Vodka.

Do I have your full attention??

Yes, I bought some of this last weekend. No, my kids didn't send me to drinkin'.....they actually were at their grandparent's house.

I bought it to make homemade vanilla extract. Yep. I've been looking forward to this day for a month. I've been holding on to (and smellin'!) those wonderful vanilla beans I bought more than a month ago, but hadn't made the extract yet, because I hadn't made the liquor store run yet. But I went this weekend...and came out of the store...vodka, paper bag and all.

So here's how this supposedly works:

Buy vanilla beans. Apparently, this is a great price (and where I bought them from).

Take these three ingredients...vodka, vanilla beans and an air tight container (basket not necessary). I used mason jars, of course.

Take 4 vanilla beans and slice down the middle with a sharp knife, opening the bean up. Then cut into 1/2" - 3/4" pieces.

Pour 1 cup of vodka into your airtight container of choice.

Add vanilla beans to your container and shake vigorously.

Store it away in a cool, dark place. It will take 30 days for the extract to mature. Take the container out one time each day for 30 days and shake vigorously.

I stored mine in the cabinets above my refrigerator. It's not exactly the easiest to get to daily to shake, but it's the coolest, darkest place in my kitchen that my kids can't get to and consume. Boy, I'd have a situation on my hands!

At the end of 30 days, strain the liquid through a coffee filter or colander to use. You can also put it in a decorative jar to give away.

Since I've never made it before, I'll let you know on September 12th how it turns out!

Amusing

If there were no schools to take the children away from home part of the time, the insane asylums would be filled with mothers. ~Edgar W. Howe

'Nuff said.

TA-DA!

You'll notice it is now dark outside in the video. I'm finally done. You'll also notice I have no words left. I'm exhausted. A third thing you will probably notice is that I need to decorate this room...or do a mistreatment or something. That is for another very long day.

But I want to end my day showing you this:

Here is my little farmboy in the making.

Makes this Mama's heart so proud!

FULL disclosure..be afraid, be very afraid!

Let me start this post by asking...have you ever seen what pancakes look like after they have been on the hot griddle for for 1 1/2 hours?

I have. Don't ask me how I know this.

They look like frisbees. But they actually didn't burn! Can you believe it? I can still consume them. They are like crispy, sweet things. Not preferable, I know...but that's making lemonade outta lemons, don't you think? And very frugal.

Today, the boys are at an all-day play date (YIPPEE!), so I am still trying to unpack us, wash clothes and get back to being organized after our trip last week.

Also, I am in the middle of making a chalkboard for my 4-year-old out of a huge, OLD picture frame I found at a yard sale for $1. Again, I would've taken a "before" picture, if I had a camera.
But guess what...I will have a camera.....it's coming on Thursday!!! I'm so excited. I feel like I'll be able to keep up with blogging much better. So, I'll show you the finished chalkboard then, as well as some more projects we have in the works over here.

But here's the full disclosure part (please see what I'm about to show you with eyes of grace)... and if my friend, Mary the Organizer is watching, TURN AWAY NOW.

I'd better get busy. Kid-free time is a tickin' away!

Lesson from Lucy.

Dogs…they are like children, only with lots of hair.
But the one beautiful difference is that she’s never upset with me. Never.

I can fuss at her for pooping in the garage or vomiting on the carpet or stealing food out of the trash can…and she is still glad I’m her mom.

I can go 3 years without paying much attention to her (that was back when I had an 18 month-old and a newborn…things are much different now...so calm down, people)…and she still loves me.

I can hear the pitter patter of little feet in the house as she will run from one room to the next…just to be near me. She smiles (as much as dogs do) when I stop in my day and acknowledge her or touch her. She loves my attention.

What if that were how in-tune I was with my Provider and Caretaker? What kind of relationship would I have with him if I constantly sought to be near him? What if I didn’t pout every time he didn’t do things my way…but instead understood that he is Daddy…and knew he always had my best interest at heart?

Thankfully, God IS that faithful to me. Unbelievable. He never leaves me. Even if I "scream" at him in my discussions, or express strong feelings about something in my life, he never turns his back. He IS big enough to handle that, by the way. He is very slow to anger and always listens.

Thanks, Lucy, for helping me to see a miniscule glimpse of God’s abounding love… and reminding me how powerful my relationship with him could be if I just gave like you do.

Since the initial writing of this post, I laughed as I overheard my 4-year-old telling my 3-year-old that "Lucy isn't a dog that protects us....she's only a dog that lays down." How right he is.

Believe it or not...gift-giving season is fast approaching

Please don't think my child materialistic...or excessive...think him 4-years-old.

Shopping for Christmas or birthdays to date has been okay, but I never knew what to give him. Unlike other kids, it seemed, he didn't have any strong opinions about what he wanted. It was a shot in the dark. We usually ended up getting him toys that looked fun to us and hoped he thought so too.

I can safely tell you....that is no longer the case. Watch this.

Guess I'd better start shopping (and obviously saving more money!). But truth be told...it's getting more fun!

Balance

We just rolled in late last night. It feels so good to be home!

Our 11-hour journey coming home yesterday wasn't as "Norman Rockwell" as the journey there, but we made it safely and relatively sanely. Truly, I'd have to say that my boys did incredibly well seeing as they had to remain strapped in a car seat for hours upon hours. Can't you remember the days when we used to lay sprawled out across a seat to sleep...or jump from the front to the back seat and back again when we needed to get some energy released? It used to be easier for sure....but much less safe.

So we're home. And the boys start K3 and K4 in 15 days. Unbelievable! This summer has flown by! We are trying to fit in one more trip to see grandparents (without Mom and Dad...which means Mom and Dad will be home alone! Yahoo!) between now and then as well. These would be the Texas grandparents...not out-of-state ones.

So for the next 2 weeks, we must pursue a balance. We have to get ready for school, yes...but we need to enjoy the last few days together before the school routine sets in.

We need to get closets rotated with "new" clothes out of the garage. We have bins and bins of hand-me-downs from cousins and good friends....we are truly blessed. We need to get backpacks and school supplies. We need to set up our school year schedule, in terms of chores and bed times and such, and start getting back on schedule.

BUT, we also need to swim while we can. We need to eat more watermelon while it's available and make more homemade ice cream. We need to play as much as we can while it's still summer.

So we will try to keep it all in balance. We will be intentional about enjoying this sweet season God has given us. And we will thank him for the summer memories when it is over....