Quick Update

Leaving in 2 days, cleaning, packing.
Tomatoes have psyllis and pumpkins have squash bugs.
Baby's learning to crawl.
Big girl lost almost all of her mermaids and ponies.
Soccer dad is distressed over the dodgers.
Baby sits up all by herself.
Mommy is feeling a bit overwhelmed.
Booboo and Dodger finally have no fleas!
Soccer Dad is hiring an assistant.
Big girl loves swimming in her pool.
Fireworks tonight, Happy 4th!
Looking forward to family, friends, and camp.

My Shiny Porcelain Sink

My sink is finally clean, Hallelujah! I'm going to shout it from the rooftops! I've been searching for a way to get the stains out of my old porcelain sink since we bought this 50's ranch house, complete with the original 50's sink. It was once a beauty, but is well past it's prime, with a crack and multiple stains.

I ran across the following website and followed the directions exactly:

www.flylady.net

Dear Friends,

I want you to smile from ear to ear when you gaze upon your shiny sink.

I have heard every excuse in the world. Even old sinks can look new again with a little elbow grease.

Here is how you do it:

BE SURE AND RINSE WELL BETWEEN EACH STEP OF THE WAY!

1. Take all the dishes out of the sink.
   
   
2. Run some very hot water into the sink. Fill to the rim. Only do one side at a time. Then, pour a cup of household bleach into the hot water. Let it sit for 1 hour. Now, pull the plug with a pair of tongs. If you don't have tongs, then scoop some of the water out of the sink into the other sink and use your hand to pull the plug (wear gloves and don't get the bleach-water on your clothes).
   
   
3. Rinse your sink well.
   
   
4. Use some cleanser (Comet, Ajax, or Baking Soda) and scrub your sink. Ensure you rinse ALL of the cleanser from the sink.
   
   
5. Take a sharp edge and clean around the rim of the sink, just like you would clean dirt out from under your fingernails.
   
   
6. Clean around the faucets too. You may need an old toothbrush or dental floss.
   
   
7. Now, get out your window cleaner, I use Windex, and give it a good shine.
   
   
8. If you still don't like the way it looks, then you could try some car wax. Just know in your heart that you have cleaned it very well now and it doesn't have to be perfect. Our perfectionism is what got us in this situation in the first place.
   
   
9. Every time you run water in your sink, take your clean dishtowel and dry it out (I lay out a clean one, every night with my before bedtime routine). Before you know it, you will be doing this everytime you leave your kitchen. The rest of the family will too. No more water spots. You will have a clean and shiny sink.
   
   
10. Don't have a fit if someone doesn't take as much pride in your sink as you do. It is very easy to fix. You have already done the hard part. You will never have to go through this process again. Daily maintenance will keep it looking this way all the time. Nasty hurtful word are not as easy to repair. Just be sure and tell your family what you are trying to do. They will think you have gone crazy.
    
    
11. If you don't have a dishwasher, don't worry. A dishwasher is just a dirty dish disposal. Clean out a place under your sink and put a dishpan in there. Teach your family, that instead of putting their dirty dishes and glasses in the sink, place them into the dish pan. Get into the habit of putting your dishes away as soon as they have been washed and are dry. No more leaving the dish drying rack on the counter or in the sink. Put it away under the sink when you have finished. If your old one is nasty, you may want to soak it in the sink full of bleach water at the same time you soak the sink or go buy a new set.
    
    
12. To insure that your family remembers this, put a note in the sink. It will get their attention and remind them where to put the dishes. Be patient! They have never been taught either. It is going to take some practice.
    
    

Now if you have a stainless steel sink, I recommend all of the above directions with one extra instruction added: after you soak your sink, rinse well, and use SOS pads to scrub it. This will buff the finish. It will look like new.

If you still can't get it to shine after the Windex, put a light coat of lemon oil or olive oil on it. I mean just a tiny bit on a cloth and rub it. This will make you smile. Some people have had very good results from Bar Keepers Friend.

Go Shine Your Sink!
FlyLady

I've been hiked upon

I now know what it feels like to be a fire hydrant, and it is not pleasant, but rather humorous when the one who is doing the hiking is 2 years old. As I was showering with my big girl this morning, she informed me that she was Dodger, our four year old mutt, and then proceded to hike her leg on me. Ha ha! Anyone else ever had this experience? At least we were in the shower. She also hit her Little Mermaid in the process, but don't worry, she washed her up afterward.

Brooklyn, 2 year old, Dodger

Interviews

Soccer Dad is reviewing and interviewing applicants for the new assistant soccer coach position at the school. I believe he has it narrowed down to two or three, whee!

Feeling a little jealous, I decided to conduct my own interview with our big girl. Here's how it went:

What is your favorite color?
Green, purple, purple.

What is your favorite animal?
Elephant

What is your favorite food?
Eatmeal (oatmeal)

What is your favorite breakfast?
Cheesy Eggs

What is your favorite lunch?
Peanut butter samich

What is your favorite dinner?
CHICKEN! (very excited about this one)

What do you want for your birthday?
A Giraffe. A cake with a giraffe on it.

She also informed me that she ate an elephant ear at the zoo that tasted like oatmeal. Yum.



Just finished packing for our mini camping trip and am off to bed.

The important things in life

The other day Soccer Dad decided to have a deep and meaningful conversation with our two year old and asked her, "What was your favorite part of the day?" Expecting her to reply that her favorite part of the day was seeing her adopted Grandma, Fefe, who she hasn't seen in 1.5 months, she said, "Cheesy eggs", which is what we had for breakfast.

Thinking he'd outsmart her this time, he asked her, "What was your favorite part about seeing Fefe?" She said, "Peanut butter and crackers." Fefe always gives her snacks.

Later that week Soccer Dad and I walked into the living room to find her eating a fist full of Goldfish crackers on the couch (you know, the ones full of food coloring that Mimi doesn't want to buy, because they're bad for her, but then she remembers that her job is to spoil the grand kids, then goes crazy with the junk food?) Soccer Dad asks our daughter, "Did you just help yourself to those?" Big girl says, "I did." "Did you ask if you could have those?" "I asked Jesus."

If Jesus told her she could have Goldfish, then who are we to stop her?

Ramblings

My big girl and I were having a conversation about her little friend, we'll call her Hannah, when she told me, "Mommy, Mommy, Hannah's mommy's name is Mommy too, just like yours!" Then she moved on to Soccer Dad, "Daddy, Hannah's daddy's name is Daddy too!" Too cute, can she please stay this precious forever and ever? I'm so glad God blessed me with this little person in my life.

"Bapa's so cute"
"Bapa's silly"

-Big Girl

I have the most wonderful hot dog song stuck in my head (thanks Mimi). Let me sing it for you...

Hot dogs,
Armour Hot Dogs,
What kind of kids like Armour Hot Dogs?
Fat ones, skinny ones,
kids who climb on rocks,
tough ones, sissy ones,
even kids with Chicken Pox!
Hot dogs,
Armour Hot Dogs,
The kind of dogs kids love to bite!

Okay, I'll stop now.

Soccer Dad is going to install laser beams on top of our fridge.





What?


You want to know why?

I lied he's not actually going to install them, but is drawing up plans to install them, well, he's not doing that either, just wishes he could to keep those furry felines off. Their hair, leaves, dirt, etc. keeps dropping down into the ice and shelves of the freezer, gross! Not to mention the fact that their tails and paws have been closed in the door multiple times, good thing their not lizards.

Hot dogs! Armour hot dogs! I'm really done this time. This is how my brain works, I'm thinking of what I'm typing and suddenly the song strikes out of nowhere.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8

May 2011

Egypt

We were finally able to skype with Soccer Dad this afternoon. He's very ready to come home and we're even more ready to have him home. He did say that he rode a camel and that Egypt was a bit disappointing after being in the Holy Land, not as much significance. He's also not feeling 100%, which makes for a rough trip home. His wake up call is 4:45 Friday morning, 9:45 Thursday night our time. Only a three hours to go, whoopie! Yes, we're counting down! Hopefully he's sawing lots of logs as I type. They will then leave the hotel around 6am to catch the flight. I'm sure he'll probably have accumulated 3,000 photos to show us all. I'll share them with you after I recover from the pain of uploading them.

3 Days

We've had no word from Soccer Dad yesterday or today. He arrived in Egypt yesterday morning and changes hotels tonight. He comes home in three days (Wahoo!) and Mimi goes home :( The girls, the garden, and my tummy tum have all grown while Mimi's been here. She feeds us well, always has. Baby's rolling over both ways, eating baby oatmeal, and spitting out peas. As long as she likes green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, and olives, I'll be a happy camper. I need someone on my side, since the other two seem to have similar taste buds. My big girl misses her daddy like crazy and has informed me that she has big girl feet. Big feet are definitely something every lady should be proud of.

We're off to feed the relatives dogs and hope they eat their food instead of us...

Israel Day 5

Visited the Wailing Wall and the Temple Mount, which is now controlled by Muslims. Went to the Israel Museum and the Nativity Church, built above the site where Jesus was most likely born. Saw the Herod caves, the Shepherd's field, Dead Sea Scrolls, and site where Pilate sentenced Jesus. Last night in Israel. Most relaxing day yet. Took nap today.

-Soccer Dad

Israel Day 4

Most tiring day yet - toured the old city on foot. Visited the Mount of Olives and two of Jesus' possible tombs. Had communion in the garden tomb and was honored to do the scripture reading. Have had all kinds of Mediterranean food - fish, hummus, felafel, Jerusalem bread, etc. Plan on riding a camel in Egypt. Taken over 1,500 photos.

-Soccer Dad

Israel Day 3

"Morning at Qumran, site of the discovery of Dead Sea Scrolls. Then Swimming/floating in the Dead Sea and covering in mud for the health of the skin. Onto Bethany and the tomb of Lazarus, and Church on top of house of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Into Jerusalem for view of city and old city, the mount of the temple. Finally to Bethlehem to shop and get to new hotel."

-Soccer Dad

Israel Day 2

"First thing this morning on the Jesus boat on the sea of Galilee. Where Jesus calmed the storm and walked on water. Mount of Beatitudes, Capernum, and Mount Hermon. Baptized in the Jordan River along with 20 others from Chowan.

Walked all over where Jesus ministered, great day"

-Soccer Dad

Israel

A message from Soccer Dad, his first full day in Israel:

In Tiberius at the Caesar hotel on the sea of Galilee. It is beautiful. Today we went to Cesarea and Herod's palace, Meggedo or Armageddon, Nazareth and Cana. Great day, tomorrow we will travel on and around the Sea of Galilee and do Baptisms in the Jordan River.

Something to Crow About

Not to keep going on about the critters in our midst, but I think it is necessary to to tell the you about our friendly neighborhood birds.

A few days ago, as I was taking clothes off the line and holding baby sis ( I know, I know, quite the multi-tasker), two fighting birds flew into my feet and fluttered about for a few seconds before flying away. Needless to say, I let out a "yop!"

Even more frightening than that, as Soccer Dad was making his specialty, BBQ chicken, some birds did the same to him, except in his rear end. To make matters worse, our nut dog, Brooklyn, who likes to chase the birds out of our yard, decided to attack the birds attacking the rear end of my beloved hubby.

A Day in the Life of Mrs. Phelps

5:58 Baby's awake
6:00 Baby's asleep
6:15 Toddler's awake, so is Soccer Dad
7:00 Baby's awake
7:05 Watch bible verses with Toddler and feed baby
7:30 Make oatmeal with Toddler
7:40 Start Laundry
7:45 Breakfast, feed baby
8:10 Dress
8:18 Run
8:38 Return from Run, push toddler on swing
8:45 Put baby down for nap
9:00 Hang laundry
9:30 Start another load
9:45 Kiss Daddy bye bye, Dress toddler, dress self
9:56 Baby's awake
10:00 Feed and dress baby
10:30 Leave for work
11:30 Head home
11:35 make lunch for toddler
11:45 Baby nap
12:05 Eat half sandwich, put toddler to bed
12:10 Baby's awake
12:15 Put baby back down
12:16 Toddler's up, take potty, put back to bed
12:19 Baby's awake
12:20 Toddler's up
12:25 Toddler's up
12:28 Make lunch for self and Soccer Dad
12:30 Soccer Dad's home, Toddler's up
12:35 Make bread, Eat lunch
12:55 Feed baby, start this post
1:10 Spend Bible time with Soccer Dad
1:20 Kiss soccer Dad bye, play with baby
1:35 Laundry, laundry, and more laundry, talk with Mom
2:00 I've lost my memory during this half hour
2:30 Put baby down for nap
2:45 Toddler's up
2:55 Finish bread
3:00 Laundry, talk with Dad
3:15 Baby's up
3:17 Feed Baby
3:15 Swing with toddler, pick lettuce and radishes
4:00 Start dinner
4:15 Talk with Mel
4:45 Finnish Dinner
5:00 Pick up Toddler from next door
5:15 Eat dinner in garden
5.....lots of other fun and exciting stuff that you probably don't want to read and I don't have time to type, cause baby's up at 9:53.

Dead ant, dead ant

Ants, ants, ants, ants, Ants, ants, ants, ants la la la la la la CHARGE!

You know you have too many ants in your house when you ask your two year old what she's doing and she says she's watching the ants walk by.

Ahhhhh, ants, please go away. Soccer Dad has sprayed the outside perimeter of our home and smooshed and wiped them away several times on the inside with no avail. I know they've probably been invading this house since the fifties, when our house was built, but who are the ones paying the mortgage here?

Even if there is not a speck of food in the kitchen they still come and drink what little water they can find. Poor little thirsty guys.

Okay, I'm done with the ants now.

Aren't you glad you just wasted a minute of your time reading about our little invaders?

Now I'm really done.

Dinner Prayer

I pray Booboo, Dawder
I pray all animals at zoo
I pray polar bears
I pray Uncle planter of trees (she didn't say that last part)
I pray our food
Amen

And Elpunts too.

April 2011

Cousins, cousins, cousins!

The cousins (oh, and auntie and uncle too) arrived yesterday evening, along with the whole soccer team, the assistant coach, and wife, for hot dogs and burgers on the grill, yum! Needless to say, we had a busy day yesterday. In the a.m. we had my bitty baby girl's well baby check up, went grocery shopping for dinner, came home, prepped the house, made dinner, then everyone arrived, all while taking care of the babes................(taking a moment to breathe).

We've been having a blast and are looking forward to the rest of our time with them. Tomorrow we have soccer and our Easter fun day at church. As of now, all of the kiddos are in bed and as Mat's punishment for whacking me in the head with a poopy diaper we're watching "The Shunning", by Beverly Lewis. Goodnight, and goodnight.

Guess Who?

We're going to play a little game called "Guess Who"? Can you guess which photo is My firstborn and which is the second-born? If you know their names, please don't use them. They also go by my toddler or my baby.

Baby #1

Baby #2

Wanna play? Just leave me a comment and I'll leave the answer in a few days or something, pretty much whenever I get around to it. Funny, neither girl liked this outfit, I wonder why...

Picnic Anyone?

Yesterday evening my toddler and I decided it was about time we had a picnic dinner. I just love the sound of the word picnic, I think it has something to do with the "P". We packed up our basket with sliced apples, bean salad, and some good ol' southern fried chicken...yum.

Even Sissy was excited!

Once we got the baby changed, the baby fed, the dogs on their leashes, the girls in the stroller, a map of the earth, a week's worth of clothes, and the key to the town (well maybe not those last few), we headed out.

Our destination was the soccer field, fenced in to let the beasts run wild. We only had one potty break detour, a pretty impressive feat, all things considered.

Wild beast #1

Upon our arrival, we snarffed down our grub-a-dub and went on to play soccer, pet a hamster, or practice photography skills, whatever the case may be.


All in all, it was a wonderful, yet exhausting evening.

P.S. Maybe I should explain the whole hamster thing. Two of the women's soccer players bring their little guy out occasionally and let him run about the field in his ball. My toddler was in love and wild beast #2 only tried to eat him once. Don't worry, she missed.

Bapa!!!

My little toddler was ecstatic to have a visit from Bapa last week. He came in Tuesday evening, while she was at soccer practice, and stayed for a week. Soccer Dad let her stay up extra late to say goodnight to Bapa before bed, and my little jackrabbit hopped all about the room with excitement before she actually made it over to give him a hug. If she could read she'd say, "I no jackrabbit, I bunny," such a wild child.

Looking at Aardvarks & Elephants

Bapa got our garden beds all ready to plant, practiced his lumberjack skills, bought us plenty of "groceries", and spent lots of time playing with the girls. My baby was generous, as usual, in sharing her smiles, and my toddler generous in sharing her dirt, sticks, and ponies. It was an absolute delight to have him here.

On a side note, I just threw a package of candy corn, I mean "Jesus Promise Seeds," at my hubby's head to test his reflexes, no warning, sometimes I just like to do these things, and he's punishing me by making me listen to the country boy band. Rascal Flatts, for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about. Next time they're on just listen, or better yet, watch, and try and tell me that they don't sound like a boy band.

Any-hoo, we had a wonderful time with Bapa and can't wait to see him, Mimi, and possibly G & G in Guy, ahem, July (sometimes I think like my toddler speaks).

March 2011

That's our House

Dog hair fluttering about like snow,
Daughter's bouncing to and fro.
Dust bunnies line the walls,
Sneaking out of bed (AGAIN) into the hall.
Work binder with a sock hanging out,
Dirt is clinging to the grout.
Black footed girl gets in the bath,
After her good ol' worm succotash.

Holes in the couches,
Bites on chairs,
Why is she wearing Dad's underwear?
Smell of bread baking (oops rose too long, now it's sinking),
Laundry flapping in the breeze,
Daddy always has to sneeze,
Dogs are eating up the scraps,
Ants are crawling through the cracks.
Baby is getting sleepy,
Mom, those leftovers look kinda creepy.
That's our house,
Where we spend the day.
Don't you want to come and stay?

February 2011

Green Eggs and Ham

Say!
I like green eggs and ham!
I do! I like them, Sam-I-am!
And I would eat them in a boat.


And I would eat them with a goat...
And I will eat them in the rain.
And in the dark. And on a train.
And in a car. And in a tree.


They are so good, so good, you see.
So I will eat them in a box.
And I will eat them with a fox.


And I will eat them in a house.
And I will eat them with a mouse.
And I will eat them here and there.
Say! I will eat them ANYWHERE!


I do so like
green eggs and ham!
Thank you!
Thank you,
Sam-I-am!

Dr. Seuss, Green Eggs and Ham

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

A little Plot of Paradise

We are finally starting our garden! Every year that we've been married, I've wanted to garden, but we've moved so often that it has been impossible. Sure, I've had an array of indoor plants that traveled place to place with us, but nothing is like going outdoors and sticking my hands into the wormy soil.

I grew up gardening with the best of the best, my dad, although he may disagree. Needless to say, some of my favorite memories were being outside with him planting seeds, weeding, and harvesting. The best times were eating sweet 100's and berries straight off the vine. I can even remember as far back as when I was three years old and I was playing in his garden with my blue balloon, while he was working away. I accidentally let go of my balloon and my dad stood there with me while I cried and watched it float away.

Until this year I did not realize how much there is to learn about gardening even before planting a single seed. My dad is still teaching me from all the way across the country about composting, companion planting, and much, much more. So far my wonderful hubby has fenced off the garden area from our wild beasts, built two raised beds, and while I type, is digging up the grass to transplant elsewhere.

It has been super easy gardening with our two year old who loves dirt baths, worms, and anything that grows, but not so easy with our two month old who seems to prefer the indoors. I'm hoping that will change as she grows. Yesterday Abby declared to me that she was all clean after literally rolling in the dirt and becoming as brown as she could possibly be. She also went on a very serious worm hunting mission and found several other treasures along the way. At soccer practice she even got in trouble for trying to eat dirt "like a worm." Oh my child!

According to My 2 year old

"I want to bite the sun" -2 year old

"I need to ride a motorcycle" -2 year old

"My elbow needs to go potty" -2 year old

"She is so impressionable" -Soccer Dad, "I so pressable" -2 year old

During Bible story time:

"I want walk on water with Jesus too" -2 year old

"I no want die on cross" -2 year old

"I want take care of animals on ark" -2 year old

Dance Me Daddy

January 2010

Christmas 2010

1 week New Baby

Baby number 2

Ready for the babe