In Which I Begin To Gag...

I am still fighting this cold but have successfully thwarted the massive frontal assault on my lungs.  Nothing is getting past my throat, thank you very much!!  This is due to the overwhelming amount of coughing that is going on.  I fall asleep with a cough drop in my mouth...it's rather disgusting actually.  But enough about me and my illness (Which Madeline caught on Saturday and has stayed home today and will be staying home tomorrow as well).

So because I have been coughing like a lunatic who is trying to put out a forest fire single handedly, I have developed quite the sensitive gag reflex.  What does one do when you haven't done laundry in 2 weeks and need something completely mindless to watch?  Well I just happened to stumble upon a great little show.  Perhaps you may have heard of it....Hoarders.  I kid you not, I folded laundry to Season 1 of Hoarders all day and night long.  I have done at least 10 loads today and have about 3 more that need to be washed.  I think that might be some kind of record for me.  Lets just say that seeing the filth that other people live in made me get uber motivated to get the laundry washed, dried, folded and put away.  I didn't even wait for the kids....I am gettin it done!  Nothing like seeing a mom and dad lose their kids because their home is so filled with crap.  During the sorting process, I must admit that I gagged quite a few times just smelling some of my children's dirty clothes.  And our dog kept coming in the laundry room.  I had this strange urge to dip him in Clorox....and then I gagged a little more.  One side benefit of all this gagging in the copious amounts of water that I have been drinking to quell the gag that on more than one occasion could have produced actual vomit.  Was it the rotting pumpkin episode or the 76 dead cats episode?  I don't know, but it was hard for me to make dinner tonight just thinking about it.  

To make matters worse, or better all depending on how you look at it, Patrick and I told the kids that we would decorate the tree tonight.  He brought down all the decorations from the attic (what a neat invention!  This is the first house that I have lived in with an attic and it's quite cool).  While he was stringing the lights, I decided to go through all the boxes quickly.  Low and behold, because I have been so engrossed in Hoarders, began to purge with reckless abandon.  Lights that didn't work?  Tossed them.  Decorations and ribbon that didn't match my color theme?  Tossed them.  Then I happened upon a box that had our stockings, a motherload of little fake ivy vines in it, and various bows in all the wrong colors.  Well as fate would have it, it smelled like cat piss!  Gagging and purging go hand in hand on this one!  I yelled for a glass of water.  I got rid of 2 totes of Christmas stuff and then washed my hands 3 times....gross!!!!  I guess I was inspired to make new stockings out of a cable knit blanket that was on clearance for $4.  

Tomorrow, I am tackling the refrigerator to season 2.  If any of you need motivation to clean....I have found the holy grail of cleaning energy....Hoarders.  Enjoy!!  

Twas The Night Before Thanksgiving...

And I am so busy! I made pot roast thinking that it would be an easy thing to make since I was going to be cooking all day. Sick induced stupor told me to stick that 5 lb hunk of meat in a pot in the oven. It looked gorgeous. It took forever to cook though and if I was thinking clearly, I would have stuck that slab in the crock pot. So I had the kids cut onions and celery for the stuffing while I cubed day old cornbread. They were crying and laughing at the same time. I had to stop production because the oven wasn't freed up. So instead, I watched glee, took a nap, and stayed warm. Now, onto my afternoon. After the roast was done, in between taking my daughter to gymnastics, I stuck 3 cookie sheets of cornbread cubes in the oven to toast. That took another 2 hours. Then I had to put in the potatoes for dinner. It was then that I discovered....remembered...that I did indeed have TWO ovens!!! &^$&^%#^*$)_(_*())_(*&%^$!!!!!!! Wow!!! How could I miss a second oven?! Well rather than kick myself in the butt for prolonging the process of one hard to be accomplished dinner, I just took it in stride and started loading things into the bottom oven. It's all been a cake walk from here. NOT! I am having to learn how to do everything different this year. I am making everything gluten and dairy free. No cranberries, no almonds, and it makes things a little more complicated. Good thing I am creative and can improvise. Armed with Epicurious, I am trying to combine great recipes with gluten free alternatives. So this year, Cornbread stuffing(made with Bob's Red Mill Cornbread mix) with apples, sausage, and pecans. Instead of a flaky crust for a cream pie, I am making a gluten free ShortBread crust from Bob's and then taking a simple Jello pudding brand mix and using coconut milk and rice milk mixed. You can't taste the difference in my opinion. In fact, I like this one better. It's creamier. Then there is the pumpkin pie that I am not making for thanksgiving, but rather for my family for this weekend. I will be attempting a hazelnut flour pie crust. What is more Oregonian than a roasted pumpkin pie made with a hazelnut crust? Feasibly, I could have used items that grew in my backyard (if I still lived in Sherwood in the Hippy House). The blueberry tart is more of a crunchy hazelnut crust in a springform pan. We will see how this one turns out.

I can't even imagine what Thanksgiving would be like if I had to make everything this year...too stressful for sure. But my Step-Mom is coming through for me and making sure that everything is gluten and dairy free for Brighten and I. Gravy, mashed potatoes, etc...all gluten free.

So there you have it folks. I'll probably be up for another 3 hours, and I did my post. Tomorrow pics of the feast.

Fighting it...

I haven't been sick with a cold or flu virus in a very long time.  Brighten stayed home because of it.  And now I have a sore throat, fatigue, and a stuffy nose.  I wish I was Jane Bennett making my way to be pampered at the Bingley's, but sadly I still made dinner (chicken noodle soup) and am taking care of my nephew.  So what will suffer?  My blog.  Sorry.  Nothing interesting today.  Just that I am finally getting to suck on my Halls cough drops that I got for free using coupons a month ago.  Hope your day goes better than mine.

This Week

I've been sick. Patrick is sick. Evan is sick. You think that would afford me more opportunity to blog, but no. My camera's battery needs charging. Saturday was great fun. We went to a Tri-Ward breakfast in the morning which was enjoyable. We can't miss any activities, or else we wont see the adults in our ward. Then we came home, I made Vanilla Cupcakes with BlueBerry filling and fresh Strawberry Buttercream Frosting for our next party. We live next to some amazingly wealthy people who spend months in Thailand. They have art shipped over...how would that be? The kids had fun swimming and I chatted with fellow neighbors about the wonders of Sherwood. The kids won fireworks from the HulaHoop contest and Brighten is a pro Limbo girl. Next, back home to throw together a quick salad and then off to BBQ with friends and a quick jaunt to Cook Park for a Fireworks show. It was great to meet so many new people.
Sunday, we had friends over to eat the huge amount of leftovers we had. The kids had a great time, and I found a kindred spirit. I see political discussions in my future. Monday, we hung around the house and the kids put on a play. My kids are so creative. I just wish they'd learn how to pick up the aftermath. Tuesday, we ran errands, bought crafts, and spent the day with Aunt Jennifer and the cousins. I made dinner and Jenn and I made Raspberry Freezer Jam. She marveled. I showed her it really wasn't that hard...and it turned out yummy. It was a small price to pay to hold that new little baby for hours. Babies rock when you just didn't give birth to them. I'd be open to having more if the didn't come out of me!! (I did just say that, even though I want to strangle the 5 I have...better wait till I am a grandma...I'm gonna rock as a grandma!)
Wednesday, Park day was rained out. I bought a pattern instead and the kids had a spa day. Nails got painted. Thursday, I think I might have spent the whole day in bed...Momma was sick, and still am. Been praying for a friend whose son ran away. He was found after 3 days. Relief! Friday was a blur...I weeded the garden till it got dark, but besides that, I don't think anything productive got done, well I did clean the bathroom and organize the art closet. Saturday, we cleaned. We grocery shopped. We took the kids to a drive in and saw UP. And today we skipped out on church because Patrick and I are both hacking and don't want a bunch of 18-20 month olds to get sick. Hope next week is more productive and I my voice returns to normal.

The Chicken Coop

The past 2 weeks at the Laing household have been fairly uneventful...not! During our ward campout, Evan decided to throw up. As we rushed home, he threw up 2 more times and then again later that afternoon. Consoling a baby that has a fever and cannot even keep Otter Pops down is tough. I am not going to include pictures...sorry! Thankfully the fever broke and his illness was gone by that night.

On Sunday, I became the Young Woman's Secretary in our Ward. We have 24 beehives! Patrick got called to teach the 8 year olds in Primary. Not sure what he thought really about receiving that call, but so far has done well and is needed for some unruly boys in the class.

My landlord invited me to her parents farm that boarders a part of our property. She explained that the 1 acre of Blueberries was bursting forth with fruit and it needed to be picked. Well I picked 20 lbs in 2 hours and didn't even get past the first row. She showed me around there 2 acre vegetable garden...hello? What do two people do with this food? Give it away to everybody and anybody! Nice! The elephant garlic and red potatoes made a nice addition to the foil packet dinners we had that night.



The dogs decided to run away last week. Roman showed up in the morning. We spent the better part of the next day looking for Wilson. It afforded us an opportunity to meet some of our neighbors. Finally the next morning, we resorted to signs. As soon as the first one was hung, someone from Animal Control called and said they were picking up a golden and it might be ours. Sure enough, it was. They had chased a bobcat or deer up the road and into someones property that has dogs. Of course, they didn't want to leave and the owners decided to kennel them for the night. Well resourceful Roman dug his way out and Wilson, being the hulk of a dog that he is, could not get through. You should have seen him shaking in the back of the Animal control truck. I don't think he'll ever wander off again.



My husband is not a handy man....but he has singlehandedly designed and built a chicken coop and run for our brood of seven hens. It's not the prettiest thing in the world, I'll give you that, but he did it all by himself and it only cost us $12 for hinges and hook and eye fasteners. Everything else was scrap wood from around the farm. We even found two rolls of chicken wire. Christian helped extensively, as well as the other kids. Patrick actually enjoyed building this! I think I am winning him over with my environmental, self sustaining, hippy ways!

Domestic Goddess

Today I was in rare form. We, meaning me, have been sick all week. There is nothing worse than being sick in the summer. But as the sun and my son woke me from a long slumber, I realized I felt pretty ok. Now there is nothing like a full day in bed to completely disrupt your plans so I had loads to get done today:
1. Launder 7 loads, some with yucky stuff in them
2. Pick up raspberries, buy various canning items, make raspberry jam for the first time ever!
3. Make Lunch and Dinner incorporating leftovers for frugality and creativity
4. Get kids to eat said items and not even know
5. Find more hidden fruit trees on property...another apple, cherry, 2 apricot, 2 peach...sweet!
7. Make yummy monster cookies...
8. Balance checkbook
9. Fold laundry while watching Kitchen Nightmare on FOX.com
10. Take pictures, download them, write post
All this accomplished while loving husband is working late and kids are all at home driving mommy crazy. Don't you love summer?