My Peacefully Chaotic Life

Well, all my little chickadees went to sleep by 8:00 and stayed asleep! In my last post I mentioned catching up on my housework if they did that. Didn't do it. My husband had sermon prep to work on tonight after he went on visitation. So we sat comfortably together, him working over at the desk, me enjoying an ENTIRE chick flick, plus a Milky Way he brought me that I did not even have to hide while I ate it! It was awesome! .....sorry, but it makes me a bit giddy to think of! Find joy in the small things in life. The big things don't come every day, in fact there are no promises of BIG things that are joyful. Choose to find something to be happy and positive about every day. A few things I noticed today: 1. That Milky Way I mentioned. 2. The fact that hubby thought to get it for me just because he thought I might like one. 3. The curve of LadyBug's cheek and the twinkle in her eye when she laughed this afternoon. 4. Holding the FlowerChild and rocking her to sleep tonight. ...

Sick children in the house! Runny noses...coughing....sore throat....as their doctor said his father used to say when coming out of the church nursery when people brought their sick children...unclean!unclean! My babies are just pitiful sick this week. They feel so bad and all they want is to be held or snuggle under their blankets and watch movies. Cornbread had a well baby checkup Tuesday (like when he was WELL) and at that point Ladybug was sick so I let the doctor check her out too. He gave us samples of some medicine that he is hoping will bring some relief. Now all my little ones are sick with it so I figure it is only a matter of time before the whole family has it. My house is a wreck but I have that big pot of Pasta E Fagioli in the fridge so at least I am not worrying with cooking anything tonight. Maybe I can catch up a little on the housework if my cuties go to sleep later. At least if they actually sleep at the same time! Otherwise I will continue to snuggle under a pile o...

All of us managing a home probably run into the same thing. I'm tired of the same old thing, what can I cook? It's fun to swap menu ideas, recipes, time/money saving ideas, etc. So, in that spirit I thought I might share our menu. What's on yours this week? MONDAY Leftovers: Santa fe soup for adults, homemade pizza for children TUESDAY Pasta e fagioli, salad, breadsticks WEDNESDAY Roasted crockpot chicken, stovetop stuffing, blackeye peas with corn THURSDAY I'll be using the leftover chicken to make: chicken pot pie, salad FRIDAY Grilled cumin pork loin, grilled avocado stuffed with apple-chipotle salsa, rice WEEKEND I'll be using the leftover pork to make: Mexican green chilie stew, pork enchiladas, and BBQ sandwiches

Do you ever wonder what goes on at the preacher's house after church on Sunday night? Ha, well how about a peek? Tonight was a madhouse as we got supper cooked (eggs, grits, toast), fed the baby, checked on the puppies, they were out of their tent, got the puppies back in their tent, fed the dogs, ate, got the children wound down, baby asleep....whew! So now the girls are helping peel boiled eggs for us to pickle. Ever eaten pickled eggs? Their conversation is so funny. LadyBug: What kind of eggs is this? Daddy: It's a chicken egg. LadyBug: EEWWW! FlowerChild: What? It's just an egg. LadyBug: Chicken egg is gross. Mama: Do you like scrambled eggs? LadyBug: Yes but NOT chicken eggs. FlowerChild: But you alread- Mama: (calls name) FlowerChild: But she- Daddy: (calls name) FlowerChild: But I just want to tell her one thing. You ate- Mama and Daddy: (call name) Mama: It's not necessary to tell her everything right now. LadyBug: Well, chicken eggs is gross. FlowerChild: (ve...

Well, anyone reading my profile can see I don't use our real names on here favoring nicknames instead. But the nicknames tell a little something about each of us as any of you who know us IRL could testify to! For me, Everybody's Mama fits because as I said in a previous post I have a tendency to mother everyone around whether it is in hugs, listening, counseling or cooking! I love to have a house full at any given time. Sure it can get rowdy and that can be nervewracking to say the least...but for me family extends beyond just biological ties. I tend to be a quiet person so I guess that is how the noise comes out, I just surround myself with it! The FisherMan...well, for all my quiet personality he is the other side of the coin! I call him that because yes, he does love to fish but also as a play on words since he is a pastor, a fisher of men. I once described him like this. When he isn't around everything is shades of gray, black and white. But when he is here it all ligh...

Do you like the soup, salad and breadsticks at Olive Garden? Soooo good! I love the latest one Chicken Gnocchi (sp?) It isn't for those who are dieting or at least those sticking to a diet (wink) but it is delicious. So I was hoping to find a good recipe for it that I could tweak to be healthier, fewer calories and cheaper. I didn't find one but I did find one similar to the Pasta E Fagioli. That is the one that is sort of like chili. I haven't tried it yet so I don't know if it will be good but I thought I would share it here. I'm going to try it next week. With so much icy weather out there maybe some of you would like to give it a try too! 1 1/2 t oil 1 lb ground beef 6 oz chopped onion 7 oz slivered carrots 7 oz diced celery 24 oz can diced tomatoes 1 cup red kidney beans 1 cup white beans 44 oz beef broth 1 1/2 t oregano 1 1/4 t pepper 2 1/2 t fresh chopped parsley 3/4 t hot sauce 24 oz spaghetti sauce 4 oz shells pasta Saute ground beef. As it starts to brown ...

When there's a lot to be done and children around that is the approach to take. A little at a time. Remember yesterday's to-do list? Well, I picked it up again today and added to it! We homeschooled today which was a challenge to say the least! The FlowerChild was short on attention but big on attitude! We finally had a life discussion and surprisingly it helped. At least long enough to finish her schoolwork! :) I finished some more laundry today but didn't get to the sheets. But the children's clothing and the towels are done. With this household laundry is a never ending chore! I also managed to get the house picked up, dusted, and vaccuumed. I still need to tackle our room and do this, too. But, hey that door will close if need be! I went over to the church this afternoon and worked in my Mission Friends room. FlowerChild got into working in there much more than schoolwork. She was quite a help and I could really tell she is growing up. We still have to finish up in ...