Laurie's Everyday Notions

A friend posted on Facebook yesterday, "What's your word for 2012?" I love this. What one word would signify what I want to accomplish or see in the upcoming year? Oh, so many words came flooding to my mind. Yet this morning as I think of the goals that I started to create for myself during the weeks leading up to my  mid-life crisis , err, I mean birthday...the one word that summarizes it all is LESS. Less body fat, less exhaustion, less stress, less debt, less clutter, less wasted time which all leads to more. I know, less is kind of a boring word. It's not happiness or peace or any other "pretty" word. My word could be MORE or ABUNDANT (now that's a good word!) but then my focus would be on the end product. I want my focus to be on the journey. Less is the means to more. What's your word for 2012?

I'm addicted to my Nook, which I received from Hubs for my birthday (I know, didn't he do a great job??) and The Hunger Games trilogy. Both of my kids have been encouraging me to read The Hunger Games, which I put off. When do I have time to read? Usually my reading consists of reading non-fiction, how-to books or trying to keep up with my favorite blogs. I have little time to read so when I do squeeze in some reading time I want it to be "educational" as in how is this going to help me better provide for my household. But then on a whim I decided to download the first book.....and then I couldn't put it down. Despite the guilt of "pleasure reading", I continued to spend my evenings reading. I was obsessed as I  was pulled into the world of Panem. I was cheering on Katniss (yes, at one point I did audibly shout out, "YES!"). I was crying when she cried. My heart raced as she fought for survival. I loved her courage, her strength and her compa...

I'm blaming my daily email deals from Zulily as well as hormones (rash, hormonal decisions is one reason that I could never run for president) for my selfish purchase which I made a few weeks ago. I balanced my selfish purchase of shoes by also buying cloth diapers. But I think guilt caused me to promptly forget about the shoes. I was pretty excited this morning when UPS dropped off a big box, although I thought the box would contain new cloth diapers. I was even more excited when I opened the box and found the new shoes that I had forgotten all about! My shoes arrived on a day which wipes all the guilt away. :) What a sweet surprise. Happy Birthday to Me. BTW, don't you think my chickens are going to LOVE my new mud boots??

The big 4-0 was really no biggie for me. In fact I welcomed it as a passage, a new stage of life. When I turned 41 it bothered me a little. Since I can never remember my age, when asked how old I was I'd respond with a shrug and a "I don't know...I'm "OVER 40". The sound of it made me cringe. With my birthday fast approaching, I've been filled with anxiety. The difference between 40 and 42? I'm feelin' it. I am tired, my body aches and the impending doom of menopause has me shaking in my tennis shoes. The past couple of weeks I have been making a mental list of the changes that I want to make in my 42nd year. Maybe if I share my list I will feel a little more accountable. Then again, maybe I won't. But I'll share anyway. PHYSICAL HEALTH Eat less, move more. Less sugar, more real food. Go to bed earlier (I know, that thought makes me SOUND old but I know that it will help me FEEL young). FINANCIAL HEALTH Spend less, save more. I ain...

My first dishcloth!! Last week I took a class to learn how to crochet a dishcloth. For the first hour of class I really struggled and if it wasn't for pride I would have walked out and never picked up a crochet hook again. But I had to prove to these ladies that I was smart enough to figure this out. Since the class I have made five, maybe six, dishclothes. I'm hooked. I sit in front of the tv at night and crochet away. My fingers, which often have problems with cramping and numbness, have adjusted to this new activity and seem to be working better. At least my fingers are getting some exercise. For some reason I can't get the edges quite straight so I'm not sure if these will be used for Christmas gifts...maybe next year when I've perfected the art of dishcloth-making! Four tutus down and seven to go. My first attempt didn't go so well. I was tightening the tulle too much and trying to squash too many strips of tulle onto the tutu. The tutu was...

Chili, burrito pie, and my lunch (burrito pie served on top of spring greens and tomatoes. I try to make meat stretch by adding starches, veggies and/or beans. On Sunday, after a two week grocery strike in which I only prepared foods found in my freezer and pantry, I bought my groceries for the week. I know all the planners and home organization/management gurus stress the importance of menu planning BEFORE grocery shopping but I do it a little backwards. I had a vague menu planned before heading out but my planning often occurs in the meat department after I find what meats are CHEAP. I would love to say that I buy only organic, grass fed meats but my budget doesn't make this a reality. Compromise is sometimes necessary. So on Sunday night I found that ground beef was cheap ($2.24/lb) and I also found a 4lb. ham on sale for $5.99. Now I was able to come up with a menu and shop for the needed supplies. I bought two pounds of ground beef which created two b...

I'm sure some of you are familiar with the "Elf on the Shelf" book which comes with an elf. That's not our elf. I'm too cheap...I mean frugal. The book/elf combo costs around $30. Last month I found an elf (with no book) at Hobby Lobby. On sale for under three bucks. It pays to be cheap. The day before Thanksgiving I introduced the daycare kiddos to our new house elf. I told them that he was Santa's helper and that he would be watching to make sure we all get on the "good list". I did not put much emphasis on this as I try to focus more on Jesus than Santa. Instead I made a big deal out of the fact that he was OUR elf so we had to pick a name for him and that he'd be traveling around the house at night so every morning we would have to look for him. The kids have had so much fun with both of these tasks. When I asked for suggestions they all started yelling out names. I threw in the suggestion of adding something "Christmas-y" such ...

........hides my little store of food.

  Much like the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum , the Creation Museum far surpassed my expectations and was so incredibly amazing! The Creation Museum is located just over the Indiana and Ohio borders in Petersburg, Kentucky. The Boy and I had planned on getting up early so we could go for a swim before spending the entire day to explore the museum but I had a hard time getting him out of bed........  I let him sleep in a bit, we skipped the swim and arrived shortly after the 9am opening of the Creation Museum. The place was already packed! The Creation Museum made the Bible come to life as we visited exhibits of Eden, the building of the ark, figures of prophets, the Tower of Babel and more. Every exhibit was filled with biblical truths and scriptures that portrayed the amazing love that God has for us. Adam in the Garden of Eden Noah planning the ark Building of the ark Noah on the ark  Isaiah with his namesake DINOSAURS..........  Sn...

I've shared before that I don't spend a lot of money on haircare. I make my own shampoo, I don't use any other products in my hair and I get my hair cut once or twice a year. The Boy on the other hand will only have Barber Dave cut his hair. Granted this doesn't cost me a great deal of money. He likes to grow his hair a little shaggy between cuts so he averages about two to four haircuts per year. However NO ONE but his beloved barber can touch his hair. Except in 2009 when I somehow convinced The Boy to buzz his hair......and now (now meaning in October...yes, I'm a little behind).    Summer 2009 ~ LOOK it's my little boy!       Fall 2011     The Finished Look (man, I need to finish that hoop rug) and WHO IS THIS YOUNG MAN?? 

A couple of years ago I stumbled across The Homeschool Buyer Co-op. which is not only a free homeschooling organization for homeschoolers but also a source in which to purchase curriculum, supplements and homeschooling supplies at a discounted price. Sometimes these discounted prices are HUGE! This morning I ordered HISTORY Multimedia Classroom, Western Europe set, which retails for $110, for $39.99! YEAH! Here's what the History store says about this series: "Explore Western Europe through a look at the Middle Ages, the birth of the Italian Renaissance and the reign of Elizabeth I. The Western Europe 3 pack Lesson Plan Set includes The Plague, Da Vinci and the Renaissance and Elizabethan England. These CD-ROM lesson plans include short video clips organized by theme, primary source documents, maps, and other historical images, discussion and review questions, internet-based student activities and more."     Check it out the other materials available at The H...