Drumroll Please - The Master Plan is Ready

Now On Sale for $37.95
HALF PRICE SALE FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST
Use the PayPal "Buy Now" button on the right sidebar.

I have worked on this until my eyes are crossed, but the Master Plan, an updated, consolidated, inter-activated version of "the Plan" is now available. I am so excited about how much I learned about PDF publishing. This planner is fully interactive, allowing you to type your own information in all of the forms, click on links and customize this planner and make it your own. I am really very excited about the possibilities. This planner is integrated so that homeschoolers, unschoolers, and even families with children in public and private school might find its content beneficial and useful. My friend Leslie, at Simple Journey Ministries wrote some frugal and simple living articles that are included as well as some features on crock pot cooking, read-alouds, etc. by yours truly. There is a small sneak preview available in the slideshow below, and a PayPal button in my sidebar by the front cover icon where you can get your own. I promise that this is the cheapest price it will be sold for anywhere at a about a $10 discount.This is a pre-sale price and will only be at this rate for a limited time until I have it up in other stores. If you price interactive planners you won't find one so thorough or as inexpensive. I am going to be offering yearly updates for this planner as well - so you will never have to buy a full planner again.
I really hate doing a "commercial" on my blog - but I just wanted to share this exciting news with you - and give you a chance to get the new planner. If you place an order and pay via PayPal, your planner will be sent to you within 24 hours. Thanks!

Table of Contents
Master Plan By Season
Seasonal Overview Pages
Calendar Pages for 2008-2011
Dates to Remember
Large Grid Monthly Pages
Weekly Pages - 2 page spread
Daily Pages
Week-at-a-Glance Pages
Yearly Bible Reading Checklist
Daily Bible Study Notes
Sermon Notes for Adult, Teens and Children
Household Budget Pages
Creditor Contact info Pages
Monthly Budget Pages
Menu Plan and Grocery List Pags
Master Grocery List
Article: 8 Great Ways to Save by Leslie Valeska
Article: It's a Crock! by yours truly
Article: Can You Afford Healthy: by Leslie Valeska
Homeschool Planning Pages
Yearly Record of School Days
Article: Read-alouds by yours truly
Read-aloud Record Page
Student Reading Record
Student Transcripts (thank you Elissa Wahl's friend for this resource)
Article: Frugal Homeschooling tips by Leslie Valeska
Master Resource List
Monthly Journal
Weekly Lesson Plans
Independent Study Plans - or personal record
Co-op Teacher's Planning
Future Plans
Unschooler's Memory Pages
Field Trip Planning Pages
Family Medical Records
Weight Tracking Charts
Pet Health Records
General Household Organizational Forms
Article: Keeping Your Home by yours truly
(before you become alarmed - you might as well know that this is not an article full of cleaning tips!)
Home Sweet Home
Housekeeping Checklists
Appliance Log
Vehicle Maintenance Record
Books to Read
Movies and videos to See
Items Borrowed
Items Loaned
Directions
Vacation and Travel Planning
Wish-list of Places to Go
Trip Planning Pages
Road Trip Planner
Holidays & Entertaining Pages
Party Planning
Special Occasion Pages
Easter & Thanksgiving Planning Pages
Christmas Planning Pages
Advent Reading
Cookie Baking Day
Gingerbread House Making
Address Book
My Computer
List of Programs
Email Addresses
Favorite Websites
Best Places on the Web for Kids
Project Planning Pages
School Planning Pages
Article: Back to School the Frugal Way by Leslie Valeska
School Information
School Calendar
What's for Lunch
Basic List of School Supplies

On to the next projects: a half size planner and student planner!

All is Vanity

I can so relate to Solomon when he writes "all is vanity". It seems my days are spent shuffling from one thing to another that is truly meaningless in the big picture, menial tasks that are sure to need repeating the next day - and always sacrifice the things that are of eternal significance. The worst part is that I get my panties all in a wad about it. One second I am a perfectly reasonable human being, and the next I am like a teapot that has just achieved steam. This week we have had to have the motherboard replaced on our BRAND NEW refrigerator, had to call a service technician and troubleshoot why they dishwasher was running for six hours without stopping in the middle of the night, and it seems that every time I turn around I am cooking, cleaning, sweeping, or straightening something. I have a little OCD about a basic standard of cleanliness - and it makes me miserable. I don't need the Flylady, I need her polar opposite. (BTW - when I just went to grab that link I noticed that there was a "Flylady Cruise" coming up - how relaxing is does that sound? A siren goes off at 6:15 am and you have five minutes to dress from head to shoes! Ugh!) Where is the chick that says, it's okay if there is so much dirt on the floor you think you're in the Little House on the Prairie - if your children know that they're loved. Don't freak out if the beds aren't made - make a life that is a bed you can stand to lay in. I need the guru who gives me permission to spend an occasional afternoon reading a good book, scrapbooking, taking a nap, or immerse myself for hours in Bible word study (this is not random, this is something I'd really like to do, and never seem to find the time for). I think that we have entirely too much pressure on us as women to make it all happen. How are y'all doing with all that's on your plate?
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Love-Hate Relationship

I know that these pictures alone could stand as sole evidence of my firm standing as a front-runner for the "Most Insane Blogger" award! My daughters came in as I was taking this picture and said, "What ARE you doing?" Taking a picture to go with my post of course! This refrigerator is an object of my love and hate. Six months ago when we bought our new house, for the first time in my adult life, I was able to purchase some new appliances - a refrigerator, and washer and dryer (which are sure to appear in a future post!). We bought the top refrigerator and bottom freezer, and while I love love love the fridge on the top, I hate hate hate the freezer drawer on the bottom. It seems I can only get half the stuff that I used to in there. I am glad that it rolls out like a basket but this definitely gives me reduced capacity. Plus, as most women know, nothing that goes in the freezer is designed to stack in there well. Nothing. I buy mostly fresh or frozen vegetables, and those things are a huge pain. There is a little handy roll out drawer for items that are smaller, but that hardly helps. I do love the ice maker. But, I wish I had known that it would be so small. I cleaned this whole thing out top to bottom today in anticipation of a BIG shopping trip, and the freezer is half full - even though there isn't much in there. I opened the refrigerator this afternoon to decide what to make for dinner and came up with bread and ketchup. Hey, that's close to spaghetti, right?

Tips for the Homemaker

I have never claimed to be a homemaking guru of any kind, but I have found some things over the years that really really work, and I swear by them. Here are a couple:

1. I read a comment on someone's blog about her write on-wipe off board, and how she ruined it by accidentally mistaking a permanent marker for a dry erase kind. Ouch! We once had a permanent marker incident with our youngest daughter. I left her in the car once, while I walked my older daughter to the door where she was being dropped off, and when I turned around I realized the stinker had gotten into a "marks-a-lot" permanent marker that her daddy left in the door pocket. She drew on every surface in the car - the dashboard, steering wheel, seats, etc. I was SO upset. I remembered someone telling me to use hairspray on ink, and although I doubted it would work, I decided to try it when we got home. I sprayed the hairspray on enough to saturate the ink spots and then wiped - and it CAME RIGHT OFF of every kind of surface, cloth, vinyl, leather. When my husband came home and I told him about it, you couldn't even tell that it had happened. (thankfully - later that same child took a rock and walked all around the same car leaving her own "artistic impression" - that did not go over quite as well!)
2. A few months ago when my dog Jett was in a fight with another dog and had his ear torn, it bled profusely. When we took him to the vet to have it sown back together, he bled everywhere. I felt so bad that he was dripping blood and making such a mess, and even got blood on the nurses. They told me it was no problem, and that all they do is hit it with a little peroxide. I was thinking that they do that to kill the germs or something - but they informed me that it actually takes blood out. I came home and tried it on the end of my new bedspread where Jett had slung blood when he took his bandages off, and IT VANISHED! I was wondering why more women don't know about this handy trick, and wanted to make a point to share it with everyone else. You just pour straight peroxide on any blood stain and it will dissolve. We also used it all over the front porch, and it worked great!
   

So there are my helpful tips for the homemaker. Share your best ones with me!

Curtains for the "Pretty Kitty"

Out of my two teenage daughters, Kaitlyn is the most, shall we say "particular" (not anal or picky or obstinate) about her stuff. Her sister has nicknamed her the "pretty kitty" because she has the take it or leave it personality of her cat! (which BTW she loves you to say as often as possible when you're around her!) She has these two huge windows in her bedroom that have been screaming for curtains since we moved in, and today I was finally able to make her some. We bought bedsheets to use because they were less expensive, but she had to have ta-de-dah ones - no plain flat sheets for this girl! You can't see this picture very well because the light coming in from the window wouldn't allow my flash to go off! I'll try and post a better picture later when it is a bit darker outside to give you a better look-see.

Homemaking ABC's

I got this tag from my friend Karen at Wired Wisdom
She is a missionary mom living in Romania - and it was so interesting to read about her homemaking - that I thought I would take up the challenge and post my own answers!

1.Aprons – Y/N? If Y, what does your favorite look like?
Sometimes. If I am cooking with anything greasy, I definitely wear an apron. My favorite one is from my kids and is navy blue plaid with two quilted squares for pockets. It is a full apron. I like the look of half-aprons - but they don't seem to do the job as most of the splatters hit the top half of me!
2.Baking – Favorite thing to bake:
Bread, cakes, cookies
3.Clothesline – Y/N?
Not yet - we just moved here in the fall - but I want to get one put up as soon as spring arrives!
4.Donuts – Have you ever made them?
Just Chinese donuts - where you fry biscuits and roll them in sugar! Yum!
5.Every day – One homemaking thing you do every day
Make the bed. It drives me crazy not to - more OCD than committed homemaker!
6.Freezer – Do you have a separate deep freeze?
No
7.Garbage Disposal – Y/N?
No.
8.Handbook – What is your favorite homemaking resource?
I love cookbooks - as a matter of fact went to the library today and checked out three! I also have Marmee Dear's Treasury of Vintage Homekeeping Skills - and it is a neat resource
9.Ironing – Love it or hate it? Or hate it but love the results?
I never iron unless I absolutely have to. The last time I did was my BIL's shirt for his dad's funeral!
10.Junk drawer – Y/N? Where is it?
I have two drawers that are catch-alls in my hutch.
11.Kitchen – Color and decorating scheme:
I have primitive country - the top is a goldish color called nacho chip, and the bottom half is bead-board (waynescot) with a chair railing and is burgundy in color
12.Love – What is your favorite part of homemaking?
cooking - I just wish I had more time to really enjoy it more.
13.Mop – Y/N?
I quick mop mostly.
14.Nylons – Wash by hand or in the washing machine?
I do NOT wear nylons unless there is a funeral.
15.Oven – Do you use the window or open the oven to check?
I open the door because I don't want to bend down! :)
16. Pizza – What do you put on yours?
I love veggies mostly - but I don't usually get what I want on our pizza!
17. Quiet – What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment?
Read, scrapbook or blog!
18. Recipe card box – Y/N? What does it look like?
I have a recipe card box that is white and has a strawberry design - my husband got it for me years ago.
19. Style of house – What style is your house?
My house is a "victorian cottage" style - thought to be around 100 years old - we have 10 foot ceilings, and a wrap around front porch! We just moved here and I am loving it!
20. Tablecloths and napkins – Y/N?
Paper napkins!
21. Under the kitchen sink – Organized or toxic wasteland?
A mixture
22. Vacuum – How many times per week?
Sweep sweep sweep - we have all wood floors. I vacuum the area rugs once a week - unless they need it more.
23.Wash – How many loads of laundry do you do per week?
Probably 3 - the hubby and mine - the kids all do their own laundry and probably wash one load a week each x 3 of them - and then there are the 2-3 loads of towels!
24. X’s – Do you keep a daily list of things to do that you cross off?
Not typically - unless there is a busy day with a lot to remember.
25. Yard – Y/N? Who does what?
Hubby mows - I'm allergic to grass. I am planting a garden - Lord-willing when the ground is done freezing!
26. Zzz’s – What is your last homemaking task for the day before going to bed?
Tidy up the kitchen!

TAG! You're it! Make sure you comment here to let me know you did it!

You know you have OCD when....

.....you can't concentrate while doing your quiet time in the morning because you notice dust around the edge of the living room rug, you can't write a blog entry because while pouring your coffee you noticed that the stove top desperately needs windex-ed, and when you're brushing your teeth you are so distracted by the Ty-d-bowl blue of the slight leak on the floor at the back of the toilet that you jam your toothbrush into your gums! This was my morning. I had to STOP EVERYTHING and do some house-cleaning. I don't think of myself as a "clean freak" -but I like things a certain way - and when they aren't it drives me nutty. While I am being so candid about my neurosis - let me tell you that my worst ever episode was one night when irritated by the bed covers that were twisting a strangle-hold around my legs, I ripped all of the covers off of my sleeping husband and remade the bed around him! Obviously there is an issue here - but since there is no chance I will be living in a white rubber room all by myself anytime soon - I and those that love me will just have to learn to live with it! Besides - I would be distracted by the blank walls and silence! There's no hope!

Oh yeah, and when I was windex-ing that stove - I noticed a button that says "speed bake". Any idea what the heck that thing is? Freaks me out. I mean, why don't they just put a button on there that says "Burn". I guess I'll have to figure out where I put the owner's manual and do some reading up.

Why I Don't Shop Much

Tonight I went out grocery shopping with my eight year old son, Kullen. While we were perusing through the frozen food, I saw something that amazed me - a large white box bearing the label "Turkey Dinner in a Box"!!! I kid you not! I just stood there a bit dumbfounded wondering what this world has come to. I am not the "earth-mother" type who grows all our own food, cans, weaves cloth, sews clothing or anything remotely close to that - but I do believe in the health and nutrition values of a home-cooked meal every night where a family sits together and breaks bread. It is the culmination and joining together of our separated days, as well as the beginning of our evening time together. Something about getting that meal in a box seems cheap to me. I'll be the first to admit that occasionally that meal we have together is hot-dogs and fried potatoes or grilled cheese and tomato soup - but NEVER a turkey dinner in a box! If I have offended those who do not like to cook - I sincerely apologize - and refer them to rules of blogging:

#1 - the blogger is always right (well maybe not in a moral or ethical sense, but in my personal little blog-corner of the world - my opinions will prevail on this MY blog)
#2 - should the blogger be wrong, please refer to rule #1
#3 - if either of these rules is unsatisfactory to you, the gentle reader, get your own blog and rant about it!!

Okay I even annoyed myself, and I truly am sorry if I have offended anyone in the abrupt spouting of my opinions. I have been out in public shopping a couple of times this week, and it has had me all worked up! Earlier in the week, we were out running some errands, and my girls asked me to take them to the Ross department store. While there we saw some "Britney Spears' perfume called Fantasy. I was laughing and telling my girls that being she is a new mother, her perfume should probably smell like baby barf! (Yes, even though I don't watch television or read the papers - I know that Britney just had a baby!)

To top the whole shopping torture off, I was listening on Christian radio to a call-in show where they take prayer requests, and my heart went out to a woman that asked for prayer for her marriage. Seems she has an eight month old baby and since the baby was born they have been having trouble. She went on to describe that she leaves for work before her husband even wakes up in the morning. I was just so sad and at the same time so thankful that I have never had to be a commuter mom, and live a life disjointed with my husband. And then I am so puzzled as I look around me and see how materialistic our society is and wish that people could see the price they are really paying in their lives for the things they think they need.

To sum my week up and all of my soapbox rants, it's okay to be a stay-at-home mom, and cook real meals for your family, and sometimes smell like baby barf! (I had breastfed babies that never barfed - just as a little footnote!) It's probably too late to be blogging!!! Please send all complaints to my public relations director Tina Francis - she won't even notice that you're mad!!!
Shh! If you don't tell her, she may not even notice I just made fun of her!!! JUST KIDDING - I love you Tina!