Taking on Too Much!!!!

Ever have those days (or weeks) when you just feel like you're

Too Busy

and you just can't seem to catch up or catch your breath?? 

Welcome to my life lately.  Hubby got put back on swing shift so he's doing 2 weeks days, 2 weeks nights.. so I prepared for nightshift again ... and it turned out to be 1 week of nights and then they switched him back to days for this week.. and.. oh my gosh.. I need a stable schedule to function so that has just thrown me completely off track. 

 Here's all I have to do in the next couple of weeks:

Get the kids to finish their schoolwork

Print and get together samples of their schoolwork for their teacher

Go to the kids' year end party

Soccer games and practices (2 boys)

Swim lessons (3 boys)

Piano lessons (1 boy)

Remove the rock garden from my lawn

Clean out the garage so that we can get to the kids' bikes (and mine)

Somehow keep the house semi-clean

Somehow keep the kids fed.. ok ok.. we'll maybe clean them too

We (as in the hubby and I) also have to find the time to re-shingle our garage roof.

And finish sanding and mudding one of the bedrooms downstairs so I can paint it and lay the flooring so that Davin will finally have a room again.. not that he minds sleeping on the sofa bed in the rec room.. tv all night long.. he loves that.. lol

I've also gotta finish getting ready for the big craft fair because I DO NOT want to leave it all to the last minute... and so saying that I just ordered some more items yesterday to make up yet another new product.. what was I thinking??

AND

I've offered to help a friend pack up her house ready for a missions trip to Indonesia for the next 8 years of her life.. talk about mixed emotions there.. yayyy.. so thrilled they are going to be doing such wonderful work for the Lord.. booooo.. I'm not going to see my friend for a LONG time.. I've found out that it is possible to cry happy and sad tears all at the same time!!

Plus just the day to day life things like diaper changes, laundry, cleaning the bathroom.. ya know housework!!

Oh.. also almost forgot.. I've starting exercising.. 30 minutes on the treadmill.. at least 3 times a week!!

Needless to say... I am a TRAIN WRECK and am going to derail soon if I don't find a way to organize all of this and let out the emotions in a healthy way.

About the only thing I have decided from my list of things above is that my friend and her family will take priority.  She is so amazing!!! After having her 4th baby (by c-section this time) just over 2 weeks ago she is packing up her house, making sure it is clean for showings so it can sell, and still SMILING!!!  I need to take lessons from her :-)

Ok.. so thanks for letting me vent a bit and get that all out... I would

LOVE

 to hear from you with tips on dealing with "life" when it throws a bunch at you and you're just not ready for it!!!!!

One bright note for my day.. I completed my headband holder project yesterday (baby steps.. baby steps).. here's how it turned out...

Now I just have to paint the toy blocks.. umm I mean headband holder feet.. so that they're a more neutral color and it's good to go!!!  What do you think??

Have a wonderfully blessed day all :-)

Jewelry Holder Tutorial .. made by yours truly!!!!

So the credit for this post totally goes to my friend Tricia over at I Heart Rock n Roll for putting up pictures of her awesome tutorial and for giving me the courage to try my own project.  You can check hers out here:

http://iheartrocknroll-tricia.blogspot.com/2011/05/picket-fence-tutorial.html

After seeing what she came up with, how could I not be inspired to try my own.. so off to the dollar store I went (me and 5 kids who didn't want to behave and all wanted a chocolate bar and whom I threatened a gazillion times with NO CHOCOLATE if they didn't shush and STOP touching.. ok, I exaggerated there.. Grace was pretty well behaved and she only grabbed a dozen or so things off of the shelf each time I stopped the cart).

BUT...

I made it home with my supplies (and chocolate bars for the kids (I suck at being the harsh parent sometimes) )

And so here's what I did while the kids ate supper:

Supplies:

Paints - 3 colours at $1.25 each (and I won't have to buy more for a looooooonnnnngggg time)

Foam Brushes - 1 pack at $1.25 (but I would buy the small bristle brushes next time)

Bristle Brush - (I had it on hand but it would have been $1.25 too)

Plastic Cups (again.. on hand but max $1.25)

Stir Stick - I have no idea how much 1 would cost.. we have a tonne laying around

Canvas - 12" x 14" size $1.25

Stick on hooks - 1 pack at $1.25

(for those who don't like math that's $10 at most to get started.. and to do more you'll still have supplies left over so it'll only cost a couple of dollars the next time)

And then the fun began :-)

Doesn't my space look all clean and organized?

(ya know that didn't last.. lol)

 I mixed up my blue paint with some water (I'ze talented like that)

 Then, I used the bristle brush to paint on the blue.. I did the sides and top too because that's just the look I was going for.

 Ok, so here's where my lack of artistic skills totally comes into play.. I used one of my business cards and did a rough sketch of the butterfly (sorry, I got excited once that was done and almost forgot to take the picture)

 And voila.. the finished butterfly.. and the waiting began.. and I waited.. and waited, and waited some more for it to dry (actually.. it only took 10 minutes but I'm soooooo impatient)

I lined up my hooks and then stuck them on upside down (no.. that wasn't a mistake)

 They need to be so that my chains don't fall off once they're hooked on

 And finally the finished product.  I like it.. Actually, I'm lovin' it and I'm going to make a few more of them ready for the next craft fair!!!



So.. what do you think???

Do you have any easy ideas for a way to hang a bunch of necklaces (or headbands.. hint hint).  Ideas are most welcome.. send 'em my way :-)

An Oxymoron of sorts :-)

Ha ha.. (you'll understand why I'm laughing once you read the rest) .. so here I am.. wondering what I could possibly write about today.. what exciting thing has happened to me.. Well.. I hit a darned good milestone in my weightloss (as in 40lbs) .. yayyy me.  I'm pretty excited about that one.. I'm half way to where I want to be :-) :-)  (and need to be to be healthy!!)  I am using the hcg drops and the low cal diet that goes with it.. and no.. I'm not hungry!! .. I realize they might be controversial but to date they are the ONLY thing that has worked.. I am not an excersize nut, and I don't like most foods so I need something very limited like this.  Now.. I just need to maintain it once I come off the drops.. but I bought a pair of size 11 capris today and even though they're snug.. they go on.. they do UP, and I can wear them!!!!! (side note.. how do you put smiley faces on a blog???)

And now for the HA HA part....

The first thing I actually thought about posting on here was my favourite cheesecake recipe.. mmmmm cheesecake.. a good part of the reason I still have 40 lbs to go I'm sure!!  I found this recipe online and modified it to suit my tastes.. which are finicky to say the least.

So here's my favourite cheesecake recipe.. if you have read down this far.. and you gain weight after making it.. don't say you weren't warned :-D

Crust:
1 3/4 c. chocolate wafer cookie crumbs
1/2 stick butter, melted

mix together and press into the bottom of a springform pan and maybe an inch up the sides ... put into the fridge until the rest of the cheesecake is mixed and ready to go.

Cheescake: 3 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese softened (or 1/2 of the big boxes you can buy of them 1.5? kg)
1 c. sugar
4 lg. eggs, room temperature
2 tbsp. Grand Marnier (or any orange liquour)
Zest of 1 lg. orange

cream together cream cheese and sugar, add in other ingredients and mix well for about 5 minutes (make sure the orange zest isn't all clumped together)

bake at 325 for 1 hour.. you can bake it in a water bath if you like but since I cover mine with the sauce I don't care if the top has cracks in it :-)

cool on the counter until only warm to the touch, then cool in the fridge for at least a few hours.. or overnight if you have that kind of willpower
Sauce:

about 1 C of the milk chocolate wafers for melting
about 1 heaping C of frozen raspberries (thawed).. I use the frozen ones because then I seem to get more juice for the sauce

melt the chocolate and then still over a low heat add in the raspberries and mix unti the raspberries are mushed up. Pour over the cheesecake and down the sides if you want and enjoy :-)

 

So if you make it.. leave a comment and let me know what you think!!!

And have a nibble for me too.. 'cause it's gonna be a looooooooong time before I can have it again :-(

My First Time!!!

Well.. if that doesn't get you reading.. I don't know what will :-P

I actually mean that this is my first time ever blogging.. eek.. I feel wayyyy too much pressure.. ok.. must relax.. breathe.. I mean.. c'mon.. it's only a blog right???? RIGHT????

So.. about me.. I have 7 kids .. yes S-e-v-e-n.  Five of them live with me and the other two are sadly (for me) with their dad :-( .  But I love them all and couldn't be prouder of them no matter what!!.  I'm married to a wonderful guy who spoils me wayyy too much (and no one tell him that.. I don't want him slackin' ok).  I have ups, I have downs, I homeschool my kids, I love to bake, I hate to cook meals, I'm on a diet :-(, I like to make crafts (a shock to me for sure!!!), I want my house showroom clean every day, I'm too lazy to do that though so I'm learning to adjust. 

Anyways...

I'm not sure how often I'll blog.. or what I'll even for sure blog about.. life with all these little ones.. favourite recipes.. jewelry making, magnet making.. maybe a tutorial or two.. mabye a giveaway or two of some of my work.. who knows.. but if you read my blog, .. I hope you at least go away with a smile on your face.. and if my blogging doesn't do that.. think of a baby smiling or chuckling.. everyone smiles at that thought!!!

Until next time..

Have a great one

oh yeah.. I will figure out how to post pictures and links and such soon :-D