dad did when building the house. If it doesn't come up we'll just have to prime over and paint. We are also trying to decide if we want to take up the linoleum in the kitchen/dining/utility rooms and entry hall. It makes more sense to do it all at once but it is a lot of work! It would be nice to have this all done by Thanksgiving but I'm not holding my breath. With Mark working an hour away our evenings are kinda short, weekends are pretty busy too. Furniture will have to be moved out, the entire area will need swept, mopped, vacuumed, and the concrete will need prepped with chemicals. I'll try and get pictures from each step and post our mishaps as well.


In other news...

My brother has been learning to kayak over the past few months and has bought a camera to film his adventures. Here's part of his latest trek.



It is raining like crazy here, expecting up to 2 inches, more in some areas. I'll be willing to bet we've already had our 2 inches here! I can't recall a wetter autumn that didn't include a hurricane or two. Our front yard is a lake and was yesterday too!

I'm working on a new crochet project, another afghan! Just plain half-double stitches but in gorgeous fallish colors from I Love This Yarn put out by Hobby Lobby. Pix later. I'm also working on basting a quilt so I can get started hand quilting it in November.

Happy Fall Yall...

Today we are going to carve apples* to dry for Halloween! We did these several years ago and they were soooo creepy. I hope it isn't too humid this time around. They tend to mold if its too moist. We might start the process in the oven on low heat. I plan on taking pics soon.

We are finished with the living room carpet removal and have even got the tack boards up!! We have the hallway and the girls' room to go. Most of the furniture is back into place but not exactly where I want it. Now we have to choose a color for the floor paint. Mark and I are leaning toward red but not a maroon red. We'd like something bold but not garish. Right now we're thinking about taking up the linoleum in the entry hall and kitchen/dining/utility rooms. At least those rooms have less furniture!

Because of the mess I still don't have my computer up. The plug we have to use for the power strip will NOT stay plugged in. I think we need a new outlet box. There is really only one place my computer can go so it may be a while before I'm back and able to share easily. The girls computer is very quirky even without the shift and comma keys messing up. I don't like using it. Hopefully soooooon sooooon.

Today I'm headed back to our dairy because the runner this week is down with the flu(I'm assuming; her whole family has been stricken). I love driving out there but today is dreary and damp; not nearly as pretty as a sunny day would be. Oh well at least it isn't 90 like tomorrow is supposed to be.(the comma key isn't working either so ignore the semi-colons).

I have 8 specific tasks to complete in my bedroom today. Including moving some stuff out to make room for our china hutch. One of the glass sides got knocked out years ago(before it was ours) and the cats love getting inside to wreak havoc. In our room I can put the open side up against a wall to keep my pretties safer.

It is also church night which means running to pick up Ryan's girlfriend before dropping them off at their youth thing(held at an old movie theater inside our town's mall) and then taking the girls to their activities at a different church. I'm going to find out about signing them up to eat at the church before their stuff starts. They feed the workers and anyone else who needs a meal. The activities start at 6pm which doesn't leave most of us with a decent chance of feeding kids before they have to be there. I think its $5 a meal paid in advance. Anyway they'd be fed and I wouldn't have to worry about it. What we're doing now isn't working; Ryan doesn't get out of his thing til 9 and we have to take the g/f home. Its 9:45 before we eat sometimes. Heck I may sign myself up to eat with the girls too!


*for some bizarre reason I can't use my shift key to put in a link here. This is the website for the shrunken apple heads: http://the-artful-crafter.blogspot.com/2009/09/how-to-make-ghoulish-shrunken-heads.html

spicy soup and goings on....

Molly's Chicken Tortilla Soup

4 large bone/skinless chicken breasts, cubed in 1-inch pieces
1-2 red bell peppers, diced
1 onion, diced
1.5 cups frozen corn
1 can pinto or black beans, undrained(or not, you decide)
1 can no-salt diced tomatoes
1T olive oil
2 broth cubes
8 cups water
2T chili powder
1.5tsp cumin
1T garlic powder
1tsp file gumbo
1tsp oregano
dash cayenne pepper
(all spice measurements are approximate, I pour straight from the jar, no spoons involved!)

Cook chicken, onions and peppers in olive oil over medium-high heat until veggies are soft and meat is about half done. Add broth cubes, water and spices. Cover and
cook on med-low for about an hour. Serve soup ladled over a handful of crushed tortilla chips and about 2T grated cheese. Sour cream on top is optional but does make it ooooh so good!


In other news...

The kids and I pulled up most of the carpet in the living room yesterday!!!! We have a section about 10x6 left but Mark will have to help us move some large furniture first. We'll continue scraping glue today. I am excited about how this will end up looking but nervous about my glass dishes. Sarah drops things like nobody I've ever seen! We may have to invest in some good plastic cups.

I'm going this morning to get milk for our co-op and hoping the farmer has brought some butternut squash to the dairy for sale. The last two were wonderful but I didn't get much out of the watermelons and cantelopes we bought from him.

Weekenders....

After careful consideration we decided to wait until the kids were back before we took on the major project of removing our carpet. Ryan is 16 and 6 feet tall so he needs to be in on this rather than his mom!! We've had other things to do, like clean the utility room, the kitchen, the girls' room, bookshelves, etc. It hasn't been all work though, we've done some listening....



And laughing too...



Next Saturday we'll head out to collect the kids from my parents. They are having a good time but I suspect at least Ryan is really ready to be home.

Apples don't fall far...

My kids are taking after me in ways I'd sometimes rather they did not. This is a water snake of some kind that had been about to enjoy a meal of bullfrog... Until Ryan yanked it from the water and stuck it in this bucket. It measured about 33 inches long. They did release it after an hour or so, it was too aggressive for them to hold.
(click any image to see it bigger)


Remember this cutie pie that I found in the woods back in early April?...



He has turned into a giant hair-eating monster!!!


**
And his cohorts have taken up all the good places to sit.


**

In other news...

We've decided to start on the carpet next weekend. We found the tools we'll need and have been encouraged by other folks' successes. I think we're going to paint the kitchen this week, at night. I've also got plants to pot and some yardwork to get done during the days. Fun, Fun!!

** taken with Mark's phone camera.

The difference a day makes...

I think I'm back!! I've been in a funk lately about my STUFF. The staggering amounts of junk in our house and not knowing how to deal with it, or having the time to address it has hog-tied me and kept me from enjoying anything. After a much-needed day of rest, I feel much better about things. It seems like something came up every weekend we thought we'd be able to relax. Finally, after spending most of the day Saturday running errands to the pool supply store, grocery shopping, mall shopping(ugh), and more, we stopped Sunday to rest(mostly). Ryan had a party from 1 to 6 so after we dropped him off we ran to Academy to get shorts for the girls($3.99 a pair) and then home to the pool. We stayed all day.


(Mark had to get up the last bits of glass first)


(my view from the pool)


(straight up from center of the pool)


(the girls swam while the adults floated)


Then, of course, comes Monday...


(my utility room shelf is going to the garage, being replaced by a rectangular table so the catboxes can go under)


(and this needs addressed, again)


(however, I have many obstacles in my way, some with fangs and claws and ill tempers)


(and some with the cute factor that keeps me from moving them)


(and the occasional distraction known as facebooking*)

*you can add me if you'd like, Molly Smith Sonier. Just tell me you know me from my blog if you've got a name I might not recognize.

The clutter, the clutter!

As I sat staring at my desk this morning, I became horribly overwhelmed by the mess of it all. A water bottle, stacks of mail, aromatherapy bottles, balls of yarn, books, picture frames, stacks of music cds, a purse or three, dishtowels, magazines, make-up, drink coasters, paint cards, electronics, candy wrappers, dishes, change, quilt sundries, newspaper clippings, and more littered my beautiful wooden desk. It is crazy how cluttered it gets! That's why I was SO thrilled to receive this timely reminder today in my email.


You only have to do a little each day, Molly, to get a ton done. Ton done,
The Universe

I enjoy getting messages from "The Universe" but most of them are vague pep talks or more mental self-helpy stuff, not really a whole lot of how-to advice. This one hit like a ton of bricks, get it? TON. I have been putting off cleaning my desk because it looks like such a huge job! It really isn't if I break it up into little bits(in this case not a little each day, just little sections). I bet it can be done in less than 15 minutes, maybe even as I type this blog post!(ok, I saved the draft at 11:40am, got back to it at 2:45) So, it took 3 hours to get my desk 95% clean. I had a few rabbits to chase and such, like lunch, taking Ruby and Rosie outside to explore, getting the kids lined out with their chores, doing some dishes and so forth. Oh well. I did do a little at a time and now its decluttered!! Still need to dust and take some cosmetics back to my bathroom, but I'm happy.

In other news...

Tomorrow is our homeschool terrarium day!! I'm so excited! Someone is bringing plants, another mom is bringing potting soil, I've got river rocks and activated charcoal, and hopefully someone will bring the spaghnum moss. The camera batteries are charged so I'll have pictures to share! And some of my thrift store finds from Saturday I hope.

And a really, REALLY bad picture of what I've been working on. This isn't the best one as far as fit, its too narrow at the forehead and too long top to bottom. But its the only one I have a picture of.


(my own pattern in Hobby Lobby's I Love This Cotton)

Crazy Times...

If anyone ever tells you that toddlers are harder than teens, please smack them immediately. They are NOT. Teens have to be driven around, watched like a hawk, and fed lots of pizza(or other junk). I swear I'm in the car more in a month than I was in a year before anyone turned thirteen. My kids didn't do soccer or gymnastics or music or art lessons, or anything else extra-curricular so their childhoods were blissful. Now that two of them are teens(and the youngest a very social nine), they still don't participate in those kinds of activities but I find myself hauling them around almost daily!! To a friend's house, to work, to the mall, to church activities, to homeschool activities, etc, etc.

Hauling kids along with real life have overwhelmed me to the point that my blogging is getting neglected! I hate that! Anyway, here's a catch-up:

Mark's job is going well. Slower paced than he is used to but very stable. He is driving an hour one-way to get there and back so that's been an adjustment. Things he used to do on his lunch hour here in town, I'm having to do.



I'm still in decluttering mode. It is amazing how much STUFF we have! Items that have been stored on shelves for years and years that we don't have a need for. I've taken bags and bags to the local thrift store(Hope's Closet). The bad thing is that I can't even tell anything is gone!! Where was I keeping all the other stuff before? I have no idea.

One of my favorite blogs shared this a while back...

The Story of Stuff. It has certainly opened my eyes!


Our pool is finally up and running! Usually we're swimming by the last part of May. This spring was cool so we didn't even start on the summer prep til mid-June. Ryan had a pool party the last weekend of June and the water was horrible, even after lots of chemicals. We ended up having to drain it and start with clean water. So far so good and Ryan's hosting another party in a few weeks!

The kids are going to North Carolina at the end of August. I'm still deciding if I'll join them. There is SO much to do here that I'd love to have that "free time" to work in the house.

Hopefully things will click soon and I'll be back to blogging on a regular basis. I definitely READ blogs almost daily!!LOL

Saturday-ish...

No time for coherent posting today! Pool party with tons of teenagers, hot dogs, and so forth! But, I did want to share these loverly sites/blogs/what-have-yous.

Go NOW and read this!! Autumn is soooooo very wise!


Look here for beautiful inspiration.

My friend Sadira had the most magical of Mad Hatter Tea Parties!

And last but not least, here are some quick pics of our kitchen paint colors. It took forever but we've finally settled on most of the colors. The very farthest wall(above the doorway to the utility room and next to the fridge) will either a burnt orange or a rosy red magenta for an added pop. I'm very excited about these colors, they all just meshed this morning for some reason. Hopefully we'll hop right on this and finish by the first of September!


(kitchen view from the dining area)


(soffit color, a banana pepper green- this didn't photograph well, it isn't quite as intense as it looks here but is more yellowish)


(kitchen wall color, Chardonnay Bottle)


(dining room color, a Kilz color, Garden Glove, that I'll have to match in Valspar)

Fun Project for Summer....

I wanna make a Terrarium!! Aren't they COOL?

My mom had one in a large glass bottle when I was a little girl but the bottle got shot by a bb gun(I think) when I was about 11 or 12. There was something magical about looking inside and see the plants, ceramic critters, and moisture, kinda like a mini rainforest. Lately I've been seeing them here and there on a few blogs. There is also flickr group. It looks like a nice thing for the kids and I to do together. We will be hunting the thrift stores for the perfect containers and researching what kind of plants do best.

You can add animals such as frogs or other amphibians, or lizards to your terrarium, although I'm pretty sure ours will just be plants, at least for now. This one is getting ready for a newt! And another really neat one! There is even a Terrarium Museum with some awesome pictures of Victorian style terrariums.

I've invited my homeschooling group to pool our resources and have a group Terrarium-fest but I'm not sure how many will actually participate. It would be a great kid-friendly project for the summer, in my opinion. If anyone has a blog post about their terrariums, please share it in my comments! I'd love to read about your experience.

A few more terrarium sites:

The Magic Terrarium

Inhabitat

How to Crochet a Terrarium Hanger(or something like that)

Cool colors and less clutter...

I bought this shelf sometime last year and just love the shape of it. There used to be sliding doors on the front but they weren't with it when I found it.


(picture taken when I first brought it home and cleaned it up)

We stopped by Lowe's on Wednesday night after we dropped the girls at their church activities and I bought a "mis-tint" pint of this wonderful minty green. It is SO brilliant it almost sparkles(but its a satin I think). Anyway, it was just enough to do the octagon mirror from the thrift store and the inside of the shelf. I love how it turned out!


(look next to the white shelf, but don't you dare laugh)(you are laughing aren't you?)(I told you not to laugh!!)(its the same box)(quit laughing)



I spent most of Saturday and Sunday thinning out books. If there is a thing that is harder to part with I've not found it. So far I've got two stacks over 30 inches tall. First I'm taking them to my homeschool park day to hand out and what is left will go to the thrift store.


(There isn't an after picture yet because I'm not finished but there is a cleared path to the door now)


In other news...

We stopped by the pet store to see how our kittens were faring only to learn that 3 of the 4 had passed away about 2 weeks ago. The rescue/foster mom said they just never gained weight and seemed to get sicker and sicker. They had trouble opening their eyes and trouble eating. It makes me wonder if they weren't a bit premature or suffering from an illness(I hope not). She said the survivor was very small still, about 2 weeks behind in size, but had a good appetite and they were hopeful she'd make it. They've decided to keep her and named her Fiesty.

Their sad sad situation just drives home the point that people need to spay and neuter their animals(and keep them inside to curb the spread of disease). If you haven't done so, please do. And, if yours are all taken care of, consider donating to a low-cost provider of these services like the one we use here in Longview, S.N.I.P.-Pets so that others can afford to do what is right.

We are doing VBS this week for Sarah, starting this past Sunday. Its at 6:15 til 8:45 each evening and lemme tell ya, that's a major pain. Having to have Ryan here there and yon and now Sarah, EVERY night, I'm a tired mama. This morning I woke up about 6:40, ate, got online and decided at 8am to go back to bed. I slept til 10:34. Apparently I needed it, to be fair I did get up at 5am Sunday morning when the boys left to go fishing.

Anyway, Sarah loves VBS and tonight she brought a friend. She'll go to the friend's VBS on Wednesday morning to return the favor. So, tomorrow Ryan to work at 9am, pick up around 5:30ish, Sarah to VBS at 6:15-8:45. Wednesday, Sarah to VBS(friend's) at 9am, home at 12, back to her VBS at the usual time. Thursday morning is homeschool park day, 9am-2pm usually, Ryan to work at 6, Sarah to VBS at 6:15...I'm not sure how I will pull this off, they are on opposite sides of town, Sarah out at 8:45, Ryan off at 9:45. Friday Ryan to work at 11pm til 7am Saturday(for a Lock-in). Oh My Heavenly Stars, I'm going to be freakin' exhausted as I am the designated driver to and from all of these events!!! So, there may not be as much decluttering going on as I would like.

You all know where I'm headed as soon as I hit the publish button...zzzzzz Hopefully I won't dream about strange men breaking into our garage like I did this morning, that was a scary, very real dream. ugh.

I am SO on a mission!!!

To get rid of my clutter!!! This is a serious, bonafide, sanctified, chicken-fried mission, no sissy stuff!!!

Yesterday I took 12 or so bags of clothing, toys, bedding, dishes and so forth to our local battered women's shelter.

Today I'm starting the gathering-up for a second run, trust me the above load was the tip of the iceberg. It will take me the week, I plan to go next Saturday to drop off.

I also have things for our city's bulk pick-up but that will have to be in two phases as they'll only take what will fit in the bed of a regular truck at one time. We've got a crappy desk, a 50-year-old refridgerator, a microwave, part of a baby bed, a tv cart, assorted bed pieces and lots more. That doesn't even count the stuff in the attic.

Now that Mark's job situation is "situated"(email me or leave a comment if you want the scoop, he doesn't want me posting it publicly) I can declutter in a more organized fashion and I plan to take full advantage of not having to move.

I'll keep you posted.

my colorful world...

Remember to enlarge for better viewing, especially the caterpillar!



(azaleas along the walking trail)


(our oak tree at night from the trampoline)


(caterpillar I met on a walk at the park)


(new microwave)


(red kitchen carts-same color as the microwave-it shows a bit bright)

Simply Sunday at the end of March...

I cannot believe its the end of March already!!! Wasn't it just Groundhog Day?? I swear it was!

We're having a very relaxing day after our Hundred Mile Drive yesterday, all in town I might add. I'm not sure if we actually drove 100 miles but it sure felt like it with all the hauling and collecting of the various children. After all that driving, I came home and made a huge pot of Chicken Tortilla Soup to take the chill off.

3-4 bnls/sknls chicken breasts, in 1-inch cubes(or smaller)
1 green pepper, chopped small
1 onion, chopped small
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
2 tablespoons olive oil.

Combine the above and cook til chicken is mostly done. Add the following:

2 chicken broth cubes, dissolved in about 6 cups hot water(I think I may have added more water than this total)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can whole kernel corn, drained or 1 cup frozen corn
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup salsa(or more to taste)
1-2 teaspoons each: cumin, chili powder, oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Simmer for about 30-45 minutes and serve over crushed chips and a handful of cheese and sour cream on top.

We hit the sack early and slept well.

Today after lunch the men went fishing at Lone Star Lake and the womenfolk are here at the house. The younger ones have been outside all day long, enjoying the 65 degree sunny weather, and I've been inside deciding on paint colors. I posted a while back about wanting to use orange in our dining room and kitchen but after reading about how reds can raise blood pressure, that's NOT what I need. I'm 99% sure now that we'll be using a light yellow-green, the shade of these beautiful leaves.



I had a nice relaxing bath with salts, soaps, and conditioners from my friendPatricia's online store, Herbal Grace so now I smell fantabulous. We've nibbled on chips and hot sauce(our favorite is a mix of Albert's Hot Sauce and Herdez Salsa Verde). We're about to make Blondies from SpruceHill's recipe. YUM. Our microwave gave up the ghost today so we're having to wait on the butter to soften the old timey way.

Right now girls and I are watching Planet Earth and Africam at the same time. Over the past two years we've seen 30 different types of animal at the watering hole, including a cape buffalo being caught and eaten by lions, rhinos fighting, wildebeasts, hippos, snakes, bugs, zebras, baboons, turtles, antelope, cheetas, elephants, hyenas, giraffes, warthogs(so cute!), cervals, porcupines, and all kinds of birds. I would LOVE to visit this place!!

The men will be home shortly after dark and, after showers, we'll heat the leftover soup and sit around being lazy for the last few hours of the day. I wish all our weekends were this restful.