How to Eat Toast

Pick up your toast and take a bite...Set it down...

Take a drink of water...

Lick your thumb when you realize you got jam on it...

Look at your toast as you take a bite..Look back to see what's on the television...Look at your mom as you take a bite...Suddenly realize she is taking pictures of you...

Make an ugly face...

Quit eating your toast.

Energy Leak

I have this problem.
It's symptoms look like thisand
this

and
this

I've diagnosed it as an energy leak.
Any suggestions on how to plug it?

It started with the pregnancy of my first "nestling" and it seems
to increase with each subsequent "nestling" born. Funny how that happens.

Although, this week my energy leak may have something to do with the fact that I've been dealing with sickies all week--holding hair, throw up pan, and plastic bag(in the car) for four "nestlings,"and oh the diapers, the liquid diapers. I won't even go there.
Now I'm not feeling so hot myself.

Speaking of energy, did you see Nadya Suleman (Octomom) on Oprah earlier this week?
(I'm thankful the "husbird" dvr's Oprahs for me)
Anyways, that lady has energy. Her life makes mine look like a cake walk.
I think some people inherently have more energy, like the "husbird's" sister.
She can run circles around me. She can function on very little sleep.
I'm always amazed by how much energy she has.

On another note, today I had to spell BEANO for someone's word verification. Does that mean something?
I hope not, but I have been sick lately, so maybe so. I hate word verification.
Half the time I get the word wrong and have to redo it.

Homemade Laundry Soap

I decided to try making laundry detergent from scratch.
It was really easy, works great, and saves a bundle.
If you're interested here's the recipe I used:
(from Made with Love and Glue)

Liquid Laundry Soap-Family Sized Batch

Water

1 bar grated Fels Naptha soap

5 gallon bucket

1 cup washing soda (Arm and Hammer)

1 cup 20 Mule Team Borax

4 1/2 gallons water

Put grated Fels Naptha in saucepan and cover with water. Heat on low until dissolved. Fill bucket 1/2 way with hot water and add soap. Stir to combine. Add 1 cup washing soda and 1 cup borax and mix well. Fill bucket with more HOT water (I added enough water so it reaches the rings near the top of the bucket) As it cools, it will thicken.
If mixture becomes too thick, add hot water to thin it to desired consistency. May be used immediately. Mix well before each use.
Use 1/2(normal) to 1 cup per load (heavy). Cost per load .04

TIP: The above recipes will NOT make suds in your washer so don't be alarmed. Fels Naptha Soap is a pure soap and typically makes little or no suds in the water. This makes it perfect for use in the new HE washers as well as traditional washers. You will also notice the need to either reduce your laundry softener or in most cases you can even eliminate the use of softener completely, depending on your preference.

I ladled some from the 5 gallom bucket into an old apple juice container,
so it's easier to use everyday.
I had a hard time finding the Fels Naptha soap.
I finally found it at Winco for $1.06 a bar.

It looks like a vat of lemonade, so as long as someone doesn't drink it

then maybe we'll have clean laundry. Maybe ......if I do it.
Happy Washing!

Happy Things

I was so excited to see that

The Shabby Nest gave me some linky love for my towel tags.
Thanks Wendy!

I won a giveaway a few months back from Compound Eye of a Dragonfly. My friend Samantha sent me two fabulous signs, one says PEACE and one says HOPE.
I hung my PEACE sign in front of a little shutter.
Compound Eye is having a giveaway right now for some cute scrapbook items.

Then, recently, I won this gorgeous crystal pendant necklace from Glitter and Bliss.

Mine is like this one, but has the "nestlings" names on it.
They love that it has their names on it.
One of these necklace's would make a great gift for someone you love.

Thanks gals for making my days happy!

From the Jungle

On Saturday my son "T" came in the house and
handed me flowers he had searched for in the "jungle."

That's what we call the land behind our home.
Even though it's just dirt, trees, and rocks.

He said,"Happy Late Mother's Day."
I kindly told him that mothers day isn't until a couple of weeks.
He said,"Well, then Happy Early Mother's Day."

I proudly displayed them in vase.
When he saw how happy I was he promptly went back outside to look for some more.
I'm not usually much of a flower girl, because I'm way too practical, but when they're free from the jungle and from a "nestling" that spent his time gathering them,
I'll take them and smile every time I look at them.

The Trick to the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

You may already know, but for those of you who don't,

the secret to the most delicious chocolate chip cookies is...
drumroll please...
butter and Crisco.
I didn't ever buy Crisco and then I ate the best chocolate chip cookies at a social gathering and I asked the lady who made them for her recipe and she told me her trick was to use 1/2 butter, 1/2 Crisco.
I tried it and it works.
Here's the recipe I've been making lately.
I think it's the same as the Nestle Tollhouse recipe.

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups all purpose flour

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine flour, baking soda and salt.
In another bowl, combine softened butter with shortening, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Beat until creamy. Beat in egg.
Gradually add flour mixture and mix well.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Bake on a ungreased cookie sheet for 8 to 10 minutes.

Note: I take them out of the oven before they start to turn dark. Do not double this recipe, or they don't bake soft. Can make this recipe for bars too. Spread dough into greased 9x13 inch pan.
Bake them at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 15-20 minutes.

For years I've tried to find a great recipe for chocolate chip cookies.
The Crisco and the butter together make it so the cookies are
just the right amount of softness and not flat.
Let me know if you make them.
Enjoy!

Linking to Tasty Tuesday.

Whose Towel is Whose?

At our "nest" we like to use white towels. I love that they can be bleached and laundered easily. The only problem with that is that we can never tell whose towel is whose, so when I ran across this color coded towel tag idea from
Martha Stewart I was excited to try it.

I bought 1o inches in four different colors of grosgrain ribbon
for the four "nestlings," of course.Then I made my own version.
In her directions she says to hand sew them, but I used my machine with
white thread on all of them, that way you can't see the thread on the white towel,
just on the ribbon.
She also says to use color fast ribbon, but I didn't even bother looking for that.
I've washed mine a couple of times with bleach and they've been fine.

I also sewed mine different than she said to do it.

Don't look too close. I'm embarrassed to show you this,
because I can't sew a straight line if my life depended on it.

Each child picked a color.
The little colored loops make it easier for the them to hang up their own towels too.

I love seeing them all hanging in a row,
but the best part is knowing whose towel is whose.

Sofa Dilemma

Do you remember this sofa from my fix it post?

It has seen better days.
Both seat cushions have tears in them and a little bit of the fabric
on the arms is worn out.
It cost a lot and is a really comfortable, good quality (except the fabric) sofa,
so I don't want to get rid of it.
The only problem is, it will cost $500 plus fabric to reupholster it, so
I bought a slip cover for $49 from Ikea thinking it might work.
It almost did.
The back fits perfectly.
From what I can determine it has three problem areas.
Two of them I think I can fix, but the third one I would need to hire someone to fix.
First the skirt on the front isn't quite long enough.
I think that would be an easy fix since the slipcover is for a sofa bed it has no middle section, so I could just undo the seams and add a little to each side
or just add a whole new skirt (just the front section).
That would be pretty easy.

Second the arms aren't quite long enough, but if I add a little bit of fabric to the seam pictured below I think that will fix that.
Hopefully, cross my fingers.

The last problem is that the seat cushions are a little bit short.
I would have to hire someone to either add fabric to them or sew new ones altogether.
That would cost me $60 to $80.
It's weird that the back cushions fit great, but the seat cushions don't.

Here's a side view.

It's a risk to start cutting it up. What if it doesn't work? Then I'm stuck with a slipcover I can't return and still have to pay to have it reupholstered or a custom slipcover made. I really want a slipcover, so I can take it off and wash it.
Another option is to have someone sew me some new seat and
back cushions and leave the body of the couch as is.
I don't know if that would look silly though.
I don't know what to do. What would you do?

"Just a Girl"

I was so thrilled when I discovered that Chris featured
my "Nestling's Wing" on her blog.
You need to check out the amazing tree mural she painted in
her daughter's room and her super cute spring mantle.


It's been fun having new visitors.
I'm excited to get to know you!

Seeking

I've been doing a lot of this lately.
(image via google)

I'm trying to make a very important decision and
I want to know God's will for me.

Is my life complete with four "nestlings" or
is there another child yet to join our nest?
I always wanted four children,
beyond that has always been a question mark for me.

I was blessed to have two girls and two boys.
I like my even number.
My girls share a room. My boys share a room.
It's perfect.
(sunset from my kitchen window)

Why have another child then?
Well, while I feel content with my four "nestlings," the "husbird" wants more.
We both desire to know what God wants for us.
I'll let you know when we figure it out.


"As you submit your wills to God, you are giving Him the only thing you can actually give Him that is really yours to give. Don't wait too long to find the altar or to begin to place the gift of your wills upon it! No need to wait for a receipt; the Lord has His own special ways of acknowledging."
Neal A. Maxwell, "Remember How Merciful the Lord Hath Been," Ensign, May 2004

WANTED:

SPRING.

I put together this spring vignette beckoning spring to come,
but it hasn't shown up yet.
Last week was spring break and it snowed most of the week.
Our Easter eggs hunts were in fast forward.
The "nestlings" grabbed as many eggs, as fast as they could and got back in the car.
It was freezing.
I hope your Easter was warmer than ours.
Please come soon Spring.
I have painting to do and "nestlings" that want to be outside.

Linking to Nesting Place.

Dear Little Caesars,

Although your pizza isn't quite as good as some pizza places one of the things you have going for you is $5 pizza. I occasionally buy an inexpensive pizza from you, but the thing I love most about you is your mascot, aka "the pizza guy."
Since you're right outside my neighborhood,
I drive past you daily, usually more than once and sometimes "the pizza guy" is outside waving a sign and this delights my four year old "C."

She looks for you everyday and her face lights up when she sees you. The pizza guy has been missing for over a week now. I don't know if he went on vacation or what, but I am hoping he'll be back soon so I can see my little girl smile as we pass by.

P.S. Thank you for the free crazy bread coupons.

The "Nestlings" Wing

I had the hardest time figuring out what to do on the long wall that
runs along the outside of the "nestlings" bedrooms.

I found a book that one of "nestlings" made at preschool and was going to toss it,
then I had a light bulb moment, and thought

"I should frame the art on the wall outside the "nestling" rooms." Since it's not a prominent area of our home it doesn't matter that it's children's art.

I put a little red bench in the middle section to break up the length of the wall.
I showed the first two sections of the wall here and here.

In the last section I framed a large collage of photos of our family
the "husbird" made into a poster a few years back.
The kids art says, "Leaves change colors and Leaves fall down."

Now the "nestlings" have colorful, kid friendly walls to enjoy.