New blog, more fun

If you have been wondering where I have been lately I have been working on something awesome!

My mom, sister, and I have started a new blog.  Come and check us out www.craftyhoneybadgers.blogspot.com

This blog is going to be even bigger and better than Redneck Soccer Mom.  Lots more awesome posts and lots more fun.

I'm still alive

I know I've been gone for a long, long time.  I'm working on a big surprise! Can't wait? Me too!

It's coming soon!

Elfie the elf of the shelf that is NOT a spy for Santa

A few days a go, the elf on the shelf appeared in our house just like in thousands of other home.  But unlike in thousands of other homes this elf is not a spy for Santa.

Millions of children get the threat of you better be good or Santa won't come.  I've done it.  But it doesn't do anything to improve behavior.  It is just another empty threat, because let's get real,  I'm not going to give my kids nothing but coal for Christmas.

And if Santa was real, he wouldn't either, because he, like Jesus, has harnessed the power of forgiveness.

Our elf is a bit mischievous but not terribly so. Our elf is here to learn to be good and to teach forgiveness.  The girls have to forgive Elfie for being wild and a bit naughty.

The girls can play with Elfie and enjoy her.  I would be silly to get them a new toy and tell them to never touch it.  I want to set them up for success, not failure. 

There is no naughty and nice list.  We have nice girls in this house and only nice girls. Sometimes they make mistakes but so do I and no one threatens to take my Christmas presents away. Jesus has forgiven me and Jesus has forgiven them.

And so has Santa.

Santa sent a letter carefully explaining that the naughty and nice list is just something people do for fun.  I didn't want to make 98% of the world out to be liars! But that Santa is also friends with Jesus and they know all about grace and forgiveness.

And seriously how can your elf be naughty and then it reports back to Santa about your children's naughtiness? Just doesn't make sense!


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Santa beard Christmas countdown

The girls are so excited for Christmas.  I had to make a way for them to countdown so they wouldn't have to ask me every 15 minutes how much longer til Christmas.  Best idea ever.  Now they only ask me 5 times a day.  And that's a number I can live with.

 

Cheyenne's is on the left and Harlee's is on the right.

I wish I could take credit for that awesome Santa but I can't, get yours here.

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My 100th post

I thought this day would come sooner, but life got in the way.  This blog is about my life so without life getting in the way there would be no blog.

Here is 5 Things I have learned from 100 blog posts.

1 Blogging is hard.

It's hard to find time more than anything, it's hard to consistently post, it's hard to social media-ize the posts you do have time to write.

2 I am slowly but surely turning into a computer geek.

I can edit html code and can tell you all about SEO and other weird computer acronyms that I had no idea what where a year ago. 

3 Blogging is fun.

I love it when someone comments on my posts and hopefully it was helpful to them.  Or when someone emails me wanting to know more about a post.  This happens most often over our trip to the National Jewish hospital in Denver for Cheyenne's eczema. 

4 Sometimes I wonder if this blog will ever get anywhere.

But I mostly don't care, I like doing it so I'm going to keep on keeping on.

5 I have a twitter, facebook and Google+ account for this blog and it isn't enough.

But I don't have time for more. It's terribly overwhelming how important social media is.

I sometimes wonder what the future holds for Redneck Soccer Mom.  Will I ever get sick of it and stop? I'm really thinking not.  Or will I at some point start something bigger and better? Who knows. For now I am here and I'm not quitting.


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Cheyenne's 3 year old interview

Oh sweet Cheyenners, I can't believe she is three already. She is so smart and so determined and so stubborn and so lovey. She talks so much and so well for her age. She didn't do all the questions again this year.  Despite my best efforts to ask her a few everyday she seemed rather board with it all. Harlee on the other hand helps me think up more questions to ask.

Blast from the past: Cheyenne's two year old interview 

What is your name?  I'm Cheyenne

What is your mom's name?  Doylenn

What is your dad's name?  Daddy

What does your mom do all day?  Kiss Daddy

What does your dad do all day?  He hugs you and kiss you

If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go?  to earth
What is your favorite color? Purple
What is your favorite toy? Pink Bear
What is your favorite fruit? I want a cutie
What is your favorite cartoon? Umizoomi

What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Cuties

What is the grossest thing to eat for lunch? pears are yucky
What is your favorite thing to wear? necklaces
What is your favorite game? Umzoomi
What is your favorite snack? Eyes

What is your favorite animal? pink bear

Which do you like more, hunting or fishing?  Fishing
What is your favorite song? Umzoomi
What is your favorite book? Busy Bugs
Who is your best friend? Jazy

What is your favorite cereal? Purple
What is your favorite thing to do outside? Ride my bike
What is your favorite drink? to drink inside

What is your favorite season? purple is my favorite season

What do you like to take to bed with you at night? I can sleep on a pillow, I want my baby
What do you want to be when you grow up? Just a grown up

Where is your favorite place to go? to the left

What kind of party to do want for your 4th birthday? purple party

What kind of party do you think Harlee should have for her birthday? a purple party, no Harlee like pink parties that's all
What pets do you have? 3 pets
What is your favorite butterfly? really small

Polka dots or stripes? stripes
Do you like showers or baths more? showers
Who is your favorite person in the whole world?  Elfie
What is your favorite thing to do with friends? We just hide Elfie

What is your favorite sport? I wanna play soccer
If you could have one wish what would it be? To be a baby
Who is your biggest hero? Jazy
What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Purple ice cream
Is there anything else you want to tell me about yourself?  No thank you

Know of any great questions I missed?  Please let me know!  If you want to see my complete list of interview questions please see Harlee's 5 year old interview


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Finished thankful tree

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How a leader is born

I kind of fell into this job by default.  When I signed Harlee up for girl scouts I was told they needed more parent volunteers.  I happily signed up for that job.  I like being involved in her life.  And I couldn't imagine just dropping her off at Girl Scouts and picking her up later without knowing if her leader are legit or not.

Then it turned into Harlee's troop needed a co-leader or there would be no troop.  Her troop is new and just getting started even though it's a tab bit late in the year.

I was the only parent volenteer for her troop.

And that my friends in how a (co)leader is born.

I have a vision of myself being leader next year (also not a position I'm going to fight for).  The leaders daughter will be a brownie next year leaving her with no reason to be a daisy leader.  And that will leave me.

A mom has got to do what a mom has got to do.

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Understanding Effective Basement Flood Cleanup...a guest post by Tiffany Olson

I have lived in not one but TWO houses that have flooded before, sure one of those times was a rental house during a tornado that was the scariest event of my entire life, but that's another story for another day.  Basement flood cleanup isn't a new idea to me but I'm certainly not an expert. Today's post is by guest poster Tiffany Olson.  Enjoy.

Basements are a great place for storage or can provide an extra room in the house when renovated, but they’re also the most susceptible area in a building to flooding. Basement floods can lead to many problems when not handled quickly and with expertise. Learn how to manage water damage and the steps for successful flood cleanup so that you may have a functioning basement once again.

Causes of Basement Flooding

Basement flooding can be caused by a variety of sources. Often, large amounts of rainfall or leaking pipes are the contributing factors of floods, but they can also come as a result of situations such as faulty appliances, poor lot grading, an overloaded drainage system, cracks in the foundation, a blocked or full sewage system and sump pump failure. If you experience flooding in your basement, it’s important to discover the cause during cleanup efforts to determine the contamination level of the water and take appropriate action from there.

Problems Associated With Basement Floods

Even if there’s nothing of value in it, a flooded basement can’t just be dealt with whenever someone gets around to it. Neglecting to implement an effective flood cleanup process as soon as it’s safe to do so can lead to many structural problems and pose a health risk to those living or working in the building. Dry rot, crumbling sheetrock and insulation and a weakening of the walls, beams and other architectural support systems can all be brought about from water damage. It doesn’t take very long for mold and mildew to develop in an environment affected by moisture, which can promote asthma and allergies and have long-lasting effects once indoor air quality has been diminished. There are many other health hazards associated with contaminated flood waters as well, and flooding can also encourage the appearance of pests.

Proper Basement Flood Cleanup

When done correctly, the first few steps in basement flood cleanup should all relate to safety. No one should ever set foot in water without disconnecting the electricity first or without wearing the proper attire. It’s always recommended that you enlist the services of a professional water damage restoration company instead of attempting to make flood cleanup a DIY project because of the dangers of contamination and the special tools it requires to properly and completely dispose of all water. Once a restoration crew is called in, they will be able to begin the process of removing and drying up excess water with powerful water extraction equipment, dehumidifiers and other air movers. They can then thoroughly disinfect and deodorize the basement and all salvageable belongings.

How to Avoid Future Basement Flooding

Avoiding continual basement flooding situations will relieve you of a lot of trouble and expenses. Some preventative actions you can take include making sure downspouts extend far enough away from the structure, installing a sump pump if you don’t already have one, maintaining all appliances and plumbing pipes on a regular basis, patching any cracks found in flooring, walls or the roof and routinely cleaning out your gutters.

Basement flooding is a major headache, but resolving the dilemma with the appropriate flood cleanup practices and implementing solutions to avert future problems is sure to alleviate some of your stress.

About the Author

Tiffany Olson has a passion for writing and loves to share useful information with the public via guest blogging and social media. When she’s not blogging you will usually find her in the kitchen cooking or on a weekend road trip.

Our thankful tree is growing

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Family is adoption

A beautiful story, a beautiful family.

Remember November is national adoption awareness month, pass it on.

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Thankful tree

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November is national adoption awareness month

November is national adoption awareness month. And I have a goal.  A lofty one at that. I'm not sure what exactly I need to do to achieve this goal, but I know I need to start on my knees.

My goal is for everyone to make a choice when they decide to have children.  I wish for everyone to stop and think.  Should I have biological children or should I adopt?

I believe there are enough people in the world who would and could adopt, if they just thought about it.

Maybe you would, maybe you can. But please just think about it.  And pass it on.

Maybe you can't.  Maybe it isn't for you.  But please just think about it.  And pass it on.

I believe in a better world for children.  I believe in parents (or parent!) for every child.  I believe in families.  I believe in miracles. 

And here is a fantastic music video to inspire the world. Please enjoy and spread the word!

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Ruffled edge quilt

 Just wanted to share a quilt I made a while back when one of my friends had a sweet little baby.

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World's easiest peach butter

I don't know if you have noticed or not, but I like easy.  This isn't one of those blogs where I make something that looks perfect and then create a perfect looking label, with a link for you download your own.  Don't get me wrong I'd love to make perfect stuff with perfect labels.

This blog is about life.  REAL life. My house is a mess and I still don't have time to make a peach butter label.  Pass the sharpie.  Link to sharpie

Wait! I just changed my mind. This is a perfect blog, and I have the link to the best label ever.  This label is completely 100% customizable.  No more printing labels out for all your projects. This is a one size fits all job.  It isn't free though.  Sorry.  It's $1.64.  I know killer price.  BUT I'm not asking you to print stuff out all the time on special sticker paper and use up all your ink.  So actually, you're welcome.

Here it is:  link to most perfect ever label no printing required

Okay, on to the world's easiest peach butter.

1. Pit all your peaches, don't skin them, and no it doesn't` matter how many peaches you have.

2. Put all your peaches in a pot with some water and cook for a few minutes.  I used an immersion blender and chopped it all up.  Now you can't even tell you didn't waste loads of time skinning your peaches. And peach skins are really good for you.  Now the world's easiest peach butter is also a major health food.  Again, you're welcome.

3. Once it's all blended pour it all in a crock pot.

4. Add sugar till it tastes good.

5. Add cinnamon, cloves and/or nutmeg til it tastes good, or none at all. I added a little bit of all of them.

6. Cook in crock pot until you like how thick it is.  If you like how thick it is after you blend it you could just skip the crock pot altogether.

7.  Ladle peach butter into hot jars and top with hot lids.  Screw the lids on tight and set upside down for 5 minutes and then right side up.  The lids will seal.

8.  Use your most awesomest ever label AKA the sharpie to label your jars.

9. Remember we used the skins in this peach butter and therefore is a health food so be healthy and eat some everyday.

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Pumpkin Smoothie

We have started a new family tradition! Pumpkin smoothie while carving pumpkins.  Greatest idea ever! I didn't have all the ingredients for any of the recipes I looked at, so I winged it.  I'm good at winging it, I have a habit of trying things out without even reading the tutorial.

1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling, I had canned pumpkin chunks a year ago and used that)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2  teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup milk
ice
Whipped cream for topping

Blend it all up and drink it down. Delish!

 I would of added vanilla ice cream too if I had some but I didn't, so it's health food instead.

 

My little ladies, had a ton of fun this afternoon, and now they want pumpkin smoothies everyday, and so do I. I'm going to have to get more pumpkins to can.

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Bacon cheeseburger salad

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Roman bread pudding

I'm so proud of Harlee, she is so smart.  I'm also so thankful for her new homeschool curriculum, sonlight, it really caters right to her learning style.  She just soakes up everything that is read to her and it is mostly reading to her, it's perfect for us.

Sometimes when I'm not sure if she paying attention I'll ask her to tell her Dad what she knows about xyz and she will rattle off all kinds of things.

In history, which is me reading her a story type book and not a text book type book, (because text books are boring!)  she is learning about the Romans.  As a project we decided to make roman bread pudding.

As I looked at the recipe I thought it looked pretty good, then I was making it and I thought it was going to be awful. But was not.  It was just good enough to eat an entire piece, once.

 

Slice the crust off your bread.  Soak it in milk for a second, and I do mean 1 second! Or else you will have a bowl with small chunks of bread floating around.  Fry in olive oil, til it isn't mushy anymore.  Drizzle on some honey and eat.

It mostly tastes like a weird crunchy french toast but it was a great homeschool project. But only once.

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Thousand island dressing

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Pomegranate-chokecherry jelly

One week ago...

Chokecherry jelly is the best jelly in the world. The perfect peanut butter and jelly sandwich is made with homemade bread, creamy peanut butter, and chokecherry jelly. Any other kind of jelly and it's just not the perfect pb&j.

Present day...

I'm dazed and confused. I feel like someone pulled the rug out from underneath me. And that rug is called life.

My world is spinning and I don't know what to do or think.

There is a large possibility that I have discover a jelly that is even better than chokecherry jelly.

The loyal part of me wants to whisk this thought away and pretend I never thought it and say chokecherry is the best.

But until I make more chokecherry jelly and do the ultimate taste test there is no way to be sure. I'm going to go ahead and tell myself that the only reason this jelly is so good is because of the chokecherry juice.

While we wait on the official results of the taste test, I can say with 100% certainty that pomegranate-chokecherry jelly is defiantly a yummylicious jelly that should be consumed on a regular basis.

We bought a case of pomegranates from bountiful basket. After we got that lovely goodness home, I remembered something. I really do not like taking the seeds out of pomegranates, I'm highly irritated after doing just one. My kids always have to share a pomegranate because I would be impossible to live with if I had to pick all the seeds out of two.

And there I was, starring at a whole case of the things. It was not a lovely sight.  I almost cried just looking at them all.

My husband is fabulous.  Even though he really, really, really wanted to go organize his garage he took the seeds out of most of the pomegranates for me. I'm so blessed to have him.

After I made the juice I didn't really like the color or it, strangely enough it will a milky light pink.  It was still good tasting.  I had some chokecherry juice leftover in the freezer and I put that in with it and it made the color darker and less milky (don't ask me why it made it less milky, it just did).

Then I used the ball recipe for pomegranate jelly since there was a lot more pomegranate juice than chokecherry juice. My juice mixture is probably around 1/8th chokecherry juice.

3.5 cups pomegranate/chokecherry juice
5 cups sugar
1 package pectin

Mix the pectin in with the juice til it's all the way dissolved.  Heat to a boil. Mix in sugar, stir til dissolved and heat to a rolling boil. Boil hard for one minute. Ladle into hot jelly jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space.  Put on a hot lid and screw it on tight, set upside down for 5 minutes and then turn right side up.  The jars will seal and there is no need to process them.

If you prefer you can skip the whole upside down right side up business and process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes.

I have actually started putting my jelly into pint jars instead of jelly jars.  It looks a little silly, but my kids are pb&j monsters! They go through a jelly jar full every week.  So I'm saving money on lids. My kids would love me more if our daily menu was:

Breakfast: pb&j
Morning Snack: pb&j
Lunch: pb&j
1st afternoon snack: pb&j
2nd afternoon snack: pb&j
Dinner: Quesadilla (and by quesadilla, I mean tortilla with melted cheese)
Post dinner snack: pb&j
Once a week I will switch out one meal with either a hot dog or cereal just to spice up life.

Ha! They just can't understand why I bother to cook meals and make them eat something different for breakfast, lunch and dinner.


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