Boy "Crafts."

It's been a long week around these here parts. 
Not bad - just long. 
And slightly hairy.

As in taking-three-hoolies-by-myself-to-the-midwife hairy and getting-shot-895-times-by-Kaden's-new-dart-gun hairy.

And also as in taking-three-hoolies-errand-shopping-by-myself hairy...and long-days-for-Daddy-at-work-which-make-for-long-days-at-home-for-me hairy.

Nothing necessarily out of the ordinary, mind you.
Just a wee bit nuts.

Give me one day here or there where I take all three darlings somewhere out and about all by myself, and I am happily set for another month of staying at home - well within our own little happy spaces of knowing boundaries and where Hooliganism can run wild and unlimited...

And they are not even bad boys.  They are all actually quite sweet and for the most part, really have little hearts that honestly desire to please.  There is just something about new territory, and of maybe just getting "out" that seems to push an "impy" button or three.  Jesse, especially seems to take an extra crazy pill on our excursions out and about...and his big brother Kaden seems to find this most hilarious...which just gives Jesse more fuel for his fire.

And Ransom always seems to have to use the bathroom - as in go #2 - at the most inopportune times....and this child is a marathon pooper.  So, we're talking like twenty minutes plus - be it wherever we are.  Like say, smack dab in the middle of my midwife appointment when he declares his intentions for another go around.  And believe you me - there is absolutely no rushing this child.  And so we all sit....and we wait....while he loudly gives us his play by play from inside the bathroom.  Glory be....

Anyway, I digress...

Needless to say, today was a much needed catch-up, hang at home, and re-find our rhythm kind of a day. And once the world righted itself again, and after I found my sanity that was in hiding for the better part of this week, when the boys asked if we could "make something" today, I was (mostly) all for it. 

We went to my dear friend Rachael's house last week, and the boys spent the better part of the day downstairs in her girls' "craft room" making things to sell.  Well, let me just tell you how all of this inspired my wee boys.  They now want their own "workshop" (calling it a craft room is "too girly," so says Kaden).  And they now want to make "creations" to sell (calling them "crafts" is not what boys do, so says Jesse). 

And so, while my Hoolies do not yet have for themselves a workshop yet, we did find some "creations" that were boy-approved, that could possibly be sold (to Grampys and Grammys and our good neighbor Lew at least),  and that were easy, cheap, and fun to make - courtesy of my good friend, Pinterest.

Here is the little gem of a website (blog? pin?) that we found....and where you will most likely get better pictures and/or instructions.  But, you know....I'll give it a whirl over here - along with what worked and what didn't for us.  So, far we have made three of the ten "Boy Approved Crafts," and we were more than pleased with all of them.  We have tried the homemade lava lamps, marshmallow shooters, and homemade GAK. 

The marshmallow shooters were, by far, the least involved....and least messy.  We used 12 ounce plastic cups - doubled up for extra thickness.  We cut off the bottom third of the cup, tied a knot in our deflated balloon and cut 1/2 inch off the top of that (either 10" or 12" work nicely).  Then, we stretched the balloon over the lip of the cup, inserted one wee little marshmallow inside, pulled back on our knotted little "handle," and let 'er rip.

And let me just tell you -- those marshmallows soar!  Seriously.  I was very impressed.  The very couth and kosher Mama who invented said marshmallow shooters recommends to shoot pompoms in the house and leave the marshmallows for outside play.  That might be a good idea.  It might also be a good idea to not try M&M's or mini Valentine heart candies, either.  Just sayin'.  They're more painful.  But, they can also get some major air, as well....
Setting up targets.  Not nearly as fun as trying to shoot marshmallows into each other's mouths...or at the cats.
The homemade lava lamps were pretty cool, too.  I would recommend using taller, wider jars.  All we had were some empty Izze soda bottles.  Ingredients needed:  glass jars, oil, water, food coloring, and Alka Seltzer tablets.  Easy sneezy.  Except for the fact that if Kev ever needs any of his medicine....his entire two boxes have been....er...very well used.

Take your glass jars and fill 2/3rds of the way up with oil.  Then, fill them the rest of the way with water -- sparing an inch or two at the top for potential explosions.  Add 5 or 10 drops.....or half a bottle of food coloring, depending on how well you supervise your children --- and then wait a few minutes for the drops to penetrate the oil barrier and change the color of your water. 

And then the fun begins!

Take an Alka Seltzer tablet and break it up into small pieces.  When you drop them into your jar, they will immediately start to fizz and cause tons of mini little food colored oil bubbles to rise to the surface - thus making your very own wee little "lava lamps."  The lava stops rising as soon as the tablets stop fizzing, but each time you drop in a little piece, your lava will rise once again.

Or --- you can do what Jesse did and just toss an entire tablet into your jar for one amazing volcano-like effect of a lava lamp explosion.  Whatever works.  Jesse marches to the beat of his own little drum...

And finally - the homemade GAK!  This was my boys' favorite "creation," and it really is kind of cool.  Plus it lasts in a plastic bag or container with a lid for several weeks.  All you need is a 4oz. bottle of white glue, water, food coloring, and Borax.  Dump your entire bottle of glue into a bowl and mix with a half cup of water.  Add food coloring and stir some more.

Then, heat up one cup of water and dissolve one tablespoon of borax into this.  While stirring, add another 1/2 teaspoon of borax and continue adding 1/2 teaspoons until the borax no longer dissolves into the water.
 (Stirring the borax and water....with Kaden telling me over and over again that no matter how many red drops he added to his mixture...it still is only making PINK.  Oh, the horrors...)

I think that we added too much borax - because I thought it was dissolving when it was really just settling onto the bottom of the bowl.  I believe the recipe said about 2 1/2 more teaspoons after the original 1 tablespoon.  I think I added about a cup....  It still came out good - maybe just not as "GAK-y."
Behold, the "blob."
Dump the borax and water into your glue mixture and immediately start stirring.  Almost instantly, you will see a big huge blob start to form in the middle of the water.  Stir it for a bit longer, and then just pull your blob out of the water.  Chuck the water and start handling and kneading your GAK.  It will feel really wet and slimy, at first - but the more you handle it, the drier it becomes, until it just feels cold and damp - but not sticky or slimy at all.

Establish the rule that all GAK stays at the table, and let your children play at will.

You are very welcome.

And I apologize in advance for marshmallows in your heating ducts, for food coloring stained fingers, for spilled oil and for missing medicine, and lastly for GAK all over your kitchen floor.

But just so you know...it does peel off quite nicely.
Although, not so much from your hair.....

The Grace of Today...

As another Mama so aptly put it....

Today, I am appreciating "The Grace of Now."
The "here's" of this moment that will be the yesterday of tomorrow...
~ Soft weekend snowfall.
~ Family ice fishing.
~ Afternoon naps.
~ Animal crackers and Cheerios galore...
~ Peanut butter sandwiches.
~ Lazy days at home.
~ Requests for a "snuggie."
~ Cartoons on the couch.
~ Front door slamming for outside play.
~ Big breakfasts and big bellies.
~ Little kicks and LIFE.
~ Unconditional love and unsolicited hugs.
~ Blocks and Legos....someday replaced with teen boy things.
~ Mama requests for games...soon to be considered childish play.
~ Me, their favorite person, someday replaced with true heart love.
~ Cozy, fireside evenings.
~ Safety, Trust, Security.
~ Knowing where they are each and every night...
~ Wild imaginations.
~ A place to run and play.
~ Dreams of spring...and of babies...and of gardens.
~ Bits of pink to practice on.
~ My boys quickly learning to be more tender.
~ Her love for chickens....just like mine.
~ Moments of rest.
~ Snippets of silence.
~ Sacred in chaos.
~ Kitties at play...
~ And little boys who try to replicate.
~ Tempers and tears.
~ Comedy and laughter.
~ Messes and madness.
~ And bedtime.
~ These three - my gifts.
~ Their Daddy - my joy.
~ Sweet London ~ all grace.

And the gift of tomorrow?
Well, there's no guarantee.....

#4318~#4951 ~ My Joy Journey

Family Day....(and High Fashion).

Kaden has been begging....and I mean, begging to go ice fishing  All.  Winter.  Long.

So, Kevy and I decided to drag our feet no more, and we agreed that Saturday was the day to make all of Kaden's wildest dreams come true.  Or, to - at the very least -  rid ourselves of his incessant reminder that "We never even went ONE time LAST year...and this winter's almost over!!"
Poor little shiners.  Prepare to meet your watery grave...

Neither Kev or I are overly fond of ice fishing.
He's not a huge fan because he doesn't love the idea of walking on potentially thin ice.
And when you hear horror stories of seasoned veteran's falling through, it just doesn't overly thrill his soul.

And me?  Well, I just hate being cold.
And I can think of about a bajillion things I'd rather be doing on our Family Day.
Traipsing out to claim our spot on the lake.
However.  We have three small Hoolies who love any sort of adventure; and when we suggested ice fishing over breakfast, you would have thought we were telling them that we were going to Disney.  That's enough to make me put my (really) big girl pants on and decide to embrace the day in all of its goodness...and coldness....and ice-y..ness...

It's really the little things.
Four bucks for some bait and a thermos of hot chocolate.
It doesn't take much to make 'em happy...
First, Kaden is picking one out to be Ransom's "very own."
And the day was decently warm.  There were no whipping winds or freezing wind chill predictions.  This made me happy.  And there were tons of vehicles driving over the lake....which made Kevin happy, because that told us for sure that the ice was deep enough.
" I think the fithy wanths thom popcornths, Mama!"
I'm certain he does, Love.  
This is one of the many ice shacks that I was tempted to break into.
And a really low flying little airplane.  There were lots of those things out there playing around yesterday.
This is Kev modeling our....er...."Ice Shack"....of sorts.  And his rockin' rabbit hat.
I married a regular Daniel Boone.
That's Kaden in the background doing slave labor.
This is Kev sweating profusely.
So, for those of you who have never had the extreme joy or privilege of ice fishing....allow me to take you step by step through the process.  After you have your bait, your ice fishing traps, your snacks, your ice auger, and all of your little Hoolies rounded up...you then proceed to march out onto said lake and claim your territory for fishing.  Many people do this via snowmobile or vehicle.  We prefer the "use your children to pull your things down onto the lake with sleds" approach.

See second picture previously posted for the Kevin and Amy method.

Then, you decide where you are going to drill your holes.
And you also secretly swear under your breath at all of the other fishermen who are using electric ice augers...while you really wish you'd taken your friend up on his offer of borrowing his.

And you proceed to dig said hole.
Since we only have about ten weeks of pregnancy left to go...our Model today is sporting her Father's vintage 1950's snowmobile ski pants neatly buckled underneath her ever expanding girth, with a thick layering of her husbands' ginormous transfer station find of a ski-doo jacket over the top.  She also despises any hat of any sort of top of her head...but for the sake of foregoing any and all sense of pride and dignity she completes her outfit with a rockin' beanie of a hat...pompom excluded...and a pair of her husband's oversized and nonmatching gloves, to boot.

Try not to be jealous.
Remember:  "Comparison does indeed destroy contentment."
Just trying to be helpful...
Setting the first trap...
And depending upon how many ice traps you have...well, you proceed to dig that many more holes.
You will be happy to know that there was 12+ inches of ice to dig through.
We were sufficiently safe and secure on said ice.
Once the traps are set, the fun part begins.
You sit.  And you wait.

And if you're lucky, a fishy will bite - sending a little orange flag flying up into the air to let you know.
Then, you all will run as fast as you can on the slippery ice and see who can break their neck the fastest getting to the trap first.  It's a fun little game we like to play.

We also had a hole where we just let the boys jig a little fishing pole down into the water.
Ironically, this is where the boys hung out the most.
And, this is the place where we actually landed our one and only fish.

And it was a doozy.
Wait for it......wait for it.....
Brace yourselves.
It's going to be amazing.
 Aaaaand there you have it!
Our one and only catch of the day - caught by Sir Kaden, himself.
What?  You can't see it?
There you have it!
A wee yellow perchy.
Glorious.
And, Voila!
Ice fishing in a nutshell.
This is Jesse...doing...um...well....just "being Jesse."

And so, the fishing was somewhat unsuccessful, but the company was fun.
The snacks were delish, and the hot chocolate was cozy.
The weather wasn't too cold, and the heater worked nicely.
And the afternoon naps that were had by all were sufficiently lovely.
Along with the two Cribbage games wherein I successfully crushed my Love...
Yeah....all in all... I'd say it was a pretty great day, after all.
And now this?
Well THIS....is just a WHOLE lotta'....something.









For the broken...and for those who have done the breaking.

For the child....or the adult...who has ever been bullied.
And for the one who has done the bullying...

For the Mama who walks alongside her Love who is being belittled.
And for the Mama who needs wisdom with her Love who is doing the belittling...

For my children to watch...and to remember...
For if and when the day comes where harsh words are spoken to you and about you.

And....even more importantly...
For you to remember that sticks and stones do break the bones....and words forever wound...

My Loves...
Flesh of my flesh....
This is the prayer of your Mama ~

May your hearts be forever tender.
May you always root for the underdog.
May you never be the bully.
And may you always love the lowly.
May you see with Jesus' eyes.
And may your heart bleed when you see others hurt.
May you always be the greatest cheerleader of the one who is hurting the deepest.
And may you never be the cause of another's lifelong wound.
But if you are....may you see it for what it is...and may you seek to make amends.
May you never be comfortable when you see someone else's pain.
May you seek to be a healer...

And if you ever are the brunt of this brutality...
My sons, might you remember this to always be truth:

You are enough.
You are worthy.
You are wildly loved.
You are desperately wanted.
You will never be the wrong answer.
You will never be abandoned.
You are not alone. 
Not ever...
And may you run - run fast and hard and never stopping - into the arms of the Ultimate Healer...

"God makes a home for the lonely." ~ Psalm 68:6

"You have put my tears in a bottle....." ~ Psalm 56:8

"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." ~ Psalm 34:18

Ten Pounds of Delish.

For supper last night, I made an "everything but the kitchen sink" kind of a chicken stew.  It was one of those nights where the cupboards are starting to get a little bare, and the fridge just had all sorts and sundry bits of randomness throughout it, with nothing really substantial to feed the whole lot of us.

But, I did have a wee little bird in the freezer.
And you know what they say.....
"A bird in the freezer (small though it may be)...is better than a big one...that's still at the store."
Or... something catchy like that.

So, anyway...
I chucked that baby into a stewpot - frozen and all - and cooked 'er down...down...down.
Then, I picked all of the meat off her bones, and chucked the carcass right back into that pot with a whole lot of other randoms like garlic, onions, carrots - etc. and made some homemade stock.

And for supper, we had "Whatever was left in the fridge Chicken Stew" for supper.
Broth and bird with a little bit of leftover quinoa and rice, half a head of brocolli, a partial head of cauliflower,  some baby carrots, an onion, a fistful of mushrooms, a zucchini, a bunch of green beans, the remnants of a partial bag of frozen corn, and even a couple of sweet potatoes cubed in there for good measure.  I tossed in some basil, some garlic salt and powder, and just a bit of Creole seasoning for taste, and called it good.

And you know what?
It was rather delish.
A cozy bowl of comfort, indeed.

So, it only seemed fitting to make some sort of "Everything but the kitchen sink Muffin" to go alongside said soup.
Plus, I might have been having a craving.
But, there are no prep pictures of cute little boys helping their Mama in the kitchen.
Yesterday was wild and hairy for just about the entire day...so last night's meal was a get 'er done, dealio.

Get in.  Get out.  Get 'er cleaned up.  And get them Hoolies abed for the night...
It was just one of those days.
Kind of like being on Survivor.

But, anyway - here's the recipe for the muffins we had last night for super...and for today for breakfast...and again for mid-morning snack.  They are healthy and hearty, and they weigh about ten pounds each.

I doubled the recipe to make 24 ginormous muffins.  The recipe below will give you a dozen good sized ones, or you could also fairly easily spread them out to make 18 smaller sized ones if you don't feel like being as piggish as me...

Here you are:
"Pumpkin Blueberry Bran Muffins"

4 cups bran cereal (The recipe called for raisin bran.  All I had was regular bran cereal.  No biggy).
2 cups fat-free milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs
2 cups flour (spelt, whole wheat, half unbleached white-half wheat, whatever.  I used a couple different kinds).
1/2 cup brown sugar (or honey or maple syrup)
6 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon (I used 2).
1 tsp. salt
fistful of frozen blueberries --- especially if you didn't use raisins in your bran
fistful of flaxseed
....and really whatever else your little heart desires.  This is just all I had.  Chia seeds would be good.  Or any other kind of frozen fruit.  Whatever.  They are that kind of a  - "chuck what you have into the batter" - type of muffin.

1.  To the four cups of cereal, add the milk to soften the flakes.  Mix with spoon.
2.  Add pumpkin and eggs.  Mix well.
3.  In separate bowl add the flours, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and anything else dry that you've added.
4.  Mix dry ingredients with bran flakes mixture.  Add frozen blueberries.
5.  Fill greased muffin pans 2/3 or more full.  I loaded mine right up.

Bake at 350 degrees until toothpick tests done.  This will vary depending on the size and weight of your muffins!  Serve hot and piping.

Dee-lish.
A poorman's supper of comfort.

And then I took a bath and promptly rolled myself to bed...

Like Sand in the Hourglass...

...so are the Days of our Lives.
Wasn't that the name of an old soap opera, back in the day?
Or maybe it's still running, for all I know...

I remember my Aunty Sharon used to be pretty hooked on soaps back when she still lived with Gram.
Wild little thing, that she is...

Regardless...I kind of love the title.
It suits the "here and now" of my life, quite well.
I feel like I am watching my children sprout up and grow right before my eyes.
It's like it's happening right while I'm looking at them...and there's nothing I can do about it...

Maybe that's why I keep having babies...
And even though some days - like today for example - are somewhat akin to Madness with spills and messes...and even a ginormous grease fire on my stove, to boot....
 ...Even though I just put that blasted tent back in the basement...and got their room back in order so that one could at least walk through it....and maybe even see the floor for a day or two....
This is my fleeting, blink of a life...

These days of bed-headed little boys....
And of waddling, very pregnant me...

The days of load upon load upon load upon load of laundry...
The days where rest time is not an option, or else I shall lose my sanity...
And the days where I just scrubbed my floor, but now there's milk and cereal all over it...
Are also the days of mid-morning tea parties, courtesy of treats sent back from Grammy...
And of grocery shopping in my living room.
Today, I bought cherries and fifteen matchbox cars.
Score.
They are the days of school on the couch.
...with sounds and letters finally starting to click and make some sense for one little boy...
And of Magic TreeHouse Books by the fire being what makes the biggest boy oh sooo slowly start to discover the love of reading for himself...
 If this love grows...well, that for me, equals a successful school year.
 These are the days of reading out loud during breakfast...
And of making grand "Carnival" plans for when Daddy gets home from work.
One dollar gets you in for "free" and allows you to play every game as many times as you'd like...
My boys are learning the worth of money...
...And of the many many ways one might be able to get said dollar...
 They are crazy days where the Littles get "the boot" outside because the inside was just getting too nuts.
And then the Mama remembers to "slow and to see" for herself.
So, she sits and she swings...
She laughs and she plays...
And she fills up the little love tanks...that she may have depleted just a bit during the chaos of the morning...
She talks, and she bends low.
She laughs, and she walks alongside.

She says "I love you," with more than just words...
And she remembers that little hearts are fragile.
Might she remember these lessons for tomorrow....

 More of You ~
And less of me.
Clear my eyes ~
Help me to see.

Little lives...
Give me grace.
To hear their hearts ~
And see Your face.

Give me joy ~
A heart for You.
Fill me up ~
To start anew.

Guard my heart.
Protect my soul.
A brand new day ~
To start out whole....

Because His mercies are new every morning....
And because tomorrow is a brand new day.