Finer Things Friday: Clean Clothes

My washer died on Tuesday. Well, it didn’t totally die, but it won’t agitate. It will fill with water, make this horrible noise, get the motor hot, and then trip the breaker. If I go mess with it, I can get it to spin and drain. However, there is no cleaning going on. And, I have to catch it before it trips the breaker. So, for all real washing purposes, it is dead to me. Dead I say!

Please note that I said it died on Tuesday. For those of you keeping track, that’s right when the Princess was totally well. Remember, she had the stomach bug. What does that mean? LOTS of LAUNDRY! Everything the Princess touched had to be washed. Clean sheets on her bed and the guest bed where she napped some. LOTS of LAUNDRY I say!

My Sweetie took me on an impromptu date last night (the Princess was with Super Grandma – thanks Grandma). We went washer shopping and then to dinner and an event at church. Dinner was free with a gift card, and the event at church was free. It was still the most expensive date we’ve ever been on. But, I got a new washer out of it. However, it can’t be delivered until Monday. MONDAY I say!

All of the above is NOT a Finer Thing. NOT AT ALL. But, it’s life, and I’m not really complaining because things could be oh so much worse.

You know what is a Finer Thing? CLEAN CLOTHES.

I went to the laundromat today and did five loads of laundry. FIVE I say! We only have three people, but remember, the Princes had created a lot of sick people laundry. And, it’s been FREEZING in Atlanta, so lots of multiple layers and fleece. I used five washers and then loaded up these three huge dryers. I brought it all home, and we had a folding party after dinner.

Clean clothes are definitely a FINER THING.

Check out Finer Things Friday for more finer things.

Things I Love Thursday: Girls Day

The Princess is out of school this week for Winter Break. That means finding childcare while Mommy and Daddy work. It also means a chance to spend some quality time with the Princess.

I worked from home Wednesday so that the Princess and I could have a House of Hills Girls Day. She was so looking forward to it that when she went to bed Tuesday night, she gave me kisses and said “I can’t wait for Mommy day.” So Sweet.

We did fun girl stuff. We got our nails done. She got the full mani and pedi – as in soaking feet, lotions and all. And she got pretty flowers on her ring finger nails. So fun! Then, we had a quick lunch from McDonalds (her favorite) and headed to a movie. We saw “The Spy Next Door.” It was a cute movie – lots of crazy Jackie Chan stuff, which the Princess loved.

What wasn’t really important was what we did. What was important was that we did it together. Just us girls. As she gets older, I want her to still WANT to hang out with her mom. So, we will continue to do House of Hills Girls Day on a regular basis.

I LOVE THEM…and even better, so does she.

You may find something new to love over at Diaper Diaries.

Works For Me Wednesday: Leftovers

You know all those leftovers that you have in your fridge? Some are in square containers. Some are in take-out containers. Some are in old cool whip containers. Those leftovers that can cause an avalanche if you pull the wrong one out.

I used to have those leftovers. Then, My Sweetie, he experienced one too many avalanches. He had enough with the avalanching. So, on his next trip down to IKEA, he solved the problem. He purchased these square storage containers that are ALL THE SAME SIZE SQUARE – just different heights. That means that they ALL USE THE SAME TOP!! Brilliance I say. My Sweetie – he’s brilliant sometimes OFTEN!

Now my leftovers shelf looks like this:

Since the containers are opaque, I use those tiny flag sticky notes to label what is in them. Makes it easy to know what to grab in the morning on the way to work.

IKEA storage containers. They work for me.

Top Ten Tuesday: Blogs I Read

Please know that I read more than ten blogs. Like WAY MORE than ten blogs. However, some stick out at me more than others. Some were in my Google Reader first, and will probably always be there.

I’ve been really blogging since Thanksgiving. Sure, I did a post here and a post there before Thanksgiving, but since then I’ve been much more consistent both in my writing of posts and my reading of blogs. Here are some of my favs:

1.OhAmanda – She got me into the whole blogging thing really. I am blessed in that I get to see Amanda IRL most Sundays at church. In hearing her talk about her blog, I became interested in reading what she had to say and then she would link to somebody else’s blog, and I would read that one and then another link and so on and so on. You could say she sucked me into this blogging world. And, I thank her for that.

2. Once A Month Mom – I LOVE the entire concept of cooking in large quantities and freezing meals. LOVE LOVE LOVE it! And, I have really become a huge fan of Tricia, who is the once a month mom. She is so open, a great writer, and just plain AWESOME.

3.The Pioneer Woman – She is AMAZING. I could spend hours on her blog. Seriously – hours. Her story is great. Her cookbook inspiring. I know she is probably someone I’ll never meet, but I can just stalk her from afar.

4. $5 Dinners – Have you noticed how much I go toward the cooking blogs…hmmm…What does that say about me. I won Erin’s cookbook on her blog, and LOVE it. Imagine, dinner for your family for $5. By reading her blog, I’ve gotten to know Erin too, and really admire her as a person.

5. Savvy Blogging – There are some posts on here that I only part way understand, because I’m just not that smart, but these ladies KNOW THEIR STUFF. If you want to know more about how to make your blog bigger, badder, and better, head over there.

6. It’s Come 2 This – I got to “know” Mandi through OhAmanda because these Sisterchicks talk about each other all the time – it’s AWESOME the way they do life together. We started following each other on Twitter, and now I feel like I have a new friend. I also feel like I know The Violet Fig and Simply Staci, two more Sisterchicks, because of their blogs and all their linking to each other. The Sisterchicks – they rock.

7. Money Saving Mom – I started reading this blog because Crystal co-sponsored the Pantry challenge in which I participated during January. She has TONS of great deals every day.

8. Life As Mom – The other sponsor of the Pantry Challenge, Jessica has awesome advice for living well, life as a mom. I feel like I learn something new from her at least once a week. She also owns the blog Good (& Cheap) Eats, which has GREAT recipes for the frugal cook.

9. Cooking During Stolen MomentsAMAZING recipes that you can actually do in your home without racing out for ingredients. Kate is a smart mom, with a great idea. Get the bulk of the cooking done before 1pm. Then, dinner time is not chaos!

10. The Finer Things in Life – Amy was kind enough to let me guest post yesterday. Thanks AMY! She has a MULTITUDE of great things going on over on her blog. I love popping over there just to see what she’s got to say each day.

11.The Mawmaw – Carolyn almost always does a Top Ten Tuesday, and they are always HILARIOUS. She reminds me a bit of my mom and a bit of my grandma. Definitely someone I would enjoy just sitting at the kitchen table and just talking to.

That’s it. That’s ten (plus a few) of the blogs I read. Like I said, there are many many more, but these people have become “friends” – ladies that I admire, respect, and sometimes just plain adore. Some Most probably don’t even know who I am, but that’s okay. They have touched my life, and I am thankful that they are sharing their life with me (and thousands of others) through their writing.

For more Top Ten Tuesday, go see my friend Amanda at OhAmanda.com.

Menu Plan Monday 02.15.10

Monday: Small Group (I’m not cooking. Woop! Woop! The chili and cornbread I made last week were a HUGE hit! You should try them.)

Tuesday: Chicken Black Bean Quesadillas

Wednesday: Hot Dogs, pasta, veggies, fruit

Thursday: Breakfast for dinner or Leftovers

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: Asian Orange Pork, rice, salad

Sunday: Garlic Roast Chicken with Vegetables, Cloud Biscuits

All of the linked recipes are new to me recipes, so I’m excited to do some experimenting this week.

I find some amazing recipes and links every week on Menu Plan Monday over at orgjunkie.com. Let me know if you find a good one too! I might have missed it.

LOVE DAY

Today is LOVE DAY, otherwise known as Valentine’s Day, or HEART DAY! That means extra kisses, cuddles, and “I Love Yous” at the House of Hills.

Valentine’s Day is not a day in which we invest much money, but it is one we celebrate with hearts full of love. For as Handy Manny just said on the Disney Channel (yes, the Princess is still on the couch recovering) “It’s not how much you spend on a present. It’s the thought that counts.”

However, since the Princess has had the tummy bug, and I don’t want her near people yet, and My Sweetie is at work, I can’t run to the store. That means that any yummy meal I was planning on making isn’t going to happen. And, since I didn’t go to church, I couldn’t bring My Sweetie his favorite gift of a Grande Vanilla Latte. And the Princes couldn’t bring him her favorite to gift to give – a big balloon.

But we are not daunted!

I made the Princess heart pancakes for breakfast. She has taken a couple bites. After not eating for two days, things are going slow with the eating. I’m wondering how much weight she’s lost…

And, I do have the ingredients to make My Sweetie’s favorite sweet treat! Cocoa Krispies Treats!!!  Have I mentioned lately how much I love My Sweetie? He really is an awesome guy. I even did a Top Ten about him when I first started blogging. He’s been texting me this morning telling me different things he loves about me. How sweet is that? So, I’m going to make a batch of treats for him to show my LOVE!

What are you doing at your house to celebrate LOVE DAY?

Snow Fun 02.10

Well, we did it. We let the Princess (who has been sick with the stomach bug) go outside in the snow. Her one wish was to actually be able to throw snow at Mommy and Daddy. That’s what she really wanted to do. The storm in January didn’t provide much actual snow, and this storm was all snow – she measured 3 inches with the ruler. So, it was perfect for throwing at one another. We had a great time outside as a family for about twenty minutes before the Princess decided that she really was tired and needed to come back inside.

I was so proud of her for listening to her body and not pushing it. We are thankful to say that she is sleeping comfortably tonight after having kept down water, rice, and a roll. Thanks to all who were praying for her recovery. We felt those prayers here at the House of Hills.

Enjoy the pictures!!


Snow Day * Sick Day

It snowed today in Georgia! Like really snowed. Like inches snowed. I know I got excited back at the beginning of January when it snowed and we had snow day. However, that was NOTHING compared to what we got today.

This is the view out the back door. It was BEAUTIFUL outside. Just gorgeous. Perfect snow for playing in, making snowballs with and for just general snow frolicing.

Unfortunately, this is my precious Princess at the end of the day. She was worse at the beginning of the day. But, even by the end of the day when she was able to hold down some water, she still wasn’t able to keep down any food. Like NOTHING. She tried one tiny bite of bread at the end of the day, and it was immediately rejected. For the first time in her life, my baby went to bed on an empty stomach. So sad…

She’s asleep now and dreaming of playing in the snow tomorrow. There is no way she’s going to be well by tomorrow. NO WAY! But, she SO wants to go out in the snow.

So, here’s the question. Am I a terrible mother if I bundle her fevered self up and let her have five minutes in the snow? She just wants to throw a snowball at Mommy and Daddy. And maybe crunch around the back yard. What’s a mother to do????