I want to make soap for christmas and need to know where to get supplies.  Anyone know of a good place to get supplies?  I am most interested in melt and pour type soap.

thanks

I think my cold is heading out.  Im still kind of congested but the nagging sore throat is gone and i don't feel so exhausted today.  Which is a good thing cause I will be babysitting the rest of the week starting at 10 am tomorrow.  I didn't get all of my housework done yesterday so I will be busy with that today.  The work needs to be done today because tomorrow I need to bake for thanksgiving (pot luck) dinner and that can take a long time with little extra little ones under foot.  I will be making a double batch of my 50 honey whole wheat rolls.  I need to get creative and come up with something else to take too.

I did manage to get my avon order out last night.  It was a good one for only my second order.  I hope to do well with it and be able to help my family financially especially with my husbands company shutting down for half of december.  It will be nice to have him home for the holidays but it will be a struggle financially.  This is the third time he has had two weeks off since the end of july.  I know it could be so much worse though, we thank God he still has a job durring this hard time.

I am starting to get excited about christmas.  I may even decorate for it this year.  I have always been one of those people who puts the tree up on christmas eve then takes it down as soon as the kiddos are done opening gifts.  This year I may leave it up longer!

have a great day!

Wow, its been a long time since I have written here!  Today I am catching up on housework.  I had a cold this weekend so I am behind.  I didn't feel like doing house work but I did get my avon website set up. it is here so check it out.  I just started selling avon a few weeks ago.  I got the winter clothes bins out to sort yesterday too.  The kiddos dumped them and played in the storage bins so I have to clean that up too.  I have a big load to take to goodwill.  We are able to get rid of every thing 3T and under in shirts and 2T and under in pants.  That will free up alot of space.

supper tonight will be bar-b-q chicken legs (in crock pot), sweet potatoes and rolls.  I had a good cupon for chicken so they were practically free!  Tomorrow we will have turkey breast and stuffing.  Hopefully I will get around to making an apple crisp.  Yummy!  I made a ton of applesauce last week so I hope to make some apple sauce cookies today too.  Friday I pick up my wheat for the winter so I am excited.  Homemade bread is so good.

have a great monday!

I am going to be participating in an organizing challenge.  Operation oranization works by choosing one area to organize per week for eight weeks.  Then you post before and after photos for a chance to win.  Click here to see more about how this challenge works and to join in!

I am going to start with my entry area this week.  There is a hallway where you walk in and we store all of the shoes there (not after this week) and a coat closet and a half bath.  I want to get this area done first because I think it will help with the school year starting soon.  Maybe the kiddos will actually put their backpacks and shoes in the closet instead of throwing them on the floor when they walk in! (a mom can dream, right?)

join in today, this should be fun.  I will take and post my before pictures tomorrow

I can't believe its august already!  This summer is going by so fast.  It doesn't seem possible that the girls start back to school in 17 days.  I havn't even begun to school supply shop yet (except for a few boxes of crayons and glue sticks cheap at walmart.)  The kids are going to public school this year.  We were going to start homeshooling again and today would have been first day, but for reasons I wont bore you with we changed our minds.  I got pretty depressed about it for a while but am coming around now.

My oldest will be going to middle school this year.  She is so excited.  We will be going to orientation to learn all about it and she will get to find out her homeroom teacher then.  I hope she gets in class with a few of her freinds from elementary school. 

My middle daughter will be going to first grade which means all day school for the first time.  She is looking forward to this alot.  She has always wanted to eat lunch at school and have recess every day.  First grade was my oldest's favoirte year so im sure it will be good.  My youngest is old enough now to take along on all the field trips so it will be fun for all of us.

Anyway, we had a great time at camp and nationals.  All three kiddos got a first place for their pom routines.  It was so cool. Fair was good too.  Oldest got a's on her 4-h projects except for one, I screwed up the dates and missed her judging.  Talk about guilt!  Other than that it was nice.  We went nearly every day and we even bought the kiddos ride bands one evening.  They rode their hearts out, eventually my 3 year old was falling asleep on the rides!  We watched something called bus racing.  It was so neat, these school busses were racing in a figure 8 track and they were ramming each other the whole way!  It was like a demolition derby with busses.

I think I have mentioned on my blog before that I have been dieting and excersizing alot lately.  Well I am really starting to see results.  31 pounds gone!  From 1X shirts and a muffin top stomach pouring over tight size 14 jeans to size 6 pants and medium shirts.  The best part is I feel healthier than I have in ages.  Some day I might get brave and post before and after pics!

I have so much work to do today.  Need to get off here.  Have a good day all!

Our weekend was pretty quiet.  We had to cancell all of our plans because my youngest daughter was sick.  Went to the doctor this morning and it is strep.  3 of us have it now.  While we were there, the doctor found a heart murmur in my youngest that has never been there before.  We have to go to the hospital to have some tests done wednesday.  I am praying it is a functional murmur and not more than that.

Paul was gone all weekend got back last nite.  He set a live trap for me and we caught another coon out at the coops.  I hate to have to get rid of them, but I can't let them destroy all of the hens.  My baby banti chicks got cocci and I lost two so far.  I got antibiotics in there as quick as I could once I caught it but it was too late for two roos. 

I am on our way out to the chiropractor and to pick up meds.  Hopefully I will get home in time to hang another load of laundry on the line.  Our dryer died and Paul goes on a two week lay off starting this friday so the line will have to do.

I have been reading some new blogs lately (new to me, anyway).  I have gotten some good information from them.  The first one is DeNice at www.organizedhomemakingforchrist.blogspot.com. She shares some neat videos.  One is a tour of her home with some cleaning tips and then a weeks worth of days in the kitchen with recipes.  I want to try the baked oatmeal, it sounds so good.  She is also doing a bloggy give away right now so go visit her blog soon.

Some other nice blogs are http://www.pennypinchinmomma.blogspot.com.  She gives lots of nice ideas about cutting costs.  www.givingbacktohim.blogspot.com gives alot of good kroger deal info. and cupon links.  Then one I just discovered today is www.tightwadtess.blogspot.com.  She gives lots of good money saving links and videos on how to cook depression style, give home haircuts, etc.

hope you enjoy

So far this morning, I have done feed chores and let everyone out.  I also collected eggs and watered the garden and outdoor plants.  I put a few cantelope plants in the garden.  They were the last plants I got to fill the spaces where my seeds didn't come up.

I need to get my house work done today.  I have washed one load of laundry and its ready to go into the dryer.  I want to pick up downstairs, sweep and mop.  I have to haul some clothes from the bedrooms to the basement for the yard sale next month.  I also need to make jam with some strawberries that my grandma sent down from her garden.

here is a picture I took yesterday of my chicks that hatched out several weeks ago.  They are a mix of my white leghorn bantam hen and my mille fleur d'ullce rooster.  They are getting ready to move outside this weekend

Today is the first day in a very long time where we don't have to go anywhere!  (except dh he is working this morning helping a friend) I have so many things I want to get done today. 

I need to get out to the garden and plant some pepper and squash plants that I got to fill in the spaces where my seeds failed from the cold dry snap last month.  I desprately need to weed the front garden.  I also need to mow if its dry enough.  This afternoon when hubby is home we will finish the chickens new runs.  This will be nice because I can finally get the brooder babies outside! 

I have to run laundry today, hopefully I can get some of it outside on the line to dry.  I also need to do some housework.  Maybe I can get some clothes boxed up from my closet and put down into the basement to make room for the smaller summer clothes (yippee, 18 lbs down!!) 

The next several days we will be eating food my oldest daughter prepares for suppers to complete her 4h project.  She has made some really good meals so far so we are looking forward to the next 5 nights.  Tonite it is potatoe topped beef stew.  She has 3 more menus to follow after that then she has to create her own stew recipe.

got to get busy!

I had a great trip to kroger for the tripple cupon event

I got:

8 cans of crescent rolls

3 bags of flipz pretzels

2 bottles spray and wash

1 hand soap

1 jello 10 calorie pack (my new best friends)

1 large tub country crock margerine

1 bottle tobasco sauce

1 box bandaids

2 bottles lysol 4 in 1 spray cleaner

1 bottle lysol antibacterial kitchen cleaner

1 bottle lysol bathroom cleaner

2 each suave shampoo and conditioners

and 1 bottle of suave mens shampoo plus conditioner

my total before cupons was - $48.80.  I paid - $13.59!  Not bad even though I forgot to use my crescent roll cupons which would have gotten me $2.20 more off, oh well.  I did get in a few other times and take advantage of the yoplait .45 off 6 cupon and the 50 cents off suave deoderant cupons (with the deod. at 1.19 I got two free!)

Two of my daughters had a graduation recently.  Last week Ali graduated from kintergarden and yesterday Liv graduated from 5th grade.  Here are some pics

ali with her graduation cap 

Liv with her homeroom teacher

I can't beleive that this school year is over already!  It seems like just yesterday we were picking out backpacks and school supplies.  Ali was sad to leave kintergarden, but excited to be going to school all day next year.  She can't wait to buy a lunch.  Liv is very excited to be going to the middle school, but a bit worried about the very early school bus.  Of course Im worried about the big school, high school boys next door, peer  pressure, Oh boy. 

So far its been a slow morning.  I got olivia on the bus and off to school and the other kiddos are still asleep.  I have had a nice opportunity to have a cup of coffee and enjoy reading up on blogs and my email.  There are a few blogs I like to read whenever I get a chance to get on the computer, they are www.keepingthechristianhome.com, www.moneysavingmom.com, www.homesteadmomma2.blogspot.com and http://www.organizedhomemakingforchrist.blogspot.com.  I also check out www.stretchingabuckblog.com whenever I get ready to go grocery shopping.  I like her links in the side bar where u can just click on the store of your choice and she has all of the cupon deals listed and links to printable cupons matched with the sales ad for the week.  Go visit them if you get a chance.

Today I will be cleaning house and baking some bread in the morning.  I also need to run a few loads of laundry and soak some beans for tonites supper.  This afternoon I will be picking up the girls from school then heading into town.  My daughters want to get flowers for their teachers. 

Tomorrow is alison's kintergarden graduation.  She is excited but sad at the same time.  She has loved this school year.  I am happy that we sent her. We planned on homeschooling, which I sometimes miss, but she wanted to go so badly we sent her.  She has really blossomed this year.  She also learned to read very well.  At first I didn't like their learning to read program, but now it is nice to see her pick up any book off the kids bookshelf and read it!  She has even started to work her way through a junie b jones book. 

Time for me to get to work!  have a good day

Things have been so busy around here lately!  The kids have one more week of school left then we can slow down and enjoy life for a while.  That will be nice because right now it feels like we live in the van driving from one activity to another. 

We bought chicks and ducks at tsc in march and they are just big enough to go outside.  My hatchlings should be able to go out in a week or two.  We had to reconstruct the coup last weekend and move them out.  The ducks had to get a new more secure run because of a coon attack a few weeks ago.  In all the years we have been here (14 years in september) this is the first coon we have had.  He took a chunk out of one of my ducks backs, but it is healing nicely.  We trapped and destroyed the coon yesterday.

I got both gardens planted.  I planted them two weeks apart so it would stagger the harvest.  I hope that makes it easier for canning and freezing this year.  The front garden has garlic, onions, spinach, raddishes, green yellow and lima beans, cilantro, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce and peas all planted as seeds/bulbs. It also has cauliflour, broccoli, tomatoes, sweet banana peppers and cherry tomato plants from the greenhouse.  The back garden has all plants - tomatos, pumpkins, watermellon, acorn yellow and butternut squash, zucchini and hot peppers from the greenhouse.  It also has some onion sets and some multi-color peppers and multi-color heirloom tomatos that I started a few weeks ago in the house. 

We went to the zoo last weekend to see the new baby elephant.  Unfortunantly by the time we got there they had put it away for the day.  The girls twirled baton in the parade on monday.  It was nice because Claire walked the whole way and we didn't have to carry her this time!

We had baton on monday, baton private lessons and orchestra on tuesday.  Olivia played violin in the school orchestra concert on wednesday and 4H was thursday. Friday we all had to be at the school at 9am. Alison's kintergarden class had nursery rhyme olimpics in the morning and I volunteered to run one of the games.  It was a cute game called hickety pickety egg race.  The kids had to crab walk race with plastic eggs tucked under their chin from buckets to a hula hoop "nest" .  After that was track and field day at the park in the afternoon.  We went to a birthday party today, and are now back at home waiting for Paul (dh) to get home.  He has been on a trip since thursday so we have been missing him.

We have had all 11 of our cats in for several days because of the coon traps and alfalfa mowing so we are looking forward to letting them outside tomorrow.  They are so ornerey and I have had enough of them jumping on the furniture and shelves and dressers knocking things down.  Not to mention, their constantly meowing to go outside!  I am also excited to move the 4 youngest chicks and mallard duckling outside.  That means no more brooders to clean!!!

Tonite I still have to finish cooking supper, get everything ready for church, fold and put away several loads of laundry, and do feed chores.  Also we are re-setting the live trap to see if we get any more coons.  Hopefully after church tomorrow I can bake some bread and get the rest of the laundry done.  I will also try to get back on soon and post some recent pictures.

see ya

yesterday while I was cleaning the small chicken coup I let the chickens out to range for the first time.  They loved it!  They hatched out on september 1st and have just started laying.  Here are some pictures I took while they were out:

heres most of the gang.  I found the two eggs on the pen floor while i was cleaning.  only one hen has managed to find the nest box so far.

this is my roudy rooster. He is a bantam white leghorn and is much smaller than the picture makes him look.  He doesn't let his size bother him though, he is the king of the flock.  He is also a very good protector of his hens.

this is my tiny, timid rooster.  he is a bantam mille fleur.  he has a very sweet personality and loves to be held.  He will even sit in my lap and go to sleep.  He is scared of everything and is the first one into the coup to hide.

i think this is my prettiest hen.  she is a standard size americana.  Im still waiting for that first blue egg.

the girls call this black frizzle bantam mrs. frizzle.  she is a very moody bird and pecks my hands when I put out feed or water.  she is funny to watch because she waddles and doesnt seem to understand steps, she just keeps walking and rolls off the step and then just keeps on going like nothing ever happened

 these are my blue and blue splash andilusions.  I had a black and blue roo that went with them but I lost him last week.

last picture, this little bantam leghorn was so excited to go out she laid an egg right in the grass and just kept on eating!

hope you enjoyed my pictures.

joyful homemaker

long time no blog.  we just went through a bad cold then strep durring the busiest part of the girls baton competition season.  here is a picture update of some of the things we have been doing:

the girls home meet on valentines day

 my valentines day gift from hubby

met strawberry shortcake at mcdonalds and had happy meals

olivias orchestra concert

having fun at paul's fishing awards banquet

the girls zanesville meet

my pullets (hatched sept. 1) started laying

staff vs. student hockey game at school last friday

destination imagination saturday (they are dressed as chamelions)

This was followed by a trip to the zoo but I forgot my camera in the van so no pics.

joyful homemaker

I have been thinking about next years curriculum.  It will be our first full year of homeschooling.  We are headed to convention in april in cincinatti.  I dont want to make the mistake I did last year and buy all from one vendor.  My daughter was overwhelmed by all workbook work all day long.  It was boring for her and the testing in all subjects every friday was just to overwhelming.  I want to work with a variety this year and keep things interesting so that I dont wind up feeling frustrated and send her back to school half way through the year again. 

I will be teaching 6th grade, 1st grade and preschool.  My oldest has mixed feelings about homeschool (I dont blame her after I failed her last year). My first grader and preschooler cant wait.

I am leaning towards bob jones for engligh and spelling, christian light or abeka for math and christian light for learning to read and first grade reading and deep into the heart of reading for all the kids reading. As far as science and history I am debating doing my own thing.  I own shelves full of beautiful science and history books.  I thought of buying a rod and staff text book in each subject to use as a basic guide and we are also borrowing noeo science chemistry 1.  I also like the look of christian liberty press history. As for preschool I am going to use a combo of abeka, rod and staff workbooks and things like a felt board, bulletin board, puzzles, blocks, etc.  I got some nice felt numbers and letters and whatnot from a give away table last.supper at the public school my kiddos attend now.

I want to do some unit studies for fun, some history pocket books and some nice local field trips.  We are also hoping to join a co-op for some extra gym and art.  The girls already have baton twirling for alot of their gym and they play soccer in the spring and fall.  We have good friends (hi meghan and addy!) that we are hoping to do alot of activities with next year.  I am also going to start a keepers of the faith club and teach the kids a home ec course because I really feel they will need these skills most no matter where life takes them.  I am going to make a binder for each child to keep their work in for evaluation at the end of the year and we are hoping to scrapbook a yearbook.

I am worried I am trying to do too much, not enough I dont know.  I just want this year to go so much better than last.  I dont want to let my daughters down again.

joyful homemaker

I am doing something different this month with our menu planning.  I have been stocking up on groceries since before christmas and now every cupboard is stuffed.  Also the freezers and fridge are packed and the overflow shelf in the laundry room is full.  Now its time to eat it all.  I am not grocery shopping durring the month of February other than the necessities.  So, heres my menu for the week:

Monday - crock pot chilli soup and cornbread

Tuesday - Tacos with homemade salsa and guacamole

Wednesday - french toast and scrambled eggs

Thursday - salisburry steak mashed potatoes and carrots

Friday - manicotti with green beans and garlic bread

Saturday - potatoe soup with fresh baked bread

Sunday - Chicken and cornbread casserole

joyful homemaker

I so need to get back into a good routine.  It seems things have been crazy since the holidays but now its time to get back on track.  Even though we are still quite busy, I feel like I can get a good schedule going now.  The house needs reorganized.  I need to go thru the old toys and whatnot and get rid of some since there are new things from christmas.  I also went a little overboard on my efforts to stock the pantry and freezers and now we need to eat it!

Today I want to get alot done.  I need to put away several loads of laundry I did yesterday but never put away.  I also want to clean and sweep/mop the entire downstairs so that tomorrow I can get the bedrooms back in order.

I also want to start working out again.  I have gotten so fat lately and its time to get the weight off.  I want to lose 25 or 30 pounds.  I dont want to get super skinny or anything I just want to feel better and not have to struggle to fit into clothes and look decent.  I also want my energy back.

Here is a sneak peek at what I have been working on lately.  If i get the house all straitened back up the next few days and finish decorating  I want to post pictures.  I have always wanted to do one of those house tours that I see on other blogs.

have a great day!

What a long day.  I took four of my cats to the vet today.  Three spays and one neuter.  They are doing well but very groggy and their back legs are still quite wobbly.  I am not looking forward to doing all the pain meds tomorrow morning.

It was also very cold today, there was a heavy frost on everything this morning.  It is supposed to be warmer tomorrow, if you can call 51 warm.  It will be nice for the animals though.

I have tons of laundry to put away tomorrow.  I washed everything today but didn't get it folded or put away yet.  I also need to bake some bread, we have been out for a few days.  I am excited to use my new bosch mixer for the first time!

What a busy crazy week I have had.  Im glad this one is almost over.  I have to worm my chickens today and Im not looking forward to it.  We found out the hard way that letting the kids dig up earthworms and feed them to the chickens can actually give the hens worms  With dh out of town, I have to do this myself today and Im dreding it.  Also we cant use the eggs for at least two weeks.

My housework is behind so that is what I will be doing today.  All day.  Hopefully I will get done at a decent time and I can set up my new bosch mixer and play!  I would like to bake a few loaves of bread and some cinamon rolls.