ironing

Mondays and Fridays are my laundry days. I do lights on Monday and darks and whites on Friday. I have a beautiful front loader, not the way expensive kind, just a regular Frigidaire. It is great. I love to hang my clothes on the line. I think I got this from my grandmother. She did it all and helped take care of us. What I remember more than anything about her is that she had this really old ringer washer and that she hung her clothes to dry. She had a great unfinished basement that even had metal bracket things so she could put up a line when it was winter or raining. We thought that washer was great and lots of fun. What is was, was a lot of work not to mention that it ringers broke buttons. But she was content with it.

I don't mind the laundry. I put it on the line the way I want it to come off and fold it was I take it down. So each person's stuff is hanging together and similar items are together. Yes, it's a bit OCD I know but it works.

What I hate is ironing. I know it is easier now then it was before. and I even have the option to not iron, but I still hate it. I have put stuff aside for months before waiting to iron. Once I even had my husband ask where all his button up shirts were. It had been like 2 months since he had seen them. But I still buy things that need ironing and I try to do it once a week. So now, since everyone was asking how I felt about ironing, I've answered that profound question. Go out into the world and use that knowledge carefully.

I liked this about ironing.

WFMW: Burn Help

I like the new WFMW banner but can't seem to get it to upload. Oh well, I'll just use the old one.

Anywho, for today's WFMW I'd like to share what I did for a burn I got. Now this wasn't any old burn. This burn was from the top filament of the oven heated to 500 degrees. It was more like an instant charring of the skin. Maybe that was a little graphic, sorry. Anyway, I didn't really think much of it, yes it hurt, but I burn myself a lot. The next day the charred skin came off and left this 1.5 inch open sore. And it still hurt...a lot. So I put Neosporin and a band aid that seals on all side when I took that band aid off it was nasty. Get to the point you say. At Webby's last job they had this big aloe plant that was being neglected. He asked if he should have it and brought it home. Now I know that aloe is good for burns, but have never really used it. Most of my burns just aren't that bad. But this one was. After battling the yucky for 3 days and cut of a big leaf of aloe and put the juiciness on it. And it was amazing. It acted like a liquid band aid after it dried. It also pulled the skin together helping it to heal faster. I must admit that I am pretty impressed. So I guess doing nothing for a burn works, but when it's a bad burn Aloe works better for me.

For more answers for questions you didn't even ask visit Rocks In My Dryer

For Whom Do You Blog?

So here I pose the question? For whom do you Blog? Why do I bring it up? Thank you for asking.

Recently, I was at a baby shower. I was talking about blogging and someone said, "'Soon to be mother again' has a blog, too." Soon to be mother retorts so does she. And around it flew...dirty looks, surprised faces and laughs. But blog addresses were not forth coming. (Don't worry, I googled and linked and found who I was looking for.) Again, yesterday I was at a picnic and more hesitant bloggers came forward.

So that has gotten me to thinking. Why do people blog and for whom do they blog? Is there some reason people don't want friends that live close by reading what they have to say? Or is it a privacy issue? Or is it something else all together?

I must admit, when I started blogging I did it for my family and friends who are far away. I did it to keep in touch, share stories, pictures and the day to day with those who can't be here. Because, see, we moved away from our families. So it just made sense. But then I started participating in a few "carnivals" which is fun. I have made comments on strangers' blogs. And I realized that maybe it was okay to have more people reading my blog. This is a place that I can be closer to myself then say in church. My sister commented that I'm pretty funny on my blog (as opposed to in real life, I suppose.) But those of you who know me, also know that I do have a pretty good sense of humor, even if it doesn't come out all that often right now. I read a few strangers' blogs on a daily basis. I doubt that I'll ever MIRL most of them, but somehow there presence on my life helps. And maybe I do that for someone else. If you read this and don't know me please come forward. I'd love that!

I love reading my friends' blogs because it gives me a better insight into who they really are and what they like to do. I gives me an opportunity to understand them and to get to know them in a new way and see things in them and their personalities that I might not see normally.

Webby made a comment, that I don't necessarily agree with. He said some people blog because they don't want to take the time to keep in touch with people. That blogging is a way to let people know what you are doing without making an effort to keep in touch. Blogging does make it easier to keep in touch with people. How many times have you not written an email or letter because there was just too much to say or a picture was necessary. How many mass emails have you sent and received. Isn't blogging it better? Blogging lets people see you when they want to, catch up when they can and it's fun.

So, again I pose the question, for who do you blog? If you blog about this send me the link. It would be fun to see your answers.

Store Wars

I stumbled upon this a couple of days ago, and now I can't even remember where. I thought it was funny. Hopefully, you will too. It's almost 6 minutes long so watch it when you have the time to spare. Enjoy!

Feed & Learn

I came across this by accident. It is the perfect solution to my memory problem. Since having kids I can't seem to remember things. It's the hormones if you ask me, they liquify the brain. Play and enjoy. This helps you to learn new vocabulary while donating grains of rice. Seems cool to me. Learn and feed.

I Love My Town

Let me tell you why I love my town. First off it's small. I'm talking 1 square mile small...really. Of course, my town serves the outlying areas as well. The nice thing about living in a small town is the community that comes with it. And the fact that it doesn't take that long to get to the next town. Here there is town and there is country. There are very few suburbs.

On to my point. I had a few errands to run this morning around town. Of course, the only kind of errands I can run are around town since I don't have a car. So when I say errands to run, I really mean errands to walk.

First stop: School. We walked Sweetie Heart to school. School starts at 8am. So I walk her to school and drop her off. Wait a few minutes, say hi to a few people. And wait for Sweet Girl to be ready to leave (she likes people watching and really wants to go to school.)

Second stop: The Bank. Off we walk to the bank. That takes about 5 to 10 minutes. The bank drive-thru opens at 8:15am. The lobby doesn't open until 9:30, I think. So I walk through the drive-thru. It's not a big deal. I actually do it all the time. They always serve me when I get there even if it's early. Not only that they know my name and the name of the kids. This winter on a bitterly cold day they offered to let us come in and warm up. People this just doesn't happen in larger cities.

Third stop: The Pharmacy. Now this is the only pharmacy in town. There is one out by the grocery. But this is a small pharmacy, bare bones and I love it. Not only that but they do not sell tobacco. This makes sense to me. And I support them fully. Yes, some of there non-prescription stuff is a bit more expensive then I could get it else where, but I'll pay the extra to support such moral business. They weren't supposed to be open until 8:30 but at 8:22 when we got there they were already open. And when my prescription was ready she just spoke across the store to tell me it was ready.

Last stop: The Natural Food Store. Now I love this store. Again, it's a little more expensive than the one the next town over but not by much. I just needed rice cheese and soynut butter for Sweet Girl. I know your mouth is watering, isn't it. She has a dairy and nut allergy so these are our alturnatives. We go there at 8:33 and they didn't open until 9. But guess what happened. Yup, the butcher open the store for us. I got what I needed and I think he closed the store again behind me. Now isn't that great!

I don't care if you believe it. That's the kind of town I live in. And I hope we never leave it!

You Made Me...

promises, promises. Yes, I did. I promised my cousin that I would blog more. So here I am blogging more. Happy? Good. I've decided to try that every other day thing. Get myself on a schedule of sorts. Maybe then I'll be better. Don't get me wrong, I have plenty of things to blog about. When I'm cooking or changing a diaper or doing one of the myriad things that I do throughout the day, I think I could blog about this or this...I should do that. And then I don't! Why you ask? Basically, I am lazy. I just don't want it bad enough. Maybe if someone took away my blog for a month or told me I really shouldn't be blogging, then maybe I would... Sorry you don't count.

But that's not what this blog is about. This post is about a very interesting question my sister posed. She asked me how to teach her children morality (which I believe includes a belief in God/ Supreme Being in this case) without organized religion? In her words, "Is there a middle ground?" So what do you think internets?

Here are a few of my ideas:

Teach: If you want your children to believe in something you have to teach it. If you believe in God/Supreme Being/Buddha, teach about Him. Teach about who He is, what He is there for and why you should believe in Him and what He does for each of us. If you believe in Jesus, teach about His life and teachings. Teach about how He gave His life so that we might all live again. Whether you believe in Jesus or not the the things He taught in the New Testament have value, in my option.

Pray: Teach (there's that word again) your children to pray. Pray with them in good times and bad. Pray for answers with them. Pray for them, for yourself to know how to raise them. Teach them to pray for answers for themselves when they are old enough. Anyone can pray, anytime and God will always be listening. And then practice listening and looking for the answers to our prayers. Sometimes it is a still small voice or and idea that "pops" in our heads, sometimes it is the actions of another. An answered pray can come in anyway. Look for it and point it out to them.

Be Thankful: So many times we go through life not acknowledging who it is who blesses us. We need to point out to our children that the source of all that is good comes from above. and then we need to thank Him, through prayer, or service, or just looking up, acknowledging His work, and saying thank you.

Read Scripture: If you believe in the Bible or any other from of scriptures, read them to your children. There are complete generations who don't know the stories of Noah or Jonah. Now maybe you believe this in history (as I do) and/or that they are really good stories that actually have a moral lesson. Either way, way read and teach from them. Talk about the morals and relate them to personal situations. Like the ever popular WWJD (What Would Jesus Do.) Find a book of scriptures (illustrated or otherwise) that you agree with and read them.

Gain Faith: What is Faith? Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). We believe without proof. How do we gain faith? We put things in God's mighty hands and let Him take our burdens. We ask Him for help knowing that He will be there and guide us in the path that we should go. We step into the darkness having faith that He will not leave us. Knowing that He is right beside us, hand in hand, taking us to the place we need to be. The only way to teach that is to be an example of it, to talk about it. Phrases like, "I know that God will help us" or "That must not be what we should do right now."

Be an Example: All of this is about teaching. We cannot expect our children to "figure it out" for themselves at a young age. If you want them to learn morality and values you need to teach them. Because if you don't, believe me, someone else will. The values you teach at a young age will become a part of your children's lives. And even if they make decisions against what they were taught, it is still in there some place helping them. If you have questions ask someone you trust, like my sister did. You may not agree with all or any of the answer given, but it will you to thinking about what you do believe on the topic.

I know that I would be no where without my Heavenly Father and His son. I know that They live and are watching out for me. I know that They know me better than I know myself. They have given me the experiences and have put me in this place, at this time, with these experiences to teach me and to help and to bless me. And by having these experiences, I am able to help Them bless the lives of others. I know that God lives. And that Jesus Christ suffered and was crucified for our sins so that we can return to live with them.

I hope that didn't get too preachy. But it's my blog and I can get preachy if I want. Not that I want. These are my thoughts and ideas. Glean from them what you will and toss the rest aside. All I ask for in return is respect for what I believe. Building Moral Intelligence by Michele Borba is also a great tool for teaching values. I love this book!!

So what do you think internets...did I forget anything? I'll be interested in your responses....

WFMW: Large Measuring Cup

Do you know what I love? Well, lots of things. But in my kitchen I love my large bowl measuring cup. I use it for practically everything. I received mine at a bridal shower almost 9 years ago. I didn't use it very often for years. And then the love affair began. I rediscovered it a couple of years ago and I cannot stop using it. And to think I almost gave it away. I happen to have a plastic 12 cup (3 quart) one that I use. I would love to have a Pyrex one but the biggest one looks to be a 2 quart. That would probably be big enough. But I would also keep the bigger one, really making the smaller one unnecessary. If you find a 3 quart glass one let me know. For more hints and suggestions go check out Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer

I get by with a little help...

from a blogger's mom. I really liked this post. Who couldn't use a little advice from a seasoned veteran. Sometimes not knowing the person giving the advice helps. I feel less criticized that way (but that's my issue, not yours.) Anyway, it seems like some sound advice. Enjoy!

Finally, the pics

I know I promised to post pictures. So I'm finally getting around to it. Not much to cay about them, just sit back and enjoy.