Fast forward, let's say... almost 3 months

So, same post second verse. Let's just say I get the motor going and then run out of gas. I am starting the book over, starting tomorrow. I have 2 rooms left to combat-boot, zombie apocalypse conquer until I feel ready to go head first again into the Mary/Martha project. The distraction? Homemade cleaning products!! This will help the project, but at the same time, I find myself creating more and more cleaning things.

I have much to tell, much to show, but for right now... I want to talk about soap.

Today, I made a 20 load batch of powdered laundry soap (at the cost of about $1) and 5 gallons of liquid laundry soap, at around $1.50. HOLY CLEAN CLOTHES, BATMAN!!!

I can't wait to try it out. I found various recipes on pinterest, but the one I fell in love with was a version of Michelle Duggar's. I just ended up going to her family website (EEK!) and making it per her directions. I made 1/2 the recipe of liquid soap, because Momma ain't gotta bucket to hold 10 gallons of laundry soap! Then I stumbled upon her recipe for the powdered soap, and transformed the other 1/2 of my soap bar into it.

I have also discovered a serious love for castile soap.... LOVE! I have made a zillion things with it already. Sadly, the liquid love is $16 a bottle (32 oz)!! EEK! I found a bar version for $4, and this morning I converted it into 56 oz of liquid castile. Oh EM GEE! I am glad summer is here and I can make all this neat stuff. It's so easy, works wonderful, and I don't feel awful putting chemicals all over my house.

More to come,
JFTB

Game time.

It started as a project. Most of the time my house looks like something straight up out of Hoarders. It isn't because I am lazy, it isn't because I don't care. It isn't because I dislike cleaning.... it stems from being too busy-- too many plates spinning. I am a mother of a toddler, a teacher, and a coach's wife. The first two keep me insanely busy. Especially #1. When it's basketball season, I roll single Mama style. It just plain sucks to be a teacher right now. Period. That alone has me stressed to the point I go to bed secretly in tears. 


Christmas Eve, I received a super surprise gift from my in-laws-- a Kindle Fire. It was the only thing I could think of I REALLY wanted for Christmas, but it was one of those gifts you ask for on your list, but never really expect to get it. This spiraled into an all out frenzy on reading. The last time I read a book was 2008 when I had the flu, and for whatever reason, thought reading Twilight would be a good idea. It's been my aspiration to be the best wife and momma I can be. Christmas Day, when all the presents were unwrapped, and everyone was on pins and needles waiting for Mom's smorgasbord to unfold from the oven, I purchased this book:

I heart the author a real whole lot. She is a lot like me.... check out this from the first pages. She is referencing the "ideal" woman the bible describes in Proverbs 31.

Like her, I had some things to think about. I finished the book yesterday. While it didn't really give me any closure, I related to the author real well. It is just about impossible in today's world to be the epitome of a "perfect" mother and wife, ALL THE TIME. Homegirl, Sara Horn was keepin' it real. She tried, she wasn't perfect, she may not have been even great at times, but what she did do, was give it her all and be the best she could be for her family. I got another book today, which was suggested to me after I read that one (thanks Amazon). 

It was a kick butt $4.99 and I am stoked about reading it. There is a little devotional, followed by a Martha and a Mary challenge. It is based off of Lazarus's sisters Mary and Martha. In Luke, it tells of the two: 

"She [Martha] had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, 'Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.' And Jesus answered and said to her, 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken from her' " (Luke 10:39-42




).

Martha was OCD and was worried about making the house perfect and being the super star hostess with the most-ess. Mary was a social girl, like myself. She sat and visited (with coffee in hand? Starbucks, maybe?) with Jesus. I consider myself a Mary kind of girl. I heart visiting with people. I am a talker. My dad gave me the nickname "Mouth of the South" when I was little, because I never, ever shut up. It's still true today. (Thanks ADHD.) This book is 31 days of challenges to clean up your life, your home, your thoughts, your spirit. I can't wait. Yesterday was day 1. Day one reads like this: (Thanks to the author's website for sharing)

Day 1 – Why Clean?

I have a question for you: Why do you want a clean home? That may sound like a silly question, but I think it’s important that YOU discover for yourself why you want a clean home, and I’m not just talking about the need to keep the roaches away. If you do not own your reasons, you will be unmotivated and quite frankly, bored with the whole idea of persevering in cleaning. However, if you can name it, you can claim it; you can and will be much more motivated to keep going towards your goal. I believe that if you can generate a list of the “whys” then you will be able to look on them and remind yourself day in and day out why you are spending time on the “mundane” things that never seem to stay accomplished. YOU need to have purpose in what you’re doing, you need vision, or you will continue to stay in a rut. Once you figure the “why” key out, you will already be one step ahead of yourself.

___

Mary Challenge: Identify specific reasons you want to make your home a haven, and then complete a mission statement based on those reasons.

Write down on a piece of paper exactly why you want a clean home. Be specific. Maybe your mission will be in the form of a paragraph, a poem, or a list. Consider adding a verse or a quote that motivates you. When you are finished, it should take you no longer than a minute to read over your “mission statement.”  Now dress it up! Make it pretty, put it in a frame, just be creative and have fun! Put it somewhere where you can see it every day.

Martha Challenge: Look over all of the Martha challenges in this book and make a list of any supplies you need to get – organizing supplies, cleaning supplies, etc.

 The Mary answer was simple. I chose to rep it in a single picture.

For my picture perfect family. 

So today, it was on like Donkey Kong. After applying some awesome nail polish strippy things last night, when I got home from church, I donned one of my prized scarfs I got from my Nanny's things (It was one of the scarves she wore when she had breast cancer, if that doesn't say power I don't know what does. She was also the Queen Bee of cleaning, my hero, my everything...) and put on my game face.

Not serious enough? Well, my bushes didn't think I was either...

Today it was on. I decided I would make some homemade quiche and French onion soup. Today's Mary challenge was to do something to show your family love. What better way than with food? The recipe is from Smitten Kitchen (Thanks Mama-O), and I feel was super duper easy. Here is the soup... told in pictures. (You can click the link to the recipe.)

 I hate cutting onions... especially yellow ones. 

They sit and get happy for 15 minutes....

Then the caramelizing magic begins.... for an hour.

This quite doesn't do it justice. This soup was the most insanely delicious thing I have ever cooked. Ever.

Quiche, you say? How did I do that? Well.... it was a little like this:

Take 1 sleeve of wheat Ritz ('cause we roll with the whole wheat 'round here...), place them in a freezer bag, give your toddler a rolling pin and teach him to hit things... Ok, just the bag.

 Ready?

SMACK!!!!!

Then mix with a stick of melted butter... yum. I put in some Zach's Garlic Pepper too... because I can.

Then press into muffin tins, and bake at 350 until you feel good about it.

Asparagus mustachio? Mmmmmmm hmmm..

This is 8 eggs, some milk, some heavy cream... swiss and provolone cheese, sliced turkey meat, asparagus, spinach, S & P. Bake until happy at 350...

How cute is that?

Boo boo thought it was a nummy-num supper-bite.

Oh, and today's Martha challenge was to clean out the fridge. Which the hubby and I coincidentally did yesterday! (With some help...)

...and that is only just day 1 (ok, and 2). I'm prayfully staying tuned for the other 29 days. We'll keep ya posted.

I less than 3 you.

This about sums it up...

You complete me, Mini-me.

Today made me smile.

I had make up and hair do-age in full effect, Mama-O in the hizzle, makes for a smiley JFTB fo shizzle!

Even if my students act like total poo-poos this week, I can already call it a good week. Fuzzy Friday can't get here fast enough. It'll be Fuzzy Friday... extra fuzzy, just like old times.

Me Gusta.

There is much happiness in the land, and it smells like fish... sort of.

Last night, I got to spend some time with my BFF-FF-FFF (aka The General). I got to sous chef some delightful ligurian fish stew, and plan for an all out jihad on bad writing. Ok, bad writing may be stretching it, and if heard from the ears of my students (or their parentals for that matter...) would cause many to be in therapy for years to come. The heart of the matter is, this is a rough year for me as a writer and a teacher of all things writing. I have a group this year of some struggling writers, who have ear muffed all my pleas of syntax, and my incessant calls to arm themselves with the plumes of writing awesomeness.

This week though, it fiddin' to go down. There will be a trifecta of teachage happening. It's gonna rock.

Right now, I am feeling a little like Linus with a "fresh out of the dryer" blankie. ````and `that my friends, it happiness... (kind of like all the ACCE!NT!S and other weird typing THAT is the result of your keyboard being hi-jacked by a 1 year old.... He's a blogger in training.)

You suck at writing

Yep. I do. No blog since the New Year. Ugh... This one is uber forced, as I don't feel like writing at all right now (gasp!) My baby turned one though 4 days ago. I still can't capture it all in words, but I am remembering even through the insane tired new Mommy fog, the sense of absolute euphoric insane love I felt (and still feel) for my little man. It warms me up and coasts me through moments like this, when I really just want to hide under the covers and pretend that my dreams are real life.

Happy New Year!

It's a new year. A time for new beginnings. I spent the eve at some precious friend's wedding. Grandmomma JFTB watched the baby J while me and Daddy J went out for some very RARE p-a-r-t-y-ing. It was good to get out sans mini-me and have a good time with the Mr. Taking time for each other is something that hasn't happened over the course of the **almost** 11 months. I realize that this is probably why 2011 (besides the fact that a baby was in the picture, we had a job change, among others...) was kind of rocky. There are a lot of things I want to happen in 2012. Losing weight is always at the top of my list.... I don't make resolutions anymore. I suck at keeping them, and why lie to myself? I do need to be healthier, though. That is going to cost me a relationship with my boyfriend, Mr. Bacon. We have filed for a divorce, he is bad for my health. Perhaps he has a leaner twin I can hook up with instead. I need to be healthier not only for me, but for my Baby boy. He needs his Momma around for a long time. I am also reading a book via my super star Kindle Fire, called "My so called life as a Proverbs 31 wife." I am LOVING it. She is sarcastic, she writes just like me (it's like I am telling the story to my self.... me gusta!). It's all about a woman's journey to be the "Proverbs 31" wife. If you have ever read the scripture, you would know it's the superstar wife chunk of the bible. While a lot of it seems real hard to accomplish, I am going to see just what I can do. I'm a third through the book, and this woman is going through what I am. She just doesn't see the practical in how you can do it this day and age. BUT she is finding ways.... interesting.

So, here is to an awesome 2012. Regardless of you Mayans, my Jesus has this year thing on lock. Stick to making chocolate drinks and pyramid thingys and let's all just have a good year.