RANDOM...

This is another piece of furniture that Matt rebuilt for me.  We found it in the trash.

I love everything about it!  Thanks honey!

Pintrest is great.  Matt made these monster-knee patches for Levi.

Hi there cutie.

My son Asher would make the best janitor.  He is so thorough and hard working.  Plus he makes great warning signs.  This one shows that slipping on this wet floor will defiantly make your head pop off.

We got a beautiful snow!  The kids had a ball.

Zaddy

Asher's snow angel.

Levi didn't get to go out but we brought the snow to him.  He is a big fan of eating snow.  This is a good way to make sure he eats the clean stuff. 

The wall.

When we moved into this house a little over 2 years ago, we were disappointed to find that our large side-by-side fridge did not fit into the spot that had been built into our cabinets.  So we ended up putting it in the garage, making plans to buy a smaller fridge. 

Well, I went back and forth to the garage for about a year before we finally bought our new appliance.  You can really get used to just about anything.  I was so excited when our new fridge was delivered.  It slid right into place and was just what I wanted.

  I stood admiring it wondering how long it would take me to stop heading to the garage for food.  I stepped forward to open the doors and admire the inside.  The refrigerator side swung open perfectly, revealing the last time I would ever see the inside truly clean. 

 I pulled open the freezer door and stared in horror as the handle hit the wall behind it, leaving only a 6-inch gap to access the freezer space.  NOOOOOOOOO!  I cried.  I know it's silly, but I did.  I finally had my fridge but I had to turn things sideways and maneuver them around to get them into the freezer.  I know, me and my first-world problems.  But still, I was disappointed. 

Fast forward another year and bring in my sweet father-in-law, husband and brother-in-law.  Bless them for having the ability to fix things.  And bless them for letting a hormonal women have a say in how they fixed it.

This is Rod.  My father-in-law.  He was amazing and so sweet to come and help us.

We had a support beam problem that they had to figure out.  This was the first solution.

I kinda like the fridge here guys.  Easy access

This is the huddle.  They do tons of this.  They have to put their bald heads together and figure out a problem.   There's lots of talking and sometimes, laughing.  I love to see them like this.  

This was solution 2 which hormonal wife was so relived to see.  They cut away the angled piece and put a header in to take the weight.  So much better!

Here it is with the trim.  It is much more in line with the style of the rest of the house.  I am so happy with it!  Now, on to clean up the mess!

 Thanks to my sweet family for getting this done!  It still needs finishing and painting but mama is satisfied.

The family that weeds together, shoots together.

We finally had our cold front.  It knocked us from the 100's to the 70's.  I was a happy girl.  We have suffered such a harsh season.  It is like we lost our summer.  It was so hot and miserable that we rarely went outside.  I spent only the required amount of time in the garden and yard.  It showed.  We had weeds like crazy.  So on this happy cold-front wrapped morning, we took on the beasts!  It was so much more fun as a family. 

Sweet Jolie Kay.  She was a trooper!  Her brothers, however, seem to be up to something.

Yep.  They are trying to eat a pecan they found.  Boys will eat anything they can find in the wilderness.  I think it is in their genes.

Levi even helped pick up the pulled weeds and throw them into the pile.

See what I mean by beasts.  These weeds were ferocious!  I have never seen one grow this huge.

Even Fuzz helped.  He kept on top of the chickens.  They could not go anywhere without his watchful eye following.

After the yard was tended, the boys retired to the back to have a bit of target practice. 
Note: This is only a pellet gun.

But that doesn't stop Asher from having darn impressive form.  He's a natural.  He shot a tiny army man off of the top of a stick from quite a distance.

Zaddok's form is great.  It's just that darn eye that won't stay closed.  His brother is happy to help him out by holding it shut for him.  Not sure that will fly in the academy boys.

Updates...

I wanted to update you all on how much we are loving our homemade laundry soap and deodorant.  I was not sure what to expect.  I thought that maybe the laundry soap would stay with us but I was pretty sure that I would end up not liking the deodorant.  It turns out that I really love both! 

The laundry soap has been wonderful.  It cleans thoroughly and smells great.  It even removed some stains that had been left behind by my other detergent!  I have been pleased.  I have also started using vinegar in a Downy ball instead of chemical fabric softener.  It softens and freshens the clothes without leaving the slick, highly-fragranced coating.  I hated that every time I folded clothes, I was left with that on my hands and I didn't like that my kids were wearing that on their bodies every time they put on clean clothes.  I am converted.  The soap is easy and cheap to make.  It's a keeper. 

The deodorant was my biggest surprise.  It is so easy to make.  It takes me less than 5 minutes to mix everything up and pack it into old deodorant containers.  It is a bit different than using the store-bought stuff.  For one, it melts easily.  I found that out on a trip.  I opened the stick of deodorant to find that it had melted into the the lid.  It was an easy fix and I know better for next time. As for how it works, I have not been stinky since I started using it.  It is awesome!  Now remember, this is not an antiperspirant so you will sweat.  I am kind of a sweaty person and end up with pit stains even when I use antiperspirant.  So I sweat but I don't stink.  I smell like lovely lavender and roman chamomile.  Matt has even started using it and loves it too.

I have had a few days where the under wire of my bra rubs at the bottom of my arm pit and makes a tender spot.  It hasn't happened in awhile so I am guessing my skin had to get used to the abrasiveness of the baking soda.  I did read that you can use arrowroot powder instead if it bothers you.  Other than that, I have been happy with it.  I am extremely happy that we are not slathering our bodies with aluminum anymore. 

Hope some of you are inspired to get back to basics.  We don't need to use all of the modern chemicals that are in most store-bought products.  There are great alternatives that are often cheaper!  If you don't like these, research and find something that appeals to you.  You will be thankful and feel good about taking away one more unknown out of your family's life!

It's pink, good smelling and hard working...

Can you guess what it is?  I bet you can't!  I read many frugal, natural, homesteader blogs.  I have seen this made several times and always thought about trying it.  I went so far as to buy the ingredients a couple of weeks ago but I just put them on a shelf in the utility room. 

This week my kids are home for spring break and we have been in need of entertainment. So imagine their joy when I said, "Hey, lets make some laundry soap!" Maybe joy is not the right word. They were a bit confused but were happy to have a project.

We started with a bar of Zote soap.  We got ours from the laundry section at Walmart for less than a dollar.  It is a mild soap with a clean fragrance.

We followed a recipe from Homestead Revival that said we should grate the soap.  Zaddok is demonstrating here.

Jolie put some muscle into it.  It is a very soft soap so it's not hard to do.  The kids kind of enjoyed it!

We then mixed the grated soap with 1 and 1/2 cups Borax and 1 and 1/2 cups washing soda.  You have to make sure you get the washing soda not baking soda!  We found ours in the laundry section of our local grocery store.  Our Walmart did not carry it. 

We had to half the batch to put it through the food processor.  Don't worry.  We washed it thoroughly after we were done.  But don't kid yourself.  The dishwasher soap we use in our dishwasher is probably far more corrosive and toxic than this stuff.  We still would not want to eat it or to have it flavor our next batch of salsa.  So we wash.

I have come to really love essential oils.  Fragrance usually makes me sick.  I can't stand candles and air fresheners.  But these oils smell wonderful and don't make me feel like I am breathing chemicals.  I used this grapefruit to enhance half of this batch of soap.  Matt is weird about smells too so I did not want to do the entire batch in case he didn't like it.

I use my canning jars to store just about everything.  They are good for that.

Here they sit in the utility room.  I have done this weeks washing with our new soap and it seems to do great.  I use a tablespoon in wach load!  I might use a bit more if I had seriously dirty stuff but so far the TBS has done fine.  I peeked during the washing cycle and the water was nasty and brown.  That's a good sign.  I prefer the scented detergent.  It just adds a little something.  Bottom line, this was easy and cheap.  The store-bought natural detergent I was using was 15 dollars for about 90 loads.  This stuff is about 3.  I can handle that! (If you add essential oils that will raise the price a bit but you don't have to have them.  The Zote smells quite nice on it's own.)

A little update.  My seeds are now sweet little seedlings.  All of my tomatoes are sprouted.  The peppers are taking FOREVER.  I always start to panic.  But God is the grower of things so I will not worry.

Tomorrow, homemade deodorant!  Yes it's true!

I need help!

I have a problem. I am sooooo tired of cooking the same things I have cooked for 10 years! I feel like that statement should be in all caps. Cooking meals is not my favorite thing. I really love to bake. I could bake something every day but my jeans would protest. Unfortunately, cooking is a necessity in my line of employment. If I didn't cook meals, my family would leave me. So help me! I am sick of being in a rut. I need some real recipes. Things that you cook often. I want answers people! Do you have something that you like to cook that is not spaghetti, enchiladas or chicken and rice? (I already have those on the menu.) Post your best! And I don't mean those fancy things you cook when company is coming. I mean the go-to, sloppy, throw it in a pan and go kind of dishes. Oh, and it has to feed the varying amounts of people that we have in our lives at any given dinner. So bring it on! We can all share. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Second Annual Mullins Women Canning Day

I have been experimenting with canning for years. As a little girl I enjoyed eating my grandmother's canned goods. Then, shortly after I first met my MIL she taught me how to make jelly. Now, I have a sweet SIL who shares my passion for the garden and for preserving what we grow. This kindredness has led to our yearly canning/preserving event. My MIL brings tons of red and green chile and tomatoes from a wonderful little farm called Sichlers Farms in Los Lunas. We get better every year at putting things away in an efficient manner. We canned 66 lbs of tomatoes, bagged 3 sacks of chile and pickled tons of random veggies in a total of about 6 hrs. It was work but it was also fun to do together. Of course we ended the day by going out to eat. Who wants to cook after all that?

This is how we like to start our day. Great Harvest cinnamon rolls and coffee. What a treat!


The beautiful bags of tomatoes.


The troops are already busy.


You must treat your tomatoes to an ice bath sometime. They love it!


Aren't they beautiful?


Amanda whippin' up on some jalapenos and Serrano peppers.


These puppies were going all day!


The really delicious fruits of our labor.


Oh I can't wait to taste these. Pickled okra, bread and butter squash and jalapenos.


This has little to do with our canning but my bro-in-law Galen has started making these beautiful butcher blocks. You can put in your order in the comments section. :)


I would love to hear about some of your family traditions or yearly events. It doesn't have to be food realted, just share!

A little announcement...

No I am not pregnant. Geez! Can't a girl make an announcement without people jumping to baby conclusions? Anyhow, most of you know that we are not homeschooling this year. Now before everyone exchanges bet money, this may or may not be a permanent decision. We really still believe in homeschooling. We loved so many things about it. It just became apparent towards the end of the year that I was not thriving in the environment. And that means that our kiddos just weren't getting enough schooling (by my standards.) I was very worn out and wasn't motivated to teach anymore. We took a lot of "off" days.

Now, they did learn. Asher is a reader! Jolie made progress on her math. We did lots of neat stuff. I evaluated them based on our state standards and they both did great. I just had very high hopes for my role as teacher. I feel like I failed. It was a bad year for me to enter into this daunting journey. Schooling two kids, (one who had to learn to read) entertaining a 4-year-old, and caring for a baby made for some long days! I know it's possible. Lots of moms do it. I just decided to take a year off, let my baby grow a little and give my kids the desire of their hearts and let them go to school. (I give em a few weeks before they are begging for sleeping in and school in their jammies.)

So I am excited for the new year and have already bought school supplies! I love school supplies. I know that the public school schedule will wear on us all. I know we will miss being together. We will miss having freedom. We might even miss mom being the teacher. I am praying for a growing year. I am praying that God shows us, as a family, what He would have us do next year. We believe in having control over our babies learning and want to have as much time with these little guys as we can. So we will see what next year brings.

I'm done

Just so you know, I'm done living a lie. I am done pretending. I am done acting like everything is fine. It's not fine. But it's okay. I'm not talking about life, marriage or motherhood. I am talking about my home. Commercials always show the neatly dressed moms Swiffering immaculate homes and picking up modest amounts of dirt from under a couch in a formal living area. I don't think they make Swiffers big enough for our dirt.
Other commercials depict the prim and proper soccer moms with hands on hips shaking their heads at the group of grass-stained kids or the dog tracking mud onto the stark, white carpet. Are they kidding? I would turn into crazy, scary mom with eyes bulging and hair askew. I would yell at the kids or kick at the dog to get him out the door. Then I would fall into a blubbering mess whispering, "Why doesn't anyone listen? Doesn't anyone care about me?"
I've decided to break down the stereo-type. We stay-at-home moms aren't perfect or even half that most of the time. We are normal people who get overwhelmed and who just want peace in our homes. I want to stop the mad dash to try to make my house look presentable when the doorbell rings. Who cares if the UPS guy sees the pile of laundry on my couch. Is he going to think I am a bad person because I still have my jammies on at noon? Maybe. But I think it's because we as women have perpetuated the mad cycle of comparisons. It's time we let our true living situations shine through. We need to give each other the grace to be messy in the midst of our child-rearing.
I will start. I am ripping off the band-aid. Here are pictures of my house. these have not been altered. There has been no pre-cleaning to make my mess more acceptable. I want you all to see the realness and beauty (hmmmm)of my life.

Ready... Please don't judge me... I really love a clean organized home... forget it... here it goes...

Not too bad, right? Just some homeschool stuff.

This is my desk. This is my junk.

This is the sunroom/mudroom. It is always like this. It is a catch-all.

The guest bathroom. It is ready for someone to be grossed out in. And yes, there are probably underwear in there somewhere.

This might be just a little shameful. Yep, it's a lot shameful. Not because it is there but because it has been there for a week.

Here is the livingroom. We do most of our living here. It's always a mess. If you came in for the close-up you would see lots of particles on the carpet. Who can vacuum with all of that laundry there?

Antique shelf with pretties and a bunch of Wii paraphernalia. Nice.

Oh the joy of a flat surface near the primary exit. Just dump your things here. They will stay there FOREVER!


But you know what? I will not look back when my babies are grown and say, "I just didn't spend enough time with them." No way. I sit on the floor with my baby and play all day! We all do. We go outside. We ride bikes. We cook. And sometimes, we clean. I do love those days when it all comes together and my house looks like a dream. But they are few and it's okay. I would much rather be caught up in this...


Just check out the fangs. I love it!

I hope you have been encouraged and I hope some of you can let go a little. I hope some of you are like me. But even if you are not I pray that you are encouraged in the areas that you struggle. If you are one of those who don't struggle, please come to my house. I have a few problems we can work on together!