Big Daddy was reading our family devotion last night. The topic was controlling our tongues.
Are there "tongue traps" your family needs to work on (e.g. critical remarks, negative talk, interrupting, speaking without thinking first)?
Hey, guys. I absolutely can not believe it's been a week since I've posted. I've thought of forty-two different things to write about, but just never sat down and did it. Gotta sit down for Advice Forum, though! If you have a question for my vast readership (all 12 of you!) then post it on your blog, link back to me here, and sign the Mr. Linky down below.
Here's what I need help with this week. I have a good recipe for roll dough specifically for the bread machine. I've made this recipe probably 10 times, with varying results. Today, however, was the absolute worst batch I've ever made. Here's the basic recipe (from memory; the quantities may be off).
1 c warm milk
1/2 c softened butter or margarine
1/4 c sugar
2 eggs
1 t salt
4 c bread flour (I always use regular flour and 1 t baking powder)
2 1/4 t yeast
Guys, I have made this recipe exactly the same every single time (The only variables are the milk temperature and the softness of the margarine). Today the dough was a wet, sticky mess. It POURED out of the pan. I added a ton of flour and kneaded it until it was the right consistency, then went ahead with my rolls. They turned out all right after my adjustments, but I just don't understand why the consistency was so different to begin with.
Any ideas?
Y'all have spoken. All four of you. And I can't believe how wrong I was on the holey jeans thing.
The Preacher's Wife has been blessed with Beth Moore's 'Loving Well' Retreat in a Box, and is passing the blessing on to one of her readers!
It sounds like such a great study; I'm not even going to be selfish and insist on winning like I usually do. Whoever wins will obviously be receiving a great blessing that they can share with their friends or Bible Study Group.
Check out the giveaway and enter here.
All right, my peeps. Time for Advice Forum Friday, that overwhelmingly popular weekly feature here at Queen of Dirty Laundry.
I guess I was a little morose last week, and thinking about giving up, but you know what? I'm gonna keep this sucker going, cause I love asking the questions. And if you want to answer my questions, please do. And if you want to post a question of your own, please do that too. Just remember to link to me in your post, and sign the Mr. Linky down below so we know where to find you.
Here's what's on my mind this week. You may know that almost 3 years ago I became the mother to three dainty girls. Or two dainty ones and a tank, but whatever.
Now even though my girls are dainty, they can wear out some jeans, y'all. And because I thought ripped jeans were in style, I've always just kept dressing them in those jeans even when the knees are worn out and frayed. Because did I mention that I thought it was stylish? But someone made a comment a few weeks ago that made me doubt my choice.
Let me just stop right here and mention that I don't really care about trends and the most current fashions, but neither do I want my kids to look like Little Orphan Annie. I'm not in the fashion loop at all; I buy them classic, simple clothes and shoes, for the most part.
As a matter of fact, often I'm actually resistant to current fashion trends. Take, for example, the color brown. Hated brown for almost 20 years. With a white-hot hatred. Hated brown. One of my favorite things about this house when we bought it was that it didn't have brown trim. And when brown became the new black, I rebelled. I haven't bought one brown thing since it came into style. Until last month. Now that brown is probably on the way out, I've fallen in love with it. Yeah, have you noticed the brown all over my blog? That's what I'm talking about.
How many more times can I say b**wn?
So I digressed big-time there, but my point is, I don't always trust my fashion choices. And here's where you come in. What's your opinion about the holes in the knees of the jeans? Yay or Nay? Is it cool, is it okay, or is it ratty looking?
Let me know.
I found this YouTube video on WendyDarling's.
Let me explain first. I love music. But just like my fashions, I am oh, so stuck in the past. I like new music too, but I never get over the old stuff.
In the 70's and early 80's, I loved Larry Norman. He was Christian Rock before there even was such a thing. I don't even remember why, but my friend Deon and I called each other Larry. Every time I see her (it's not so often these days) that's the name that pops into my head. Not Deon, "Larry!"
So check out DCTalk's version of this classic Larry Norman song.
Y'all, I love tutus. I love tulle, I love petticoats, I love crinoline. And I don't even know what crinoline is, but I know it sticks out and it's puffy.
I love tutus so much that I have pictures of ballerinas on my bedroom wall. That's right, I do. Lovely, tasteful, antique framed ballerinas. On my bedroom wall.
So this year, I really, really wanted to make my girls tutus for halloween. I looked and looked for free patterns or instructions online, and I decided to try this one. (She's got instructions for making hair bows, too!)
Last weekend I cut up a bunch of the girls' old clothes to make a rag rug, and on a whim I saved the elastic waistbands from the shorts and skirts. That proved to be a great decision.
Next, I bought one spool of 6" pink tulle in the bridal section at Michael's. And instead of buying elastic, I tried using one of those old waistbands, which did I mention the idea was brilliant? Reuse and recycle, y'all!
My first attempt wasn't very successful because I misunderstood the instructions and tried tying on the tulle instead of looping it through. I let it sit for a few days, and when I looked at it again, I realized what I had done wrong. So I did it right. And it was oh, so right.
Y'all, I am so happy. Giddy, actually. Because did I mention that I love tutus? Thank goodness my girls do, too. I went yesterday and bought enough tulle to make all three tutus*, and I am now ready to go crazy.
I'll probably post more pictures.
Now head on over to Rocks in My Dryer and check out everyone's tips for the week.
And don't forget to check back here on Friday for Advice Forum, where we're answering the hard questions, like...uhm...I don't know...how do you make a tutu? Or what's your best roast recipe? Bring your burning questions, and some advice for the rest of us.
*FYI - Each tutu will take 2 or 3 spools of 25 ft. x 6 in. tulle, depending on the waist size and the length. The tutu in the picture isn't finished in the back. What you see (about 40%) took 1 spool.
I got this in my e-mail today, and since I'm still fighting the epizootus, I'm a sucker for an easy post.
Four places I have lived: North Texas, North Texas, Mexico (for six weeks), South Texas
Four Places I have been on vacation: Las Vegas, San Diego, Albuquerque, The South
Four of my favorite foods: Mexican, Fettucine Alfredo, Fresh cherries, Chocolate
Four places I would rather be right now: In a casino in Las Vegas, On a cruise ship, At the Texas State Lottery Commission picking up my check, In my grandmother's kitchen, WITH HER.
To make it a bit more interactive, tell me if we have any of these in common, and do this on your site if you want.
Also, please pray my lungs don't collapse before my insurance kicks in. Thanks.
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Scooter (4): Pooh, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
Pooh (7): (ever so calmly) I don't need you to tell me what to do. Thanks for the information, though.
She never even looked up from what she was doing.
Have I mentioned that I've been sick? Yeah, with the epizootus. So I totally spaced yesterday and forgot to post Advice Forum Friday. I know, I'm not a very good hostess. I think...no, I know that I've been discouraged because even though I LOVE asking other people's opinion, it seemed that no one else much liked the idea.
But then Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer added a backwards twist to WFMW, which made it just like Advice Forum Friday. So I'm thinking she likes the idea. And then a grillion people said what a great idea it was when she did it, so I guess they liked the idea. And she scheduled another backwards WFMW for next month, so she still likes the idea.
And here's what I'm thinking. I have like 40 readers and 8 commenters, and Shannon has a bajillion readers and eleventy hundred commenters. And my friend Kristin said maybe I should just take the high road and bow out.
What do you think?
I have been under the weather, my friends. With the epizootus. Which in our house translates to the allergy/sinus/upper respiratory triathlon that runs through my body several times a year. This time, I wasn't even over the last episode before this one hit me like a ton of bricks.
Seriously, I slept all day long yesterday. I took two kids to school, went to Target for some desperately needed groceries, slept, picked one kid up, slept, picked another kid up, slept, organized a closet, watched TV, tried to sleep.
Right now I want to crawl back in bed, but I'm trying to wait until after that first kid pick-up at 11:00. So this is an ideal time for me to finally answer the interview questions that I got from Carissa at SAHMmy Says.
Leave me a comment saying “Interview me.” I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions. If you don’t have a valid email address on your blog, please provide one. You will update your blog with a post containing your answers to the questions. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
1. I'm drawn to the picture of Big Daddy and you on the front page of your blog. There's a story there. Do tell.
There's a story, but it's not interesting. We were at a marriage enrichment seminar/retreat for adoptive parents. We've been blessed to be able to attend two of these events. One was in Austin at the Embassy Suites (love Embassy Suites!) and one was in Dallas at Hotel Indigo (eh...).
2. You just started at Rydell High. Who's your new best friend? Sandy, Frenchy, Rizzo, or one of the guys?
I'd be scared of Rizzo, friends with Frenchy (cause she's friends with everyone!), but want to be best friends with Marty. She's always been my favorite. Plus, I'd be friends with the guys, because for some reason, in High School guys always saw me as great "buddy" material. Thanks, guys.
3. Off with her head! Which teen idol does the Queen wish to eternally exile?
Oh goodness, I just hate that the media has gotten totally out of hand with these girls. I'm not really in touch with who the teens really like, as opposed to who gets all the press. I'd have to say, though, that Lindsay Lohan drives me crazy. And the Olsen Twins are probably actually aliens. Britney, I can't even go there. That's a train wreck of monumental proportions.
4. You're a serious bargain shopper. Anything you'll pay full price for--without flinching?
Good shoes. Red Wing Boots for Big Daddy; they last and last and last, and they professionally fit them in the store. I'd like to buy some Birkenstocks for me, but haven't been able to part with $100+ yet. But when I do, I won't flinch, because I know they're worth it.
Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper.
Seriously, though, most anything I want, I try to wait until I find a discount or lower price on it.
5. What do you pray for when thinking about the future and your girls?
I want my girls to grow up feeling safe and secure. They had a rough start, and I hope we'll be able to overcome the insecurities and uncertainty that came with that. I pray that my girls won't be so desperate for love that they'll let men mistreat them. I pray that my girls will have ambition and direction when they reach the age where it's needed. And more than anything, I pray that my girls will love God with all their hearts, and seek his will for their lives.
Thanks, Carrissa! That was fun!
Who wants to be interviewed by me? Email me or leave a comment on this post with "Interview Me" in the copy!
Have you heard about the latest at 5 Minutes for Mom? In addition to birthin' babies, they're giving away a camera over there!
They’ve taken their pink EX-Z75, a 7.2 megapixel digital camera which is part of Casio’s highly-regarded zoom line of EXILIM cameras, and are offering it with this special camera case and pink-ribbon lanyard for the month of October.
The special-edition pink EX-Z75 will be available beginning October 2007 and can be purchased at Sears, La Curacao, Fred Meyer, BJ’s, Nexcom, AAFES, Staples, and Future Shop. The bundle package will have an MSRP of $179.99, and will proudly sponsor the National Breast Cancer Foundation. For more information, please visit http://www.casiousa.com/.
It's that time again, y'all. Time for me to ask your advice about whatever's plaguing me this week, and vice versa.
Right now, it's fleas. On my dog. Little Bear is highly allergic to fleas, and thank goodness it's been two years since he's had any trouble with them. But his lucky streak ended about three weeks ago. At this point, my poor baby is about half bald, bless his heart.
So far I cut his hair to about 3/4 inch, I picked off every flea that I can find, and I gave him a bath in Dawn Dishwashing Liquid. Oh, and I gave him a cornmeal soak to soothe his skin.
The problem is that my poor baby is going crazy from the itching. Any suggestions for something to soothe his skin and/or help his hair start growing back in? Bonus points if it's organic or as non-toxic as possible. Thanks.
Now, what's bugging you this week? Boss driving you crazy? Can't get the soap scum off the shower curtain?
You know the drill:
Write a post about it.
Include a link to this post.
Sign Mr. Linky down below.
Oh, and be sure to give me your brilliant ideas for getting rid of my fleas.
Later.
Hey, guys! This week's edition of Works For Me Wednesday is backwards! That's right - instead of giving tips, we ask for them. Sort of like we do around here (on a much smaller scale) with Advice Forum Friday.
This backwards business is right up my alley - I'm always wondering how other people, moms in particular, handle certain situations.
So let's just hop right into it, shall we?
I have the hardest time finding activities to keep my 4-year-old engaged. When she has someone to play with, she does okay (although she's not the most considerate playmate) but when she's alone, her attention span is very short.
Up until about a year ago, Scooter would happily play by herself, with Little People, dishes, Pet Shop, Doodle Pad, whatever, and have a great time doing it. These days, though, she needs constant interaction, and I gotta tell ya, it's killin' me. She'll ask to play with a certain toy, and five minutes later, she's back, "All done! What I can do now?" She ALWAYS wants me to play with her, and I do to an extent, but after a while, Mommy's done.
Oh, yeah, and I can't let her play in another room, because almost every time, she tears up the toys or gets into something or colors all over the room or smears toothpaste all over the bathroom. Again, this has only been for the last few months to a year. Before that, no problems from her.
I probably sound very naive, but I think my biggest issue is that I would expect this behavior from a 2- or 3-year-old, but Scoot's 4 1/2!
So tell me, my Internet peeps, what suggestions do you have for this Mother Of Three, One Of Whom is Wearing Her Out? Activities, methods, anything you've got! Give it to me!
And be sure to check back with me on Friday, cause I'll be asking more of the hard (and often silly) questions on Advice Forum Friday.
Peace out.
Do you know that even though I've been typing - very well, I might add - for over 20 years, I still get the Z and the Q mixed up, all most every time.
What's up with that?
Do you have typing mistakes that you make, Every Single Time?
People, I sit in my car every day and marvel at the way that some folks drive. On the highway, in school parking lots, on the plain old city streets. I'm starting to believe that I may be living in an alternate universe, because what makes sense to me does not seem to make sense to the rest of the world.
So. As an alternative to implementing a mandatory Queen's Driving School for the entire country, or at least all of Texas, I'll start here. With the Queen's Opinions on Driving and Traffic. Also known as Good Common Sense While Driving.
WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY
Dude, WHY ON EARTH do you have to ride my bumper? Seriously, can ANYONE tell me the purpose of this? It DOES NOT make me drive faster. In fact, sometimes I slow down, just for kicks. It also does not get you anywhere faster. Oh, and if I slam on the brakes, you're bleeding. Think about it.
And if there's a lane closure coming up, Get Over Now. When you see the sign. Because I did, and if you speed all the way up to the end of your lane, I'm Not Letting You Over. Because you're pushy and rude. If you and your pushy friends had gotten over when traffic was still moving and there was plenty of space, traffic would still be moving. You and those of your kind are the reason traffic is stop and go. Because people have to stop to let you in. Cut it out.
IN THE SCHOOL PARKING LOT OR OTHER MOB SITUATIONS (This is my Pet Project)
If the principal has come out to your car and asked you not to pick up your child in the through lane, OBEY HIM. Do not pull up in the same spot tomorrow and GET OUT OF YOUR CAR, thereby blocking EVERY CAR IN THE ENTIRE PARKING LOT. Thanks.
When everyone else is going in the proper direction, what makes you think you don't have to? See those big yellow arrows? They're there for a reason. You should be required to drive a Mo-ped.
Do you see my blinker? I need over. All you have to do is pause. Please do not rush to close the gap. How mean ARE you?
When I stop to let someone in, that doesn't mean for the entire free world to try to squeeze in front of my car. I'm being nice, people. Don't tick me off.
There should be a law about blocking the entrance to a school parking lot. And there should be a special place in H. E. Double Toothpicks for people who block said entrance. Actually, I think it should be a law that NO entrance should be blocked, EVER. What's it gonna hurt you to let one little person out of that driveway, huh? Be Nice.
CITY STREETS
First of all, I think it's maybe unwise to make the speed limit 45 on a city street. There's too much turning in and pulling out and mind changing and garage saleing going on. 30-40 is sufficient.
Stop running red lights. You're gonna put an eye out.
If you're not at an intersection, please don't try to turn left across three lanes of heavy traffic. It's selfish. You're asking at least three other cars to stop for you, just so you don't have to go up half a block to the next light.
Okay, y'all, that's what comes to mind right now. Too much?
If you have a differing opinion, and you're nice, I'd love to hear it! And I DEFINITELY want to hear what you consider Good Common Sense While Driving.
Let me have it!
Happy Monday, girls and boys! I've got a kid home with Pink Eye, and I'm still in a great mood. In hopes of keeping my momentum going this week, I'm going to start out right by posting a Menu Plan today.
MONDAY
Salmon Patties (Thanks, Jennifer! I can't wait to try this recipe!)
Pasta Salad (with hidden veggies!)
TUESDAY
Smoked Sausage Sandwiches
Carrots
WEDNESDAY
Big Salad
THURSDAY
Spicy Shrimp
Corn on the Cob
FRIDAY
Life Group this week, so we'll feed the kids a sandwich before and then graze on snacks at our friends' house. Next time, I should decide what I'm taking ahead of time so I can post it here, too!
Have a great week, y'all! Go on over to Laura's and take a look at all the hundreds of Menu Plans posted today.
And be sure to check back here later, cause I'm thinking of writing a post about The Queen's Rules of Driving and Traffic. What do you think?
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