In addition...

I was just washing dishes and thinking about cleaning the countertops. I wondered if some of you might hesitate to use the homemade cleaner because you like the 'anti-bacterial' security of store bought cleaners.

Tip: cut meat and chicken on wax paper, then dump the meat/poultry in baking dish and toss.

(Saw this on Martha Stewart!)

Environmentally friendly way: save boxes of cereal and plastic bags that hold the cereal to use for cutting your meat and then toss when done. 

Saves money and a few trees :)

Who Needs a Swiffer????!!!!!

Ok I'm not sure how many friends and family are keeping up with our blog these days, especially since I took a bit of time off after Abraham. So, if you are regularly reading this, would you comment on this post so I can know who is out there and to keep posting? :0

Proverbs 31 Here we come!!!!!!

Tough times call for thrifty moms!! And since I have never been all together thrifty I am learning new tricks to save money and want to share as I learn. So here are a few things in my current repertoire.

Throw out your Swiffer Wet Jet!!

1. Get a .99 cent spray bottle at Walmart and fill it will this VERY cheap homemade cleaner. 

1 tsp borax

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp vinegar or lemon juice

1/4 tsp liquid dish soap

2 cups hot water

Then sweep your floor with your cheap broom. Squirt the floor with your spray bottle and mop with an inexpensive sponge mop. WORKS GREAT and is so quick and easy. use the extra money you save on a new dress!!!! (or the phone bill if you're like me :)

also, this works great on your kitchen and bathroom sinks as well!

2. Also you can make a really great laundry detergent with the borax, washing soda (NOT baking soda, totally different things) and a bar of ivory. The cost of all these items is the same, if not cheaper, than one bottle of regular washing liquid.

a. Look up this recipe for the detergent and vinegar fabric softener~ it really works! the smell goes away during the rinse cycle and they smell fresh.

b. If you don't want to process/don't have a processor then take a cheese grater and grate the bar of soap.

c. For whiter whites, wait until the washer stops filling and starts washing and add your bleach. 

If you feel like this is too much work~ then get the cheapest brand of laundry detergent, I think its Purex and a box of Washing Soda (big yellow box by Arm & hammer on same isle as laundry deter.) and use half the recommended liquid and add some W. soda. I PROMISE IT WORKS!!!!!

Save money and by a new dress! Love you all!!!!!!

Outside the Box

Well one of the big events of the summer was my birthday at the end of May. It was the first time I realized I am officially "outside the box" of 24 candles :(  I need 2 boxes of candles!!! This was a bit of a sad realization for me...  apparently this has been the situation for a while I just hadn't noticed.

Notice the blow torch in the top right corner that 29 candles creates. 

Clint, the arsonist, and Daniel watching the flame of age burn bright. 

  

Notice the haze of smoke as I try and blow out all those candles. 

And as always, Clint surprised me with a sweet display of birthday gifts that he wrapped himself. I thought he did a great job, don't you?

Perhaps my favorite part, a birthday wish from one of the cutest, sweetest gifts I have ever received. 

Really it was a sweet day. And while it was a bit of a shock that my age exceeds the number of candles in one box by about 5 years... Those five years have been the best of my life.  I found the greatest church in the greatest city, met my gorgeous husband, went to Paris, London, Mexico and China and had two of the most beautiful children I have EVER seen. So if that is what getting old has to offer, I welcome the next 5+ years, bags and sags. :) 

Praise the Lord for His Word and  His faithfulness to answer all His promises.

" To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of joy for mourning,

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness

That they may be called trees of righteousness

The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."

And they shall rebuild the old ruins,

they shall raise up the former desolations,

And they shall repair the ruined cities,

The desolations of many generations.

Isaiah 61:3-4

what a great life!

The Many Faces of Abraham

The "I'm on vacation and I can't believe you're feeding me peas!" face. (Needless to say he didn't eat them)

This appears to be the "how about no pictures now" face.

This is the "catch ya later need my beauty rest" face.

The "what up now! automatic sprinkler!" face. (Which he totally was for the first few months... see the onesie)

This, maybe one of my favorites, is the " I'm only four months and my dad just fed me vanilla icing while my mom wasn't watching..." face.

So Happy Together

So many people have asked, "So how are the boys adjusting to each other?"

Well this explains it all. Sweet.

p.s. after a bit of googling I discovered that the song So Happy Together is by The Turtles, not The Beatles. They wrote it making fun of Penny Lane and it was the only chart topper they had. Interesting little tid bit.

Wet-n- Wild!

One of our favorite things to do this summer was going to the Zoo.  Louisville has a great zoo with a water park right in the center. So we spent a lot of time there over the past few months. My mom bought us zoo passes for Aslan's birthday and we put them to good use.

Aslan loved the water park. Also notice our new obsession: Spiderman!

We had Spiderman shoes, swim shorts and even band-aids.

Who ever said boys aren't as fun as much fun to dress as girls must not have had any boys. :)

Moma and son resting after a full day of playing.

Clint and Aslan had some good play time. This really was Aslan's favorite thing about the summer.

Abraham was really great on our little trips. He usually just slept in the stroller or rode in the snugggly. He is such an easy baby with a sweet disposition. Love him to pieces!

P.S.

I forgot to mention why we were out of power-ha!

We had a wind storm from Ike and it was crazy!

We had to light candles every night to see. Clint laughed while walking with the candle stick and kept saying we were "kickin' it pilgrim style!" (we missed you atwoods~we kept thinking of things Trevor would say and random Keva isms' like 'cinders and ashes! etc..)

Clint made me laugh... he is so good :) he makes everything fun!

Pilgrim Style

First things first, my baby boy is beautiful! He is growing so fast!! He is rolling over and sitting up and is eating solids once a day with nursing meals. He sleeps about 11-12 hours straight and is so happy and very sweet. I love him to pieces!!

Now....
It has been a long time since we have updated you and we are so sorry!! But what a great and wonderful summer to catch you up on. 

But for now, I will start with the fact that we, and about 250,000 people, have been without power since SUNDAY!! 

This means no stove cooking, hot showers, clean laundry and (perhaps the most devastating) NO COFFEE MAKER!

In all seriousness, it was a blast. Everyone came out and spent time together and cooked on their grills. It is interesting how many things you can actually make on the grill. One sweet neighbor brought me coffee every morning that she made on her camp stove. 

Oh and for the first time in my life, I fired up the grill yesterday and cooked for about 8-10 kids and 4 adults and then again last night for 6! WOOT! All our husbands were working so I decided to get real rugged and brave the fires of our gas grill! I had so much fun. 

We got power again last night around 8pm and I have to admit I was a little sad. I enjoyed the community, candles and creativity.

More to come soon on our amazing summer! Love you all~