11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven: May 2009

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Homemaker Monday: Getting Kids to Work, Mealtime Ambience and Tear-Free Rinsing

Welcome to the 43rd weekly edition of...

We Dreamed a Dream

I would like to post this dream in case it actually comes true. Because if it did, that would be pretty cool.

It took place about two weeks ago. I dreampt that I was on a beautiful outdoor path, surrounded by trees and grass. As I was walking, I began painlessly giving birth to a baby. She was a beautiful baby girl, 5 pounds and I don't remember how many ounces, and there were other people with me, but not John. A few minutes later, I painlessly delivered another lovely little girl, who also weighed 5 pounds and something ounces. They were perfect and it was a perfect experience. After the birth, we went to the hospital, but I realized I had forgotten all of my clothes in which to go home and clothes in which to dress the twin girls. In my desperation to get what I needed, I simply left the twins at the hospital and drove home. John and I were living in a small apartment in a city I had never seen, and there I told him that I had given birth to twin girls, but that we needed to hurry and get back to the hospital. I chastised myself for leaving them like that and John, the toddler and I desperately hurried to get back. However, I then realized that we didn't have the right carseats, so we had to go to Walmart and get some. That was where the dream ended, in kind of a chaotic state.

It was fun to analyze the dream. Having twins could be a representation of my inexplicable continued desire to have more twins. I say inexplicable, because I'm sure it's not because I've forgotten how hard it is where they're babies. I'm still living it. The painless childbirth could represent a deep yearning I have to have easier births than the excruciating, long labors I currently endure. The chaos must signify the chaos that is my life...losing everything, being unorganized, forgetting things.

The next day, as John and I were driving to the plant nursery in the big town, I decided to share my dream with him. I started by saying, "John, I had the most beautiful dream last night. I dream I gave birth to two beautiful twin girls."

"What?!?" he exclaimed.

"What? It's just a dream. No need to worry."

"No", he explained, "you don't understand. I had the same dream last night. I dreamt that we had twin girls."

My heart skipped a beat for a second as I tried to calculate the statistical probability of this actually occuring. It had to be a million to one.

I continued to share the rest of my dream, then we just laughed together, wondering if another adventure is awaiting us. I'll keep you posted. Thanks for listening.

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Friday, May 29, 2009

A Cucumber Conversation to Remember

Several days ago, if you'll recall, I posted about some of the items we have coming up in our garden. One particularly exciting item was a cucumber plant which was already developing baby cucumbers. Because John had planted them from seed himself, painstaking had them watered daily, and regularly lifted up the huge leaves to count how many cucumbers had started growing, they were almost like his own children. And I certainly can relate. I've done the same, and I remember paying almost as much attention to my seedlings as my children themselves.

To get to the point, John had been out of town for three days, and when he returned home, he saw that all five baby cucumbers had been cut off their stalks! Who could have committed such a travesty?

The first person he questioned was our foreman who has been helping us with various tasks in the construction of our home for almost two years now. This is how it went (in spanish)...

JOHN: There were five cucumbers here on this plant. Do you know what has been happening to them?

FOREMAN (His real name will not be revealed to protect his identity): Yes. They have been getting stolen.

JOHN: Who has been stealing them?

FOREMAN: Well.... I have.

JOHN: Okay, why have you been stealing all the cucumbers?

FOREMAN: Because I like them.

Apparently he had quite enjoyed eating a healthy vegetable serving with his lunch every day. You've at least gotta give him credit for his honesty.

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Thursday, May 28, 2009

4-Month Blood Work and Health Report on Being a Vegan

This is a post to which I've been looking forward for a long time. Many friends and loved ones feared that my health would suffer once I made the "extreme" decision to become a vegan. They wondered how I would get enough protein, calcium, iron and vitamin B12. Although I had been poring over internet websites and books in order to insure I was doing this right, I still was slightly uneasy myself as I wondered whether or not my body was getting what it needed. I also made sure to continue to take my pre-natal vitamins and iron tablets since I've continued to breastfeed the twins, and I also enjoy drinking something called Emergen-C, a fizzy vitamin drink loaded with many nutrients, including the elusive (for vegans) vitamin B12...

Now, the lab results are in, so let's take a look and see how I did.

First my blood was tested for various nutrients. Here's how that looked...

Calcium- 9.0 (healthy range: 7.6-10.4)
Iron- 65 (healthy range: 37-145)
Potassium- 4.5 (healthy range: 3.6-5.0)
Sodium- 144 (healthy range: 135-145)

Everything was right where it should be. Yay!

Second, my cholesterol was tested. Unfortunately, I didn't get it tested before I became a vegan, but I did get it tested while I was pregnant with the twins. Then it was 174. Now it is...

Total Cholesterol- 156 (healthy range: less than 200)
LDL- 90(healthy range: less than 100)
HDL- 56 (healthy range: less than 60)
Triglicerides- 51 (healthy range: less than 150)

My tryglicerides appeared to be a bit low, but the doctor said that could have been because I had had to fast before the testing. Honestly, I'm not actually sure what tryglicerides are, but I'm going to be googling that soon.

Next, my thryroid was tested, and although I have hypothyroidism, there were no changes for the worse or better in my thyroid hormone levels. That's a good sign.

My anitbody count test result came back so low it was off the chart, which meant that my body did not have any illnesses or invaders I was fighting off. The doctor and John began laughing about how that meant that I was calm and collected at all times, afraid of nothing, and perhaps even cold-blooded. John said that he was finally glad to have medical proof of that. Oddly enough, however, even though I had exhibited no symptoms, other blood tests showed that I have a UTI and "typhoid". To me, those two results made no sense because of the fact that it was showed that my body wasn't fighting off anything and it would seem, that with a disease as serious as typhoid, I would have some symptoms. Some friends here in Mexico said that any time someone has bacteria in their intestine, the doctors just call it typhoid, but it's really not, and another friend said that there is a school of thought that says we are supposed to have bacteria in our urinary tract. It's a good thing. Obviously, I have a lot of research and pondering to do.

For the UTI and "typhoid", I was given especially potent (and expensive) antibiotics to get rid of the threatening invaders, but once I got home and looked on the box, I noticed a large red printing of a circle with a pregnant woman inside, with a line through it, clearing meaning that pregnant women should not consume this medication. Technically, I could be pregnant, so I opted to hold off and see what happens, but I still have my doubts about the severity of the two symptomless diagnosis.

Other improvements I've noticed since becoming a vegan are...

-less severe allergy symptoms
-disappearace of embarrasing body acne
-near disappearance of bleeding of the gums while brushing my teeth
-weight loss of ten pounds

And to be honest, one possible drawback is that perhaps I could be experiencing almost imperceptably less energy than before. I can't really be sure though. Some literature says that when dramatically changing a diet, this could occur temporarily. Or, perhaps I'm not getting enough of some particular nutrient, or, perhaps my body is tiring of being awakened at least six times a night to deal with the twins and the toddler, or it is my body telling me to stop blogging until midnight and get to bed! Something else to ponder.

Thanks for listening and have a great one!

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Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Candle Ambience and How to Make Those Cute Little Napkin/Silverware Roll-Up Thingies

Welcome to another episode of...

This week, as inspired by Jen at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, I focused on using candlelight to create ambience in my tablescaping. We had Sunday dinner out in our courtyard again, and I used Walmart special glass candle holders, all-white tapers and 3-inch pillars. I've experimented with using other candle colors in decorating, but it seems as though white or off white give off the most light, which works well if you're using candlelight as the only source of light. I also liked pure white, rather than off-white because it worked so well with the white dishes I planned on using...

A simple rule of thumb when it comes to using candles is that if you are burning them during a meal, they should be unscented, so as not to unpleasantly mingle with the aroma of the prepared meal. Most tapers sold in stores are unscented, as were mine...,

...but I had a little trouble when it came to the pillars. They were only to be found in the scented variety, but when I discovered that the scent was "fresh cotton", I realized that these might work well, as perhaps my guests would think they were smelling my fresh tablecloths rather than a candle.

In addition to using candles to create ambience, we use cloth napkins to add a touch of formality at every meal. Guests almost always make comments about the fact that we use cloth napkins, but we have grown so accustomed to it, it doesn't seem like a big deal. For every day dinners, we use the Sam's brand (found in the restaurant supply section)..,

...but for more special occasions, we use colored varieties, like this...

I've also found TONS of really cute napkins at my favorite thrift store, for CHEAP, and it is fun to mix it up with those finds as well.

If you're wondering how to do the above napkin/silverware roll, it's really easy. The nine-year-old boy did the examples in the photos. Here's how...

Step 1: Lay out the napkin in a diamond...

Step 2: Place a knife, fork, then spoon on top of each other in the exact middle of the napkin...

Step 3: Fold the top over...

...then the bottom...

Step 4: Fold the left side in...

...then roll up...

Place with corner end down, so it doesn't not become unrolled...

It's fun to have some of these in a basket, pre-rolled, so that if unexpected guests arrive, they can simply grab one and join the fun!

Thanks for listening and have a great "Tablescape Thursday"!

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Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Wordless Wednesday: Our Homegrown Salad Base

"Our pride is great in the people who have listened and who have planted gardens and orchards and trees in the past months. From all directions we hear of gardens which have made an outstanding contribution. A couple in Alabama wrote, 'We had vegetables all during the year. We feel it saved us quite a bit of money.' " President Spencer W. Kimball

I am pleased to list this post @ 5 Minutes for Mom's "Wordless Wednesday".

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Sunday, May 24, 2009

Welcome to the 42nd Weekly Edition of Homemaker Monday: Ambience, Odor Neutralizing and a Tot Tip!

Welcome to...

Thank you for joining us! If you're new to this carnival and would like to enter your post, please check HERE for the rules and regs. (By the way, if you have been featured on Homemaker Monday in the past, your name is on my left sidebar. Check it out!)

YOURS: This week's "YOURS" goes to Jen over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam (do you not just LOVE that name?) for her inspiration on creating ambience. Jen's post features how she creates ambience during family dinners by using candlelight, and it just so happens that she and her family turn off the overhead lights and eat by candlelight every time they get together. I just thought that was fascinating. Even with lots of kids around, you CAN have ambience. Just look...

This is absolutely lovely. For more gorgeous photos and to get the low-down on using candles in tablescaping, check out Jen's entire post HERE. You're going to love it and the rest of her blog!

And now for the "how I applied it to my life" feature...

(Warning: The following segment contains poop discussions.)

Last week I shared a YouTube video with you that Tiffany over at The Crafty Homemaker linked up to Homemaker Monday. It showed how to make your own cleaning supplies at home out of everyday ingredients. The tip I specifically enjoyed was that one can place a bowl of vinegar in a room plagued by odors and it supposedly neutralizes the smell. I had to try it in one of my bathrooms that continually smells funky, even immediately after it's cleaned, and here's my report:

The bathroom to which I am referring is the main guest bathroom directly down the hallway off the living room...

We all need our guest bathrooms to smell clean and fresh, but somewhere, somehow, there must not have been a seam sealed correctly because there is always the faint aroma of raw sewage. The only way to alleviate the smell is to either keep the door open at all times, as there are no windows (which is not an option with the twins), or to keep the fan running all the time. The latter option becomes the solution of choice, but in our efforts to save electricity, I cringe every time I walk by and realize that fan is on when, in reality, there must be a better option.

Enter the the YouTube-vinegar idea to which I was introduced last week. The lady said that all you had to do was to set a bowl of vinegar in a room and the odors would be neutralized. I did just that. I placed a small metal bowl on the bottom of the wrought-iron sink stand shown above, turned off the fan...and waited.

The first day there was a very strong aroma of vinegar, but the slight sewer smell was gone. The reaction from the 14-year-old girl who used the guest bathroom was one of shock and chagrin at the harsh vinegar smell. I told her it was better that poop and she said it wasn't and said yes it was and walked away.

That evening, I walked by the bathroom to check out the scent and realized that it smelled slightly off, somewhat like sewer again and was puzzled. The mystery was solved quickly, however, when I looked into the toilet and realized that one of the sweet children had forgotten to flush the toilet again. In normal circumstances, the stench would have been immediately repulsive and unbearable, but with the vinegar bowl, it was only slightly noticeable. I was amazed!

The next day I held a luncheon birthday party and thought it would be best to have some kind of pleasant odor, so I opted for a pomegranate-scented reed vase. After a few hours, the scent became one of pomegranate mingled with vinegar. Not completely unpleasant, but not especially pleasant either. Still, better than the raw sewage smell, so I accepted it without moving the vinegar bowl. I was willing to sacrifice my hostess status for this blog report. Sometimes we just have to make sacrifices like that.

The conclusion: Using a bowl of vinegar in an odiferous place in order to minimize odors absolutely works. However, the room, depending on how small it is, could smell like vinegar. What I plan on doing is leaving the bowl in the bathroom to see if, over time, the vinegar smell will dissipate, but will still neutralize odors. I'll let you know.

MINE: My tip this week is a simple one. One would think I would have learned this many years ago, but I only recently discovered it in my efforts to increase the level of sanity in my household.

If you have a baby or babies who make a mess while eating...

...I find that it is easier to wipe their hands first, and THEN their faces, instead of vice versa. The reasoning behind this is that we all know how much babies hate to have their faces wiped clean. To me, it is much easier to do their hands first, then their faces, instead of doing their faces first, listening to the screaming commence and then trying to clean their hands while the incessant screaming continues. Just a tip most of you have probably figured out, but some of you, if resemble me, may not have. Good luck!

OURS: Okay, now it's your turn. Let's see what all of you wonderful homemakers have to share with us today. Feel free to browse your archives and enter any old posts you may have which you deem appropriate. Thank you for playing along and have a Happy Homemaker Monday!

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Saturday, May 23, 2009

To Be Noticed...

Laundry. It never ends. Ever. Even if you wash, dry, fold and put away every single soiled item of clothing in your home, at the end of the day, you still have a pair of dirty socks you just took off, plus everyone else's dirty socks and who knows what else. Multiply this times ten. Every. Single. Day...and you will understand my love/hate, okay, honestly, at this point in time, my hate relationship with laundry. (I know, hate is a strong word, but it's true.) Last year I wrote a post on laundry featuring more positive sentiments, so if this post already has you down and you wish to develop positive feelings towards laundry, click HERE.

To get to my point, as you know, we, as homemakers, are usually not told by our children how great the house looks, and how much they appreciate having clean clothes to wear and healthy meals fixed every night. And it's not that they're trying to be mean. It's just that, really, they don't notice. That is why the following conversation has filled my resevoir...

The 14-Year-Old Girl: Mom, you got, like, a lot of laundry done last night, huh. There was so much laundry, you couldn't even open the laundry room door. (She was not exaggerating.)

Me: Yes, I did get a lot done.

14yo-girl: Well when did you do all that?

Me: Last night after you all went to bed.

14yo-girl: So, you're done with the laundry then, right?

Me: Oh, no. I still have four more loads I have to fold.

14yo-girl: What? When did you do four more loads?

Me: Well, I did two last night and two this morning.

14-yo-girl: Wow. So how did you get so far behind in the first place?

Me: I guess because I was doing other things, like gardening, and things like that.

14yo-girl: Oh, okay.

Perhaps this conversation, in and of itself, seems mundane to the untrained eye, but to me, it was hopeful, fulfilling and bonding. First of all, somebody noticed that I did work. A lot of it. Secondly, someone gained just a little more understanding into what is involved in keeping up a home. How I appreciate small moments of understanding, and perhaps even unspoken acts of appreciation like this! How do you teach your children appreciation? I would really like to know....

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Wednesday, May 20, 2009

A Super-Easy Way to Host a Party

This past weekend I had the honor of hosting a ladies' dessert party while the men and boys were away at a father/son campout. It began at 6:00 PM and everyone was asked to bring a dessert. About 11 or 12 ladies attended and there was lots and lots of chocolate! While we were sitting in the dusk light after we had stuffed ourselves, talking about childbirth and breastfeeding, I asked if any of the women had actually eaten a dinner before they came or was dessert their dinner. Each and every one of them admitted that they had, indeed, not eaten a dinner of any sort. This was to be their dinner! What a female thing to do!

If any among you have a fear of hosting a party, let me give you an idea for a super-easy way to host. Idealistically, here's what I try to do...

1. At least 48 hours before the party, send an email out to the group you would like to have in attendance. In my case, I email every woman in my church group. If there are those who don't have email, they'll need to get a personal call.

2. In the email, state that you are hosting a potluck, state the date and time, and request that everyone in attendance bring a dish, whether it be a main dish, side dish or dessert.

3. The night before the party, send out a quick reminder email.

4. On the day of the party, after cleaning house to your satisfaction, and making a dish yourself, find a place where everyone can place their dish. If there is not room in one place for every dish, have a separate place for desserts or even salads.

5. On a nearby counter, place a stack of plates, a stack of cloth napkins, and a silverware holder, like this one we found at Sam's...

...or you can set the table and place extra dishes on the counter for those who won't fit at the table, as shown in the tablescape photos later in this post.

6. Find a place for a large drink dispenser such as this one...

(We purchased this for under $20)

...and a number of glasses, and fill with ice water or punch right before your guests arrive.

7. Once your guests arrive, simply direct them to the area reserved for the food, and show them where the dishes and seating areas are. If you don't not have enough chairs, guests usually don't mind sitting on couches or benches.

8. Have fun!

A few notes...

-Although emailing is easy, if people in your group do not regularly check their email, they could be left out of the loop.

-Because no one is assigned a particular dish to bring, sometimes things can end up unbalanced, such as too much green salad, or too much dessert and not enough main dish. One way I thought of that might minimize this is to assign people whose last name starts with A-H to bring a main dish, I-R a side dish and, and S-Z a dessert. I haven't really completely thought that out, so there might be some holes in that idea.

-Some might consider that it is too much work to use real dishes rather than paper plates. Let me just tell you that if the guests simply place their dishes in or near the sink, the time it takes to rinse and load into the dishwasher can be minimal. With over 25 people in attendance at the last luncheon I hosted, it took me less than 15 minutes to load the dishwashers. I am lucky to have two of them, but if you only have one, it should take the same amount of time, just at different time intervals. Plus, I like to avoid using anything disposable as much as possible, so I feel good when I use nice dishes and decorative tablescaping.

Here's what I did for the dessert party last week in the courtyard...

The main table, which seated eight...

I used my Mother's Day salad plates on this table because I love the color they add to the tablescape. Because we were just serving dessert, the setting was much simpler than it would have otherwise been...

Next, I set a small wicker table that probably only seats two, but I squeezed three in...

I don't know what I love more, the plates...

...or this Mexican-style pear I purchased for $5.99 at Ross. It is so perfect for my decor!

Last, but not least, there was an adjustable portable table set up for the children...

The surrounding benches were purchased at Albertson's, of all places, for $15 each. Look at this cute monkey detail...

The napkins were folded by the seven-year-old girl and my cousin-in-law's daughter. I think they did a great job!

So there you have it...the way I party! When is your next party? Let me know how it goes!

I am pleased to list this post at...
Between Naps on the Porch's "Tablescape Thursday"
and
The Apron Queen's "Vintage Thingies Thursday".

Go to these blogs and check out everyone else's stuff! You're going to love it!

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