Teenage Girls

I am the mother of a teenage girl. I didn't realize that I was that old that I forgot what it was like to be a teenager, but then again, times were different then. Bullying didn't exist like it does now. And certainly not in so many different ways. I guess I don't remember wanting so desperately trying to fit in that I would do things that are not necessarily the right thing to do. I thought that we raised a bright, intelligent, strong girl with strong Christian values. And we did, but we didn't realize that there is no self-confidence and that is what is needed in order to hold your own in this world of bullies and mean girls.

Trying to build confidence is like trying to swim across a crocodile infested pool.  It is a lot harder than it seems.  I am not sure that by repeatedly telling her that what she does is good and trying to build up her confidence that way is working.   Especially when she keeps on feeling that what she is doing is not good enough.  Especially when it comes to schoolwork.  Nothing less than an A is really good enough and even though we keep telling her that getting a B or a C is okay, she doesn't accept it.  She is really hard on herself, and when it is extremely hard for her to get A's, it makes it tougher.  I don't want to build up confidence by telling her she is beautiful (which she is) because I am not sure that is the right message to send.  So we are trying to build up confidence by listening to what she has to say, acknowledging what she says, and either agree with what she says or gently (tough word to actually do) telling her what is right and wrong.  In some ways she is still a child trying to navigate her way in a grown up world, dealing with self-confidence issues, and still come out ahead of the game.  I feel as long as we keep encouraging her, keep teaching her the word and keep being there for her that she will become a strong confident young woman.

The Double Crochet

If I thought the double half crochet was frustrating, then why did it take me so long to get the double crochet (dc) correct?  I hope I am doing it correctly because it certainly doesn't look like the pictures in the books that I am learning from.

I just don' think this is the double crochet.  But I am going to try master the treble crochet next and I will be comparing what they look like together.  Maybe then I can say that this one is the double crochet.

Mastering the Double Half Crochet

This has got to be, for me, a very frustrating stitch.  I am not sure I am doing it right.  The pictures that I have looked at in the books look very confusing.  I have the turning chains down pretty good, and also the single stitch, maybe I need to make the sample bigger.  In patterns it will be abbreviated “hdc”.  There will be a lot of memorizing for me, but after a while, I think I will get it down.  Just like anything else. 

I think that I have done this stitch sample about 3 times, ripping out after each time because it wasn’t right.

Below is my final sample.  I think I finally got it right, it looks so much better.

Beginning Crochet

Well, I think that I have mastered the chain stitch.  I have even gotten pretty good on turns.  This is my small swatch and the edges look pretty even.  The only thing that is hard to do is count stitches!  It was so hard to do because my stitches are a little on the tight side.  I have tried to make them looser, but I think the yarn has something to do with it.  Maybe a more thread count yarn would make a more looser stitch.  I am not sure if a fluffier yarn would make a more looser stitch, I think that it would make it more harder to see the stitches.

I am now going to try the half double crochet (abbreviated hdc).  I forgot to say that the single crochet is abbreviated "sc".  I guess it makes it easier in the directions, instead of writing out the words "single crochet" in a pattern to write down "sc", and the directions would be shorter.  

Beginning Crocheting

I am going to start learning how to crochet.  Actually, I am going to re-learn the art of crochet.  I was taught by my grandmother eons ago, but I chose to do needlework instead.  I felt, at that time, that it was more creative.  Little did I know that both are forms of art and both are very creative.  I need to do this because my daughter wants to learn.  She was taught a few stitches by my mother, then she forgot about it.  Now she wants to pick it up.  It would be very easy to have my mother teach her, but my mother lives 3 hours away and we don't go there as often as we would like to.  So, that means that I have to learn to be able to teach her.  My mother did buy her some books on crochet plus some needles and some thread. 

I went out and bought my own thread so that I could show her and wouldn't have to rip out the sample for her to try.

Now there are many different hook sizes, but after reading through the crochet book and looking at the paper sleeve that the yarn was wrapped in, I noticed that the needles have sizes on them in the middle where the flat area is.  It is also stated on the paper sleeve.

If you notice, the paper sleeve will also say "worsted" - 4.  Which I think means how many threads twist together to form one yarn.   (I did take the yarn apart and there were 4 threads.)  This particular brand of thread does not specifically say 4 ply, that is why I came to the conclusion that is what worsted meant.

Now I am not a professional, so some of my words may not be exactly the correct ones.  

This is my slip knot. 

After looking at the pictures in the book, which for me were very confusing, I remembered how to make a slip knot and then I showed my daughter.  It just seems so much easier than what the book described.

This is my Chain Stitch.  Not bad.  But of course I kept ripping it out and starting all over again to make sure that I knew how to chain correctly.  Then I tried to do a turning chain to make another row of chain stitches.  

 This one did not turn out correctly.  The turning chain was more of a round chain stitch and was not what I wanted.  Back to the drawing board.

Happy Belated St. Patrick's Day

I made this cake for my husband’s birthday because it falls around St. Patrick’s Day and this cake has green in it, plus mint. I love mint candies, so I thought this would be perfect. I have been sitting on this recipe just waiting for the right time to try it, and I finally tried it. If you like mint and chocolate, then this recipe is good for you. I will tell you that it is even better the second day, if it lasts that long. 
 I found it in the Betty Crocker Super Moist Cakes® book back in 2008. (That’s how long this recipe has been sitting in my house.) I was almost ready to throw out the cookbook, well actually, give it to Goodwill ®, when I looked through it one more time. This cake was on the cover of the book, which is why I probably bought the book in the first place. The recipe is as follows:

                                                             Grasshopper Fudge Cake 

 1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist®white cake mix 

1 ¼ cups water 

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons mint extract 

3 egg whites 

12 drops green food color 

2 jars (16 oz. each) hot fudge topping 

1 8 oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed 

5 drops yellow food color 

Thin retangular crème de menthe chocolate candies, unwrapped and cut into pieces, if desired. 

 1. Heat oven to 350º F for shiny metal or glass pan (or 325ºF for dark or nonstick pan). Spray bottom only of 13 x 9 inch pan with baking spray with flour 

2. Make cake mix as directed on box, using water, oil, 1 ½ teaspoons of the mint extract and the egg whites. Reserve 1 cup batter. Stir 3 drops of the green food color into reserved batter; set aside. Pour remaining batter into pain. 

3. Drop green batter by generous tablespoonfuls randomly in 12 to 14 mounds onto batter in pan. Cut through batters with metal spatula or knife in S-shaped curves in one continuous motion. Turn pan ¼ turn; repeat cutting for swirled design. (I used a toothpick).

4. Bake 28 to 33 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Run knife around side of pan to loosen cake. Cool completely, about 1 hour. 

5. Carefully spread fudge topping evenly over cake. In medium bowl, stir whipped topping, remaining ½ teaspoon extract, remaining 9 drops green food color and the yellow food color until blended. Spread whipped topping mixture evenly over fudge. Garnish with candy pieces. Store covered in refrigerator.

Junior High School Years

As a parent you want to protect your children the best way you know how. You tell them the stove is hot before they touch it, you tell them to not run out in the street, to look both ways before crossing, that the internet/social media (at this age) is not good for them, you teach them right from wrong. And you feel that you have done your job. But what about the other parents out there, do you know what they have done to teach their children? Why I am asking is because what makes a bully? Our typical ideas of bullies are the tough guys from 1950's with the slicked hair and a cigarette hanging from their lips, demanding lunch money from the weaker boys. Can we say they come from a blue collar family or a family that has family members that have gone to prison, or families that are constantly fighting? We can't put a label on what a bully looks like anymore. A bully could actually be your child's best friend, or a friend that they hang out in a group with. It could be someone on the internet. It could be someone who goes to church every week and has an innocent looking face. And what about the children who are being bullied? What do they look like? Do they look like the computer geek/nerd, someone with a disability, or just a normal looking child with self-esteem issues? There is no mold for bullies or for the children being bullied. I know this because my daughter is being bullied and the girls who are the "bulliers" are just normal looking girls. The school says it will talk to the girls who have bullied my daughter. My question to the school, is okay you will speak to them, but will it stop? Will she feel safe enough to go back to school? Will WE feel safe enough to let her go back to school. There is no internet/social media/texting between the girls and my daughter because she isn't allowed to get on those sites, nor does she have a phone, so that part is okay. But just because the school has a talk with the bulliers; they might stop for a while until they feel that it is safe, then they can start up again. So when the school called the second time about my daughter being bullied, the decision was made. We decided to pull her out because the school system could not protect our daughter. They can not protect her 24 hours a day, nor the complete time she is in school, during recess or lunch. They can't put a guard next to her so no one will bully her; that is much more damaging I believe to the child. So we are now homeschooling our daughter. She loves school, so she misses it but we felt it was the best decision at the time. Homeschool IEP Move to another school Stay in present school

What are mistakes for, if you don't learn from them?

I don't slur my words, I talk in cursive.

Children are like farts, yours are fine; everyone else's are unbearable.

April 27, 2012 - Cream Puffs

February 17, 2012

I think that it is happening! I will finally be able to sew again! I don't want to get to excited because I will still be working, but not full time. I will finally have time to clean and cook and wash and sew! Sewing is my relaxation. It is my creativity coming to fruition. I realize that I could have been sewing all along, but I am not that organized. I try to be, honestly I do, but there is so many things to do during the day and not enough time and I can't give anything up. Okay, I am wrong, I do give up things - not washing clothes when they should be washed, not putting away the dishes when they are dry (the kids are supposed to do that), folding the clothes, ironing, making cookies for the kids, trying out new foods for the kids to eat, at least once a month. Oh, and don't forget about waxing and cleaning up. As I walk somewhere in the house I should pick up anything that is on the floor. Sometimes I do and then I forget what I was going after in the first place, so I am not sure I can, what is the word, micro-manage? No that's not the right word, multi-task is the right word. I can do only a couple of things at a time, but I try to do everything. Guess what it doesn't work. When will I ever learn, or maybe I'll just keep trying.

I'm tired. Or maybe I'm just worn out and I can't go on any longer. The holidays are coming up and I can't even deal with it. I have to think in advance for Christmas gifts for the kids. And not just from me, but I get phone calls from the grandparents. "What does Timmy like? What does Sarah want? Would they like this? Or would they like that?" Because the grandparents shop all year long, I get calls all the time. Then, there is the holiday dinners. Those I don't mind, but again, I have to think about food way before it is time. I think what I realize is that I am a, not so much last minute person, but a person who needs to think about these things when it is the right time. Two months or even throughout the year is to soon for me.

My husband comes home from work and I am wiped out from working and dealing with the children and cleaning up, that when he wants me to do some work for him that I just stare at him with this blank look on my face. So yes, I am worn out. I think it is time for me to be re-cycled, maybe I can come back as a younger, stronger me. Or just come back!

Time Flew By

Where has the time gone? Has it really been that long since I last wrote. I've been busy with the start of school, getting schedules together and trying to figure out what to do with all this "spare time". HA! What I really mean is that I can finally get back to my schedule and try to cram everything into the 6 hours that I have free until it is time to pick up the kids. Funny thing is that it never works. It always runs into the kids time.

Working at home is not easy, but it is better than working in an office. I mean on one hand, even though you are at home and the kids are screaming, or fighting and you are trying to get work done, you are there with them. On the other hand, working in the office you don't get distracted with what needs washing, or what letters you can send out, or yes, your children, so you do get more work done. But which is better? That I think is a question that each and every one of us has to decide for ourselves, and for some of us, we don't get a choice.

Summer Vacation

I wish I had pictures of our wonderful summer that is passing us by, but I don't. Maybe because we haven't gone anywhere or done anything. All I have done this summer is work at this desk trying to get out invoicing, statements, proposals and balancing checkbooks with money we don't have. Wondering where we are going to get the money to pay the mortgage or property taxes or even just food. Don't let anyone tell us that this is a recession. It is a depression, just like the one in the 20's. People are losing their jobs, their houses, their money. Look around, what do you see? I see houses all over for sale. How many are for sale because of foreclosure or because someone has lost their job and can't afford their house anymore and are trying to sell it before it goes into foreclosure?

I am trying to see the bright side of all of this. I think one good thing is that people, including our family, are learning to be more resourceful, are recycling more, re-purposing more and just trying to be more careful in what they are spending and on what they are spending it for.

I wish I did have a picture of our garden. This is the first year it grew so large. I was so excited about how large the tomato plants grew. It looked beautiful until it go so large that it made the tomato stakes fall over and I wasn't able to pick them back up. Maybe it was what I put into the soil. I didn't put any pesticides, I think the only thing I did at first was put in some liquid vitamin B. Then to keep the tomates from wilting, I put some corn meal and also some baking soda in the soil and I sprayed everything with powdered milk. I also let our chickens in the garden until they started eating the tomatoes, cucumbers and squash. Then I had to banish them.

So maybe our summer is going better than I think. I have an abundance of tomatoes, squash and of course farm fresh free range chicken eggs. To bad my kids don't eat tomatoes and squash.

Food for Thought

I heard a man talk today about marriage and divorce. It was so true. He said that today people jump into bed before finding out if they are compatible. Meaning what is their common thread. Are they the same religion, do they have the same family values, was their upbringing similar, do they want the same things out of life? He stated that jumping into bed should not be the first thing a couple does to find out if they are compatible, in fact, it should be the last thing. Get to know that person, find out what he or she was like as a child, what their likes and dislikes are, and see if you have fun together. Not all people who have the same religion are going to magically get along, or not all people who have the same family values will get along, but that is the beauty of it all. Get to know that person. Remember in the old days when they talked about courting? Try it, it works.

Realizations

Life is fragile. We don't think so, but it can be gone in a second without any warning and then the rest of the world is left to pick up the pieces and carry on. We all know that there is a beginning and an end; we know when the beginning starts, but we don't know when the end comes. We just pray that we are prepared for it.

I have been to more funerals than most people and partly it is because I have such a large extended family. What I have noticed is that the older I get and the people who pass on are closer to me, it affects me more deeply. It is as if I am finally realizing my own immortality. I mourn for my family, but also a little for me. I don't want to be alone.

Don't even breath without asking me!

That's what my son told his sister after I left them alone for awhile. When my daughter told me that I almost burst out laughing, but I held it in for fear of hurting her feelings. Why is it that the older sibling always gets that tone of superiority when the parents are gone? It's because they know they are in charge and the younger ones have to listen to them. I'm not so sure that I wouldn't have done the same thing. I never did, but that was because I wasn't the oldest sibling. My older sisters stayed home with us. So I had to listen to them tell me what to do while my parents were gone. As a matter of fact, maybe that is why my parents were hardly ever away from us.

June 9, 2011

Today my To-Do list is short. In about 45 minutes I will have to go pick up my children from school. It is getting closer to the end of the school year for them and they are ready. I'm not sure I am. I mean, yes, I won't have to get up as early any more to make lunches and breakfast. But then they will be home all day, asking "What's for lunch? What's for dinner? What kind of snack can I have?" Or they will be inside the pantry all day eating. The other part of the day they will want to be on the gaming system or the computer to play. And they will wear me down. By the end of the second week of school being out they will have worn me down and out.

There is something about your kids being around you 24 hours a day. When they are just babies, you want them around all the time, but when they get to be teenagers and pre-teenagers, as much as they need to be supervised and kept an eye on, you don't want them around 24 hours a day. You need a break. Either there is to much talking or to much sulliness. Take your pick. And they want to be entertained. All the time. And all I want them to do is to go outside and commune with nature. There is nothing like digging in the sand and dirt and weeds to feel alive. Maybe I'll buy them shovels and rakes and tell them that is their entertainment for the summer.

Chicken Stroganoff - Who Knew

I found this recipe and I just knew I had to try it. I just can't figure out why I have never thought of this before. I mean anything that can be done with beef can be done with chicken. This recipe came from the March/April 2011 issue of GRIT magazine (www.Grit.com) in the Comfort Foods area. There are a couple of tweaks I would give it next time; I'll discuss them after I give the complete recipe.

Chicken Stroganoff


1/3 stick butter
3 medium to large chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 small carton sour cream

(1) Melt butter in pan. Add chicken breasts (can be taken right from freezer, washed and thrown in the pot), salt, pepper and soup. Cover and simmer, checking after 30 minutes, then checking every hour or two. Add a little additional butter, if needed, to keep chicken from burning. Cook 3 to 4 hours.

(2) Add sour cream and cook an additional 30 minutes to 1 hour. If chicken is falling apart and liquid is blending together, it's done. Serve over rice or noodles, with a tossed salad on the side.

That's the whole recipe. However, instead of cooking over the stove, I put it in a crockpot (I love to slow cook my meat). I did put in the butter first, however because my chicken breasts had skin on, I didn't feel it needed the butter. If I had the skin off the chicken breasts, then I think the butter would be good. I also felt that 2 cans of mushroom soup was too much for 3 breasts of chicken. I believe that it was a little runny and maybe I could have added another chicken breast. I would not add the sour cream until almost ready to serve, the sour cream could cause separation when heated to long. I also would de-bone the chicken breast so that when it is eaten you don't have to worry about bones. I cooked it in the crockpot the same amount of time as over the stove, maybe a little longer, but it is so much easier.

Try it, let me know what you think.