A little peek

This post brought to you by our one week emergency supply of toilet paper

Please disregard the weeds, they are soon to be history and under a bunch of rock.
The Sensory Garden - empty big gulp cups are an important part of the sensory experience STRAWBERRIES! (June and ever bearing)
Hedge - all trimmed and swept up (note the broom and also the holes in the hedge where Superdog tried to avoid becoming 'it' in a game of tag)



Who knew chives could be so beautiful?

A little something I like to call "The Claw" - you wouldn't think I'd pruned the tar out off this thing 2 weeks ago, but I did (if only Edward Scissorhands lived here)

Another view of the Sensory Garden, see how much it's changed?

Everything is just about to burst with color, in another 3 weeks, it will look like a whole new garden. I can't wait.

Guilty pleasures

I have a few, and I must admit peeling off the old skin left after a sunburn is just one of them. Please tell me it's not just me.

And one more for the road - I also don't completely stir in my hot cocoa mix, but spoon off the top layer of chocolatey goodness from my mug. How about you?

So, where was I?

Oh yeah, on vacation. Although taking a 2 year old along does not qualify officially in the parent handbook as 'vacationing'. We all had a lovely time (except for flying there and back).

We traveled on JetBlue (where if you're a single female and your flight attendant is male, you may just get extra snacks - I'm just saying) so at least everyone else had tv or radio to listen to instead of my darling toddler.

Our condo had a great location - 40 feet to the water and 40 feet to the Amtrak rails (a little surf, a little choo!choo!) Even though the view was amazing, we won't be renting there again. One bathroom for 10 people is not enough, especially when said bathroom door sticks fast as soon as it's halfway open - you had to plan ahead to pee with all the showers and door sticking going on.

Not everyone was having as good a time as we were - While we were gone, my cousin's daughter was diagnosed with A.L.L. Thank heavens there is an 85% survival rate to 5 years, but it will require two and a half years of treatment.

I have placed a Chip-In Widget in my sidebar, we are trying to help raise funds for all the medical costs they are incurring (they do not have insurance and are between jobs at the moment. (Ty's 5 day stays in the ICS unit for chemo averaged around $40,000 each!) Any amount is helpful, $5, $10 whatever you feel you can do to help out (even if it's praying for her). Thank you.

Too legit to quit!

Actually, too relaxed to write is more like it. Even the two year old is beginning to mellow out. Board games, book reading, lounging in beach chairs, building sand castles and battlements - that's the stuff vacations are made of and it's exactly what we are filling our reservoirs with.

We are in a breather right now. It seems our lives are usually fraught with one medical adventure after another and every other year (or two) we get these beautiful spaces in which to refill our cups, spread our wings and remember what it means to just be.

All in a Day's Work

If you can call this work...

I mean someone has to capture all this blue sky for you sun-deprived people

right?

It's alot of work to play in the ocean and keep your clothes dry

Did you know you can grow corn on the beach? This space would normally be three additional parking spaces for one of the homes here.

I want to live here in this Mediterranean house and sip beverages on that sofa on the deck
every. single. day.

Bonsai!!!

The sand queens.

Even with the multiple sunscreen applications our virgin white skin is a very noticeable pink after the first smashingly beautiful day.

Take Five

Five days to learn to relax again. Although I'm not sure just how possible that is when we've brought a toddler along. It was the first flight the kids have been on, and despite a few butterflies prior to take-off they loved it. All except for the baby, she let the whole plane know exactly what she thought of flying.

It is gray and windy, but it is still the beach and we are beyond happy to be here! (and there are people house-sitting, so don't even think of breaking in or anything - but if you do, would you please take the washing machine?)

Sensory Garden

A Sensory Garden is fun for every child - or the child in each of us. It includes plantings that appeal to each of our senses: Sight, Smell, Touch, Taste, and with some extra planning, you can even include Hearing.

Right now is the perfect time to plan out your garden and to start any plantings you want to do from seed. I've included a list with plants for each sense - let me know if you have some favorites I may have missed.

You can plant a mini Sensory Garden using potted plants or you can go all out and plant an entire flowerbed or yard. Typically they are accessible to the disabled as well. One of my sons is in a wheelchair so we have planted everything to be at a height that is easy for him to touch.

Our vegetable garden is raised so that he can help pick the peas and tomatoes.

Involve the kids and talk about what you're planting - they will love getting their hands in the soil.

Here is a basic planting list for each of the five senses - my favorites have an asterisk next to them. Many plants can fit into more than one category.

Pictures of our Sensory Garden can be found here

Sight - This is where to include bright colors and annuals are great for this

Snapdragons*

Anemones

Gerber Daisy

Yarrow

Larkspur

Salvia

Carnations

Tulips

Pinwheels - The metallic ones are very eye catching

Petunias

Smell

Fragrant Roses (Blossom Time*, Tiffany,* Fragrant Cloud)

Lavendar* - also calming, when kids get wound up - have them pick some for you

Mock Orange

Hyacinths*

Phlox*

Mints (best grown in a container, they are invasive)

Dill (crush between fingers)

Chammomile (apple scented)

Curry plant

Chocolate Basil or Cosmos

Touch

Lamb's Ear

Fern

Moss

Succulents

Sedums

Water features
Sensitive Plant - very cool, closes when you touch it

Ornamental grasses (some of these can give you a paper cut, choose carefully)

Pebbles

Taste - be careful to plant these together or clearly mark them as edible to avoid accidents

Grape Tomatoes

Thornless Blackberries/Raspberries

Strawberries

Cilantro

Fennel (black licorice taste)

Dill
Nasturiums

Violets

Calendula

Sound

Water fountain (simple or elaborate)

Bells

Aspen trees

Chimes

Bamboo

Grasses
Birds - if you plant berries, they will come

This is a Works For Me Wednesday post. To check out other ideas visit Rocks In My Dryer.

Hair Removal Karma

Apparently one of my kids felt their eyebrows looked too much like this guy's. Did you notice the use of the past tense there? Because this child has subsequently taken the matter into their own hands, so to speak.

It's not too noticeable unless you're looking for it, but once you are - it looks almost as if Tinkerbell had taken a teeny tiny weed whacker and gone after the outer half of both eyebrows. Oh yah, they look so much better now. Every single one of my children is an independent soul and they don't really think they need any assistance from me. (Tweezers could have done a much nicer job, but no! that would not have been independent enough).

Kinda reminds me of the time I decided to shave my legs and didn't have a clue what I was doing. Turns out you don't have to press very hard for the hair (and some skin) to come off. I had my sister keep watch and thought I could be all sneaky-like and have silky smooth legs without anybody (read: mom) being the wiser. But moms have a way of finding out these things - especially when the blunt ends of the blond hair regrowth starts glinting off all kinds of reflection in the sunlight.

Karma is the real deal my friends.

Pop on over to Lara's place, she's talking about her brand new baby (I love birth stories)!

This is my life

"Here it Goes Again" by OkGo

Except without all the dancing and coordination. But absolutely on the treadmill action. Last Thursday we began our latest round with the baby's recurring Fever of Unknown Origin (insert booming voice for emphasis).

At least every 6 months, she has had a 4-6 day bout of 105 degree fevers and the only other symptoms are slightly swollen lymph glands and sometimes stomach pain or a clear, runny nose. When she gets so hot, all she wants to do is drink lots of water. If we're not careful it ends up all on the floor or all over us. The fever usually comes down with some Motrin and Tylenol, but as soon as it wears off, her temperature is right back up there, pegging the thermometer at 105 or higher.

The first couple times this happened, we ran her to the ER - but even they were left scratching their heads (I don't know about you, but I think $75 is an expensive scratch). Now, we stock up on pain relievers, hold her, try using cool cloths on her, keep a puke bucket nearby and a blanket on the floor, and basically know it's almost over once she can sleep through the night again. Poor thing!

I'm a bit tired of getting the "It must be a virus" line and having to watch her suffer - Answers! I want answers. But all I'm going to say about that is that Google? It can be a horrible, great thing.

Feeding your Weekend

Here are some of the latest recommendations from my Google Reader

Melly and Me

My Happy Little Life

BooMama

Lucky Red Hen (pretty sure this is because I read Compulsive Writer)

Shutter Sisters

BMC Microbiology (I'm pretty sure this stems from a google search I did on a bacterial infection my oldest is suffering from right now)

Hmmm, how about you?

Edited to add my 2 cents
I saw this on Cocoa's blog and thought I'd try it - I'm sure my mom is nodding her agreement somewhere

What Corrie Means

You are very open. You communicate well, and you connect with other people easily. Open - yes, communicate - usually, connect - sometimes You are a naturally creative person. Ideas just flow from your mind. Depends A true chameleon, you are many things at different points in your life. You are very adaptable. I have adapted some, but that doesn't mean I like it. You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. Sometimes this is lacking You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. For the most part, yes At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself. This is one of the parts where my mom is rolling her eyes. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. Not too sure how you can be both the person in the previous section and this one - yeah, not so much. (maybe, when I was a kid) You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. Oh yes, except when I am sleeping You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. I think it might be fun to get into trouble once in awhile - if it was fun. Hah! You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. insert more eye rolling here You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. true - unless I really love it You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. definitely true! underscore, exclamation point, exclamation point.... You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. well, you know except for the jerks out there (those I don't have a tolerance for) You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. who me? At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. I certainly hope I can pull it together when its important.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Let's talk about yogurt

I've been making yogurt every Monday since February. It is so easy to make, I'm going to share it with you.

I used to be a plain yogurt hater - I'd only eat the souped-up strawberry sugar that is Yoplait. The more I've made this and eaten it with granola every morning for breakfast, the more I love it.

Back when the baby was sick, the whole family had to go on antibiotics to help prevent Ty from getting it. If you're female, then you know what havoc antibiotics can wreak on your girlie system, and if you're anyone else you know what it can do to your intestines (it's a horrible picture, I know). One great preventative measure is to have your daily, fresh yogurt.

Yogurt

You will need 2 1-quart mason jars that have been run through the sanitizing cycle in your dishwasher (or boiled for like, forever) and their lids.

1 1/2 qts of milk (I prefer raw, but you can use store-bought)
1/2 C powdered milk
2-3 tbsp of yogurt or powdered yogurt starter
whisk and spoon
small glass measuring cup
Large stock-pot
thermometer

Turn your oven to 200. Turn it off as soon as it's heated up. In the meantime, pour your 1 1/2 qts of milk into the stock pot. Once the milk has reached about 100 degrees, dip your glass measuring cup into the pot, taking about 1/2 cup out. Pour the powdered milk into the cup and whisk until it's smooth and dissolved. Pour the milk back in. Once you reach 116 degrees, remove the pan from the heat and dip your measuring cup back in, taking about the same amount as before and spoon in your yogurt (store bought plain vanilla is fine or use some from a previous batch), stir until smooth and dissolved. Pour back into pot and stir well. (If using pasteurized milk, you will need to heat it up to 180 degrees while stirring constantly, then remove from heat and let cool back to 116 before you put the yogurt starter in or else you will kill the yogurt culture).

Divide the yogurt into the 2 jars, put the lids on and set in the stove until yogurt has reached the desired level of tartness and has 'yogled' (approximately 4-6 hours). Do not be tempted to leave it in the oven in order to thicken it up some more - the cold of the fridge will help do that - just pay attention to the flavor. You will know right here if you've gone wrong (flavor-wise). It will be somewhat thick and runny, but put it in the fridge. Voila! you will have wonderful yogurt that's good for you (and no sugar). However, if you can't quite make the transition to plain right off the bat, then I recommend mixing in a couple spoonfuls of Strawberry Simply Fruit or your own freezer jam. Yum!

I use my aunt's old Salton yogurt maker and my large glass Smucker jam jars with screw on lids. The newer Salton yogurt makers do not make all that much yogurt so I haven't bought my own. Yogurt is great to use in place of the milk in a smoothie or sour cream. I can't believe I never liked it before, and it's so easy I've only messed up twice (because I forgot about it). Maybe set a timer to avoid that.

Check out what Lara's talking about - baby clothes....those were the days...

Nothin says Spring like a good ol' fashioned windstorm

Last night the wind rolled in across the backyard in great, crashing waves. The peas and cauliflower took casualties, but for the most part everything survived. Like the wisteria (it smells heavenly),

sedum,

closer up view of the wisteria clusters (I love their little kissy-faces)

The second to last cauliflower, however, is horizontal and the onions are a little depressed

but the Japanese Maple more than makes up for everything

You wish you lived here, don't you? If only you did - you could take care of all the weeding while I put my feet up and tell you what a great job you're doing.

Pie and a side of Motherhood

Who doesn't love a little rhubarb pie? Turns out - Mr. Organic. He once had a near death experience with a rhubarb cobbler and has been turned off of anything rhubarb since then.

I almost can't blame him, raw rhubarb smells exactly like B.O., but once it's baked up in a pie - it's deliciously tart and absolutely divine served hot with vanilla ice cream. I was first introduced to this recipe by my Uncle Hugh - I have since been informed that he uses my Aunt Moana's recipe.

Moana's Rhubarb Pie - that Hugh can't get enough of

2 C rhubarb stalks, washed and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 C sour cream
1/2 C flour
1 1/2 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
1 pie shell

Layer a third of the rhubarb in the bottom of the pie. Mix all but the remaining rhubarb together. Once it's well blended, stir in the rest of the rhubarb and spread in the pie crust. Bake for 10 minutes at 400, then reduce heat to 375 and bake a further 40 minutes. If crust starts to brown too much, cover with foil. Serve hot with cream or vanilla ice cream. It's the grown up version of eating Sour-Patch Kids.

***
In other news, today is the first Mother's Day since I've lived in this house (8 years) that I did not cry. Traditionally, I have viewed it as the Annual You're-Not-Measuring-Up-On-The-Yardstick-Of-Motherhood Day. I would attend church and end up coming home to cry it out and collect myself before the kids arrived. I was brutal with myself and noticed all the ways in which I still had so far to go as a mother (it's quite a list and rather disheartening).

This year, however, I had an epiphany; it came to me shortly after attending a graveside service for a little one gone too soon. Mother's day is not about me and my expectations of myself. It is not about whether I've mastered patience with my children, and it is not about how well I'm doing my job raising little people - helping them to become self-assured yet humble, compassionate individuals (and goodness, a lot of that is really up to them). No, it's really not about any of those things.

This year I have seen Mother's Day in a whole new light as an opportunity to be grateful. It's a day to realize what a pleasure and a privilege it is to participate in Motherhood, to be thankful to God for the potential and the opportunity he's given to me (and to a whole sisterhood of women).
Whether or not my personal journey has been stellar is beside the point. The point is that it's an unbelievable, irreplaceable gift to be a mother.

So today, rather than thinking of all the ways in which I have yet to grow as a mother entrusted with the care and nurture of giant, little souls I am thinking instead of how wonderful it is to be a mother (to play one in real life) and to have my own (that I share with 6 other siblings) mother that I know and love so well.

Happy Mother's Day!

We have a winner!

Congratulations to Megan of How did I get here?, she won the Organizing Bag giveaway and will receive 2 Medium Organizing Bags.

Thank you all for entering - stay tuned, I have something else fun in mind.

Oh! and please have a wonderful Mother's Day. (It's really for the kids, you know. It is not about the inadequacies you feel, it is about celebrating motherhood. So enjoy your pancakes and burnt toast and remember to hug your little ones extra tight).

The World is at Your Fingertips

Yesterday, I was able to help (in a small way) representatives from the State Schools for the Deaf and Blind to simulate a deafblind experience for the peer tutors at my son's school. About 3 or 4 years ago we were able to do this for his entire elementary school of 750 students and a couple of news reporters.

The tutors were split into two groups - sighted guides and deafblind individuals. To make the students deafblind, they each put in foam earplugs, donned an eye band and eye mask and topped it off with headphones. The sighted giudes were asked not to speak during the simulation to aid in the deafness of the experience. While it isn't possible to make them completely deaf and blind - they were able to get a taste of what it feels like. You might want to try this sometime - my kids have all done it. Try eating a meal like this or getting ready for bed, it's not as easy as you might think.

For those of you who don't know, my son has significant hearing and vision disabilities, and since most of these students work with him we decided to show them a little bit of what it's like for him. They were given tasks to accomplish that they had never seen or felt before. Minimal assistance and no instructions were given to them.

They had to rely on their hands (and other senses) to figure out what to do, and just when they were finished their work was taken apart for them to do over or else put away. This sort of thing can happen a lot to people with disabilities. People (parents included) who work with these individuals some times get wrapped up in the goals they are supposed to be accomplishing, and the personal achievements and relationships can be lost or put on the back burner.

I asked the kids how many of them used to play Legos, and then followed up with asking if their creations were ever destroyed by a sibling or when they were in the middle of a project - did their mom tell them to put it away. I wanted them to realize that it's a universal feeling to want to share what you've done with others.

Some of the students were led around the school and some were taken outside (and rained on a bit). They were also left alone for about 30 seconds - 1 minute. Some of the deafblind students did not know why they were left alone and began feeling around 'looking' for their sighted guide. At one point, two blindfolded students found each other and each thought the other was a sighted person. Then one of them grabbed the hand of the other and began walking. It took them a few seconds to realize that neither one of them could guide the other (I'm sure there's a parable/metaphor in there somewhere). It was intriguing to watch.

They were given food to eat, some of it was unceremoniously shoved into their mouth and some was given to them to explore before eating. Random loud noises sounded in their ears, their arms and faces were brushed with feathers or baby wipes without and warning.

All in all, it was a very 'eye-opening' experience for those involved (my appreciation to the staff at the school for making it possible). It's a bit tricky to debrief the junior high crowd - they are not the most communicative bunch, but all of them acknowledged that it was frustrating to have things happen to them without any way of knowing what was coming next. We talked about communication and sign language.

I know that most of them felt a real impact and new appreciation for those with sensory disabilities.

Observations

1. When you have to choose between feeling wound tight as a drum, like there is a wild mustang stampede in your chest and not losing weight, the drum/mustang feeling is not all that practical.

2. Proper spelling is overrated over-rated probably a good thing to shoot for.

3. My son can build stuff - pretty amazing stuff.
He built it from all the garden trellis scraps - his own design and sturdy construction. His thoughts? He's definitely taking wood shop next year.

4. If you do not get ready for the day or if you absolutely must run errands, that is when the school will call for help with your son. I do not mind running over there at all (after all there are some things only a mom should do), but it seems the call only comes when I am grubby, in sweats, working in the yard, or across town running errands. This is when it would be really cool to be able to say, "Beam me up, Scottie," after hopping out of my Jetson's Insta-makeover pod.

5. Sometimes the baby and I have some free time and we take goofy pictures (she really does have hair but I had coaxed it into french braids that day)


6.Spring has
SPRUNG!
7. And lastly, chocolate always tastes better when you're not supposed to have it.
Do you have any observations to share?

Organizing Bag Giveaway

Organizing bags are what work for me, and this week you can enter Lara's giveaway (link below) and mine to possibly get some of your own for free. Keep reading and you'll wonder how you ever got along without them. If you'd like to go ahead and order some, please click on the link in my sidebar. Thanks and good luck in the giveaway-not entering is what doesn't work for me.

Lara over at The Lazy Organizer is sponsoring an organizing bag giveaway. It's very easy to enter, just head over to her site and enter your guesses to her questions (it's a baby pool), and you'll be entered to win a set of bags - one of each size. She'll draw the winner on Friday. Good Luck! I think I will join in the fun and offer 2 Medium bags for one lucky winner, also drawn on Friday. Just leave me a comment about your favorite family read aloud (the Bible doesn't count) and make sure you have a blog or email address I can contact you through if you win. This Little Bag is holding my mom essentials and goes in my car bag (what mom bag is complete without disposable toilet seat covers?) But it's also a great size for holding puzzle pieces and Polly Pockets.
This Medium-sized bag is perfect for storing a diaper, wipes and a change of clothes. It's small enough to fit in most purses and the handle makes it great to grab on the go. It's also great for bringing along a book or two - or Barbies anyone?
I'm using this Big Organizing Bag to hold supplies for my special needs son (briefs, chuk, catheter supplies, a spare g-tube and gloves), it also goes into my car bag so it's handy for emergencies. Odds are you probably won't need to use it for that but it also works great to store any of my knitting/applique/embroidery projects (the little clear pocket is perfect for storing needles or stitch markers) or for toting along a coloring book and pencils.

There's one more Really Big Bag and it's perfect for holding large quilting projects, big board puzzles, or you know, all the Littlest Pet Shop toys that are currently littering your house.

In case you'd just like to go ahead and get organized now, please click on the link in my sidebar to order any of your own bags. Mine came in two days -that's great service!

Shoe Storage doesn't have to be ugly

Today is all about shoes at Lazy's Talk About Tuesday. We have a few of these baskets from IKEA (I swear they were cheaper last year - there's no way wed pay that much). They sit in an alcove near the door and are handy for depositing shoes. Some of the time they are sitting there hungry for a deposit - I am the worst offender, my favorite spot to leave my shoes is the toe-kick under the kitchen cupboards.

Mr. Organic does not understand my random smattering of shoes in the house because he has his shoes on from dawn to dark (that might be why he has feet that any pedicurist would love, while mine are every pedicurist's nightmare). My feet, on the other hand/foot, cannot bear to be stuffed in shoes all day, my tootsies long to be free. But when I think about it, I tuck them into these-


Bonus tip: I love HairToday for great hair inspiration. I wonder how much longer my youngest will let me play with her hair.

What's better than Double Chocolate?

Correct Answer? Nothing (unless it involves peanutbutter)

At Scribbit's, Michelle posted her favorite chocolate cookie recipe as well as her husband's favorite. It made me think of this recipe I've been meaning to make for sometime. It is super easy and delicious - it's definitely a cookie to partner with a tall glass of cold milk.

It's from this book, I'm not sure but I think my Grandpa A gave it to me (and possibly, that's why I love it so well). It's full of great recipes to make with the kids.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Mix together and set aside:
2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Melt 2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips (or 8 squares semi sweet chocolate) for 1 minute, stir until smooth. If necessary, melt an additional 10 seconds at a time. Set aside.

Combine until light and fluffy:
3/4 C butter, softened
3/4 C sugar

Add 2 eggs; beat well. Blend in melted chocolate. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. Stir in 2 more cups semi sweet chocolate chips (although I love to use the giant milk chocolate chips). Use a medium scoop to drop cookie onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-9 minutes at 350; do not overbake. The cookies should be soft. Remove to a cooling rack. This recipe yields 5 dozen tiny cookies or 3 dozen nicely sized cookies.

Oh and about that peanutbutter thing?