Take that! High priced fruits and veggies!!
Since last year I have been bugging bugging bugging bugging (get the idea?) hubby to build me an above ground planter box. I could be one of those “I can do it myself” type of wifes. But honestly….I dont like to sweat!
FINALLY my super awesome, strong, handsome, beautiful, sexy husband built my box!! Now when hubby builds something. He gets all manly and BUILDS something. I just wanted a little planter box like this cute little planter box. Nope I got this manly 11 foot monster!!
(told ya he was sexy….meeeeowwww!!)
And since hubby is the greatest. He gave me free access to get whatever plants I wanted. But I do believe it had something to do with the guilt trip fact that I was unable to start from seed since I wasnt sure when he would get to my box. 
We did a potting soil, compost, manure (but if you say it man-errr, and fast, it’s so funny, that’s all we were doing yesterday!), and then on I put some black plastic mulch on top. Those bags are heavy, so we used our child laborers…….
I’m not sure how much Miss J was helping, but she sure was grunting up a storm and throwing around a lot of “oh my gawd’s”
After hubby got all of the ground level and grass gone. He placed the garden box in for me. I laid newspaper down, reading in that link above, that it helps with weeds and then just naturally decompose and enrich the soil. It was kind of ironic going to the store to buy a few newspapers to use at the bottom of my garden, the checkers thought it was funny…..the cover stories were about the killing of Bin Ladin. So I was going to bury him in my garden….ya ya…ha ha. Me too, I’m over it.
After getting all of my yummy dirt mixed up in my box. I was ready to plant!!! WOOOOO HOOOOO!!!!! Here is what I bought to plant and with any luck I WILL be able to say “TAKE THAT! HIGH PRICED FRUITS AND VEGGIES!”
- Cantaloupe
- Watermelon
- Strawberries
- Artichoke
- Zucchini
- Bell Peppers
- Corn
- Tomatoes
- Pumpkins (outside the box)
I am so proud!!
Mama Dalton where art thou?
I’m here……
Busy cutting my own hair, dyeing it, redyeing it, recutting it, coping it, freaking out, crying, and at last dealing with what I did to my hair.
Oh wait...that wasnt me.
I also did a quick trip to visit my mom and sister for my sister’s baby shower. It’s a 5 hour drive one way. I left on a friday afternoon and left there on a sunday afternoon. Not only was it a physically draining trip (even though I was just driving), but totally emotionally draining. I think that is why I now want to spend a month with my Mom, sister, niece, and newborn nephew.
There is one job I take very seriously on top of wife and mommy, and that is being an auntie! I love it! Nothing can melt my heart faster than hearing my niece call and say “Hello, Auntie Cold, its me”. Oh I love that girl!
Me and my sweet niece. Thanksgiving 2010
Shake your groove thang…
Do you ever hear a song on the radio and start thinking about what that video should be? I have always done that. Or placed pictures I have taken in the past to songs I hear. Am I weird? hahaha
On the ride home from picking up Miss J from school there were 3 that I placed images to with parts of songs….(its okay, you can say I’m weird)
This one has to be obvious…..
Firework by Katy Perry:
Cause baby you’re a firework
Come on show ‘em what you’re worth
Make ‘em go “Oh, oh, oh!”
As you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby you’re a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make ‘em go “Oh, oh, oh!”
You’re gunna leave ‘em fallin’ down-own-own
(obviously those are not all of the lyrics but the way my game works, you just use a picture from a part of a song)
Ready for song #2?………
Eff’n Perfect by Pink:
Pretty pretty please, don’t you ever ever feel
Like you’re less than f*ckin’ perfect
Pretty pretty please, if you ever ever feel
Like you’re nothing, you’re f*cking perfect to me
You’re perfect, you’re perfect!
Pretty pretty please, don’t you ever ever feel
Like you’re less than f*ckin’ perfect
Pretty please, if you ever feel like you’re nothing
You are perfect to me….
(There were many many pictures that came to mind during the course of this song, but the one of Miss J getting caught with her hand in the coco mix was just the best, no matter what she does she will always be perfect)
And the final song in our 20 min drive because we got lunch on the way home…..
E.T. by Katy Perry:
Take me, ta-ta-take me
Wanna be a victim
Ready for abduction
Boy, you’re an alien
Your touch are foreign
It’s supernatural
Extraterrestrial
Your so supersonic
Wanna feel your powers
Stun me with your lasers
Your kiss is cosmic
Every move is magic
(I know 2 songs by Katy Perry in 20 mins, I’ve learned to deal with it)
Well I hope my blog didnt bore you too much. I deleted my facebook, so I guess I will be blogging more. Or actually be doing housework. 
Nutella Mommy Party
A while back I signed up on a site called “mommy parties” trying to find new ways to earn money or just get free stuff, because this mommy LOVES her some FREE stuff!!!
Well I received an email saying I was selected to host a Nutella Mommy Party! YAAAAAY! I was STOKED (yep revered to 80′s slang I am so excited). So a few days later my box arrives filled with goodies to give away to my guests and a large Nutella jar to use in making items for my breakfast bar at my party.
Gift bags for my guests.
Let me start talking about my party through pictures. unfortunately the pictures are not how I want them, since I was busy in the kitchen making crepes and putting together yummy goodies for everyone, so Miss B took pics for me. But we shall make do 
But to sum today all up….EVERYONE loved Nutella. 
Some of our goodies.
There were vanilla wafers, graham crackers, strawberries, bananas, apples, crepes, waffles, and croissants filled with nutella.
mmmmmmmm
My sweet niece came to see what I was cooking.
Of course with a little bit of Nutella on her mouth, hahahahaha.
This is what I was making.....yummy!!
Mommy Misty and Mommy Jennifer trying to enjoy their snacks with crazy kids running around. lol
Mommy Jennifer, Mommy Michelle with baby Brayden, and I all enjoying the get together.
Someone had a super yummy awesome plate!
Misty and Rachel were good girls and ate all their food! Gold stars for them!
MORE PLEASE!!!!
This was so much fun! Thank you again Nutella and Mommyparties!
Miss J’s new room
Since we moved into our very own home (2 years ago) I have been wanting to paint. Anything! Something! Why? Because we COULD! Its OURS!
With some extra money we decided to tackle Miss J’s room.
1. She is the baby
2. Hoping she would love her room
3. with this new love she would want to SLEEP in her room
4. just to make it more “homey” for her
Her and I talked about it a lot. What colors she would want. Which character she would want to base her room on. Let me tell you, this simple conversation with a 4 year old took at least 2 weeks! In the end we chose Tinkerbell.
Hubby and I went to Home Depot, they have actual Disney Colors. I didn’t want to go with a fluffy pink. Tink is more green and purples. So I went with these 3 colors:
The green and purple to go on the walls and the yellow (for Tinks hair) to go on the ceiling.
Since spending so much on the painting supplies we really didn’t have the extra money to buy new decor for her room make over. So we just used what we had.
Here are the before…
I took this after taking down her curtains and moving her heavy bed in the middle of the room.
Her room had ZERO “homey” feel. I felt like I was depriving her.
And now for the after!!!!
We already had the Tinkerbell curtains. And I put up her Tinkerbell costume.
We already had the Tink decal. So I painted pixie dust from Tink leading down to a sleeping Miss J
Here is a close up of the pixie dust, I hot glued little rhinestones on them.
These were the other decals that we had. It’s a bit bare but I will add more at some point.
This “little” project took me all flippen weekend. lol! It will be a while before I do another one of these little projects.
Holy braces batman!
Are you flipping kidding me?! Here is the MONSTER of all RANTS….right here, right now!
Lets talk about unappreciative kids. I NEVER had even 1/4 to what these kids have. And do you think that they actually realize how lucky they are?
With my husband’s insurance we were able to get all 3 of the older kids braces and the insurance covered a total $6,000. Let me tell you, braces for all 3 kids at once wasnt cheap. The boys both went through Phase 1, and will have to go another round in a few years (MAYBE!!). Mr. J has managed to lose TWO sets of retainers, we refuse to buy another one at $200 because he is obviously not responsable enough to care for one, so his teeth have moved back. Mr. S has done quite well with his stuff, I don’t have much to rant about with him. OH but Miss B, she is on Phase 2 and I swear she has had the damn things on for 3 years. Why you ask…..well because we are on the SECOND time the Orthodontist has refused to work on her because of her dental hygiene! Really how hard is it to brush your damn teeth after each meal? So now we are faced with 6 weeks of waiting till her next appointment to see if her gums improve, if not then the braces will come off!!! Thats right $4,000 down the fricken drain!
So I am yelling at her on the way home about the whole situation. Trying to explain to her how blessed she is to have all that she has, because I didn’t have a cell phone, a laptop, a flat screen t.v., a Playstation 3, or even my own room growing up!! And I tell her that I still don’t have things of my own because I have kids, like not having my own clothes because SHE takes them. And her response, “Well I’m sorry I’m fat”. REALLY? REALLY? Out of all of that you think this is me calling you fat?!?!?! O-M-G!
I need a vacation. A mom vacation. No husband. Just me.
Love
I am sitting here listing to my kids play their video games, smelling my meat loaf cooking, and enjoying the warmth of my feet that my doggie is providing.
With all of that I feel blessed. I am not a huge religious person, honestly I’m not sure what I believe. But I know when I’m ready I have my 2 very best friends with strong religious faith that will walk me through it all. Okay I got way sidetracked there…
Anyways, I am blessed because my children are happy, healthy, and alive. I also sit here with such sorrow in my heart finding out that the missing 4 year old, Juliani Cardenas, was found in the water canal that officers feared he was in. What the mother, Tabitha Cardenas, wouldn’t give to hear her child laugh, cry, or repeat mommy over and over again when she is on a phone call trying to pay attention to the phone call (we have all gone though that). I don’t know this family, but it hits so close to home also having a 4 year old. Life without Miss J, Miss B, Mr. S, and Mr. J wouldn’t be worth living.
We should all take a little extra time tonight to just hug and kiss our children. You may be saying “oh I do that everyday”. But no, no you don’t. Because I know I’m guilty of not hugging or kissing my older kids (because they are too cool for me) daily. And not only tonight, but every night. I know I am going to start making a point to hug and kiss my kids every night again, even if I have to pin them down. Things like this makes us realize all we take for granted.
My beautiful babies 4 years ago, time flys!
Homemade liquid laundry soap
After being harassed by my Fer (the BFF) on almost a daily basis. I am finally doing a picture tutorial of laundry soap.
I have been using my own laundry soap for maybe a year now? I’m not quite sure. I was given the idea by my high school friend who is now a wonderful farm girl with 5 kids, makes and grows practically everything in their home (very impressive, I love facebook for reconnecting us!).
And I can say from experience, I don’t find any of my darks fading. And if I feel like my whites are looking dingy, I will put some bleach or oxyclean in that load.
Alright, let’s do this!
All you will need:
Tap water
1/3 Laundry Soap Bar (I use Zote, its like $.97 at walmart)
1/2 cup Washing Soda
1/2 cup Borax
2 Gallon Pail with a lid (or larger)
and an extra 1/2 measuring cup you can keep in your laundry room
(YES! That is my pail, I am recycling. lol My last batch was in a huge paint bucket without a lid)
Step 1:
Grade 1/3 of your Laundry Bar into a large pot. Add 6 cups of water. On the stove, heat your soap and water, stir, until the soap has melted.
Step 2:
Pour your 1/2 cup Washing Soda, and 1/2 cup Borax into your soap mix. Stir until the powder has dissolved.
(excuse the mac & cheese, that was Miss J’s lunch)
(you may notice it starting to get thick, if not, don’t worry)
Step 3:
Now add 4 cups of hot water into your pail (I just use hot tap water). Then add your soap mixture. And stir, stir, stir.
Step 4:
“Top off” your pail with cold water. Which is about 22 Cups. And stir, stir, stir!
If you want you can add an essential oil for scent. I added some lime, since that’s all I had.
You can skim off the suds on top of your laundry soap. Give it about an hour or so, and your laundry soap will turn to gel! Of course it is not a nice smooth liquid soap. But honestly, who cares? You just saved yourself a buttload of money!
To use your super awesome laundry soap, just give it a good stir and add 1/2 cup per load.
OH! Another little trick I use! My poor kids are so snobby they think to themselves ”O-M-G, my mom washes my clothes with homemade laundry soap”! So if you like your clothes to have that fabric softener smell, you buy the cheapest fabric softener and a squirt bottle. Do a 1 (fabric softener) to 5 (water) in your squirt bottle, and spray your clothes as your throwing them into the drier.
(I have probably had that fabric softener for 6 months now!)
I hope you find this useful! And enjoy the extra money you will be saving. Because a family of 6 = tons of laundry.
B2B (opportunities for us bloggers)
I was refered to this B2B site by my fellow bloggers (and BFF) Jennifer (or as I call her Fur).
I wanted to check it out and see for myself what it was all about, and it looks pretty awesome.
- Its free
- They are up front about you not becoming a millionaire
- You get to test products and possible keep them for your review
I am soooo on that! I will come back and update this blog if it truly works out!
Dixie’s new diet….
So I have gotten a few inquires about the dog food I made yesterday. Why not blog about it then!
After many many hours of research I learned that the proper doggie diet consists of 1/3 protein, 1/3 carbs, 1/3 veggies.
I decided to make a Chicken, Carrot, and Brown Rice mixture.
I SCORED when I went to SaveMart (that is our “expensive” grocery store, but the closest to my house) and picked up 10 lbs of chicken thighs for only $5.90. A 2 lb bag of brown rice was $1.99 (I’m sure it can be found cheaper). And a 2 lb bag of carrots for $1.49 (I know those can be bought cheaper). I was willing to pay the extra to avoid a 20 min drive to a FoodMaxx. So all my supplies were under $10. Not bad.
So I started off by boiling the chicken. I threw in an onion for flavor in the broth. But DO NOT feed your dog onion. After a few hours I had a beautiful broth! I pulled the chicken out and put the broth in a few containers to freeze for MY future use.
10 lbs of cooked chicken
Then I used some of the chicken broth to cook the Brown Rice. 4 cups of broth to 2 cups of brown rice.
(This is were I would insert a picture, but I didnt take one)
I put the whole 2 lb bag of Carrots in the steamer. I didn’t steam them till they were mushy, but just kind of soft on the outside and lightly crunchy on the inside.
(Again I didnt take a picture, I fail!)
I pulled ALL of the chicken off the bones, there were lots of little bones in there too. Do NOT give your dog those bones, they are soft, and can splinter. After pulling all the chicken off, I got about 10 cups of chicken.
I put it all in my large food processor and made a chicken mush (adding broth while chopping).
Put all of the mush in a bowl.
Now put your carrots in the food processor. I didn’t bother peeling them, just cut off the ends and chopped them up.
All you have to do now is mix all of your stuff up! I put it on a large cutting board and used my hands to mix the chicken, carrots, and rice. That way if any little bones got by me I could feel them while mixing.
My measurements weren’t exactly the 1/3′s. I had 10 cups of chicken, 6 cups of carrots, and 6 cups of rice.
Here is the finished product….
Dixie is 70 pounds. So she eats 3 cups of food a day. I only feed her once a day. We have store-bought dog food left, so I need to use that up. I did 1 cup of dry food and 2 cups of homemade food. She LOVED it.
I measured out 1 week of food and put it in the fridge. And had another week left, and froze that.
Who’s got 2 thumbs and a happy healthy doggie? This girl right here.
Time to catch up!
I feel horrible, I havent blogged in a week! I know everyone was waiting on the edge of their seats for the next ramblings that flow from my crazy brain!
I had a minor injury the other night. I was in my room, minding my own business playing Black Ops online. Then out of no where, VooDoo (my cat) decides to pop out of my closet only to find Dixie (my Pittador) in the room also. Needless to say they don’t really love each other. My first instinct was to grab the cat and put him out in the hallway……baaaaaad idea! He pretty much pierced my flippen hand with 3 claws. So now I am watching my flaming red hand to make sure I don’t have an infection….
See Picture….
My hand is actually swollen, I really don’t have a chubby hand. lol
My newest adventure will start this week. I am planning on making my own dog food. I have done a ton of research online about it. And I’m feeling pretty confident that Dixie will benefit from it. I don’t think I will really be saving money, but as long as I’m not spending more, and I will now know everything she eats, it will totally be worth it.
My pretty baby…..
I am thinking my next blog will be a tutorial of my homemade laundry soap. I am almost out and need to make more. I wanted to have a laundry soap making party, but I think it will have to wait another 2 months once this batch is gone.
Well time to check on my Chocolate Banana Tofu Pudding. Yep, you read that right! <3
Yep this is the real deal folks!
So along with my many blogging inspirations, one is DecorChick! She was the one that had that nifty coffee filter wreath that I did and posted on Facebook!
Anyhoo, she has yet again inspired me. A link party to show of our REAL homes! Messy, unkept, unclean….the way it really is when we know guests are not coming over, or the pictures we post online. I am kind of embarrassed about these, lol.
This is an area that I or Hubby have to constantly keep up on! And there is no one to blame but us. This is our mail pile! Horrible I know, and most of it is just junk that needs to be gone through and thrown out. I keep my large bottle of vinegar here too, so that is easily accessible. I use it for everything. lol
Oh and in the right hand corner you can see my candle making stuff I did for Christmas! Yikes.
We have 2 junk drawers and a junk counter.
This is my front entry way. Instead of a grand living room, we have made it into a toy area. This I can blame on kid #4!
This is our dinner table that the kids have now started to eat around the puzzle mess! Kid #4 and #1 have been doing puzzles since Christmas! And as soon as I clean it up, it some how makes its way right back to the table. I’m about to just give up. lol
Ahhhh, and the staircase. We ALL walk up and down this thing 50 times a day, but does anyone take up any of the crud? Nope! Lets just all ignore it sitting there.
YES, this is all MY mess! My office. Look at all of the storage area I could utilize, but do I? Nope! I never have “time” to do it. hahahaha
This would be kid #3′s room. He has the room downstairs, so I have told him to have this room he needs to keep it clean. Well apparently he has forgotten our little deal. His clothes are flowing out on to the floor! And I know those are ALL clean!
Oh my husband is going to KILL me for putting this one up! This is our poor backyard. My basil is now dead, table overflowing with crap, lawn not mowed. But just to be fair, Hubby did almost rip his thumb off at work, and has had limited use of his right hand, since its been in a cast for 3 weeks.
These are all of my worst area’s of my home. Now I feel bad, I should go clean or something? Orrrrrrr, maybe I will just go have another cup of coffee.
