mosquito bugs

that's what has been on my mind non stop since Thursday afternoon. That is when we arrived to camp at the family compound on the beautiful Rogue River. About 3 seconds after we piled out of the car and were running over to my dad for hugs, we were intercepted by a swarm of 10 pound mosquitoes, that impaled us with their huge proboscis's and left us laying in the driveway as a big lump of itchy mosquito bug bites. Way to start a long weekend. I have to admit, I, as an adult, had a hard time not itching and whining about it, the girls are still whining about it, and Maggie only has about 1/2 of her skin left. (This very well may have something to do with her inability to stay upright at a flat run, she starts off great, and as soon as she hits top speed, BAM!! she hits the skids and it no doubt ends in tears--hers always, and mine sometimes, she really hits hard)
We had a fantastic weekend camping with my family and one of my best friends Jim and his family. We ate, we drank, we played, it was amazing. The only thing that put a damper on the whole deal was those stinking skeeters. We bathed in deet, we sponged it on, we inhaled it, nothing seemed to slow those suckers down! We tried Avon, OFF, camper's friend, citronella, we raided tents, cars and campers and we still got bit. This was miserable. We went to bed sticky and chemical covered and still sporting full bodies of bites. Let's just venture off here for one second as you realise what it means for me to be constantly spraying chemicals all over the tiny (ok, not really) bodies of my girls. It almost made me cry. Here I spend all of my time getting chemicals out of our house and bodies, only to be relying on them for protection now against these pesky, and painful bugs. The worst part was that it didn't even work!!!
So here I sit, scratching myself (not in the good way) trying to figure out what I am going to do for the remainder of the summer for this nagging (and itchy and annoying) problem. Alan is in LOVE with the river, I think he professed no less than 1000 times that he wants to go back every weekend (not going to happen-6 hour drive!) But we do want to go back for his birthday, and that is rapidly approaching. My mind wanders back to my new wonder drug-vinegar. I have heard tell of some ancients using it for everything from child birth to burying the dead, it has to have some practical applications for that span of time in between-dontcha think? Google, here I come. I stumble across "vinegar of 4 thieves", this is actually familiar, I had read about it last week before we left. This is an herbal concoction that is made with vinegar that has antiseptic and germicidal properties. It can be used in place of Lysol or hand sanitizer, people even use it with olive oil for salad dressing. ****(angles singing) it can also be diluted and used as a very affective bug repellent!!!!**** I just got an order in for my herb blend, and it will soon be on it's way to me. (horns trumpeting) It is possible that we may smell vaguely like pasta salad until the spray is dry, but it is reported to work like a wonder and is not even related to anything unnatural-yay me. Will report back after we use it and let you know. And then possibly mass market it to the public and retire early, you just never know.

hot fun in the summer time

so it is 10:21 and the kiddos aren't asleep yet. This is one of the reasons that summer is hard, the sun doesn't go down until about 10pm and until it is dark, no one believes that it is actually their bed time. Instead they think you are maliciously trying to get them out of the way while it is still day light, and they will miss some spectacular adults only party that will happen the minute they drift off to dream land. (note to kids: spectacular, adults only parties usually take place in the dark, just so you know)
We went over to have a little after dinner visit with some friends tonight and hang out. We got to check out their fabulous garden and engage in all adult conversation for about 2 hours-wow, I think that may be some kind of record. The kids are getting big enough so that they can play together and also try their hand at conflict management (if not complete resolution), and we can relax a little if we are still within range of sight and scream. It was awesome-the night was beautiful, the kids were pretty well behaved, now if they'd just get to bed, we'd really be getting somewhere!
Just wanted to weigh in (haha) on the posted tannie recipe, it was ok, got pretty high marks from Alan, but honestly not my favorite, and not the recipe I am familiar with. I will stay on the hunt for my recipe (not google's) and let you know when I make a new batch if it's better, or if everything just tastes better when you're 7, which might very well be the case.
Looking forward to another great day tomorrow of splashing in the pool, reading a book and then finishing up with a game of bunko--I'm pretty sure it's my turn to win. I guess it depends how you classify "winning" I get a night off, someone else cooks me dinner and cleans up, and I get to mess around and possibly leave with some money at the end of the night--oh yeah, I win.

no tan lines

I love my Aunt Diane, she is a fabulous cook, and I remember her cooking (weird and) really great things when I was younger. She would always put wheat germ in stuff and later spelt and amaranth, she was way ahead of her time. Her yummy offerings always even had better, more fun names than everyone elses. She was the one who introduced me to thinnies (crepes) and tannies (also known to go by blondies or butterscotch brownies), and who still on occasion makes me something super I have never tried before (spinach, garlic, egg salad??) Aunt Diane, hats off, you will always be my kitchen guru.
with much love I share with you the recipe of the day:

Tannies
(0ven to 350*)
1 C butter melted
2 C dark brown sugar packed
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
pinch salt
chocolate chips
walnuts (opt)

1) grease 9X13 pan
2) mix butter & sugar until smooth
3) add eggs and vanilla "
4) add salt and flour "
5) mix in chips & nuts
6) pour into pan and bake at 350* for 20-25 minutes or until center is set. Please in the name of all that is holy, do not over bake your tannies. Everyone loves a little bit soft centered goody, do not, I repeat, dry out your tanny or your baking license will be withdrawn. (and a swift kick will be issued in it's place--this is nothing to joke about)
7) cool on rack and try not to eat entire pan by yourself

this recipe rocks because it probably couldn't be any easier, you only have the one bowl for prep and the baking pan, it is super yummy and you probably have the ingredients sitting in your pantry right now--go check.
Do you have them? Good, go now and make some tannies, then sit back and enjoy the sweet warm halo that encircles your head and the pleasant glow cast upon your wrinkle free face because of your efforts. (isn't it cool how wrinkles disappear when your cheeks get a little chubby? I love that!)

tids and bits

That's what today is about. Here's some stuff that's been going on here lately:
it has been super hot here for a couple of weeks, and I have been putting dinner together, as opposed to cooking, it's just too hot. Our current thing is wraps, you can whack up a bunch of stuff, add some schmeer and roll it up in a bread, pita, bun or our favorite-tortillas. You can do this with almost everything, we've had burrito wraps, salad wraps, tofu, sushi, you get it. Today I also topped a salad with popcorn shrimp and it was awesome-try this, you won't be sorry. It only takes a few and the boxes are reasonable, it was yummy. Not so much soup lately, just cool stuff, I will be breaking out tonight though and baking up some weiner wraps (they were out of buns) and baked beans. (grillin beans actually, Alan's new favorite-they are spicy) This will help us get into the groove of camping I think, and also is just a good excuse to get to eat hot dogs; I never miss an opportunity.
We finished up planting our flower beds and Alan got my herb border planted, everything is coming along so beautifully. We started at the back of the property with the fire pit and have been sort of working our way forward to the front area that used to be lawn but now will be landscaped. This is probably because it is the most labor intensive project, but also because it will cost money and take a bunch of time. We have sprouts in all of our garden beds, you can almost watch the beans grow! One morning there were 2 tiny bean babies poking up and at the end of the day there were 13! -the girls think it is so cool. Layla has quite the green thumb and has about 30 of her own pots planted with seeds.
We are heading to the river for the long weekend on Thursday, and the girls are getting really excited, they tried to start packing 3 days ago. They are planning to sleep in the trailer with Nana and Papa, and to hear them tell it, you would think we are going to Disney Land. I'm trying to think of something that makes me that excited (well something I can share with you at least) and I'm not coming up with any. That's not true, food would do it, I just wish it took something more. (I get all glassy eyed like a Labrador at the smell of bacon-which I don't even eat!)
I am thinking about taking a night job after dinner at a local department store to earn a few extra bucks. I am taking my application in, I guess now I just wait to see if they are interested. This somehow reminds me of highschool, when there were tons of people trying to get the same job, everyone was qualified (no skills needed) and no one had any experience--at all. I have been out of the work force for a long time now and I feel like besides my sparkeling personality, I really don't have tons to offer. Sure, I can do lots of really useful things, I just have a limited time frame I'm available, and I'm unwilling to put up with less than ideal conditions. It's funny how things change. So even with my strict guidelines, I am still going to be a little miffed if I don't get the job. I will be absolutley exhausted every day I work, but it will be fun to get out of the house and do my own thing, and also to have sushi money when ever I want.

that's it for now, I'll keep you posted for updates, have a great 4th of July!

Thrifty Thursday

ok-well, I'm a day late, but thrifty Friday doesn't have the same ring to it, and I want to start making this kind of a regular section, so here is the first installment....
On the budget front I have been doing lots of things to cut back on costs around here since we (and apparently everyone) have a more limited budget than usual due to various factors; not the least of which is soaring gas pricing, that has been affecting the cost of everything, from leaving the house, to running your dish washer, to buying grapes. One way we have been saving is as we have been running out of things, I have been making my own cost effective replacements at a fraction of the price and with only a small bit of effort (which of course is free). I have found my "recipes" in various places, mostly the internet, and surprisingly, mostly at other cost conscious mama's blogs and things, with the occasional website thrown in for variety. Following are my latest efforts at product replacement and a review of their performance (aka value; let's face it, if the home made version sucks, not exactly a savings, but more a pain in the butt)
Before we go any further, let me post my resource, as you know I am not huge on this, but some blogs ask you to give them credit, so here you go. My new secret weapon on fighting prices is:
http://boogiemum.com/
so far this is where I have gotten the recipes I have actually tried (she gathered them and changed them a bit, mostly adding essential oils and things--to make them pretty and smell good like I like) and her blog is funny and she is green (cringe at the word) and hip and cool--hmmm, reminds me of someone I know. On with it:

test product 1) Automatic dish washing powder
Conclusion : this is a tough one. If you use Cascade as your normal detergent, you will not fall in love with this product. It will not eat the left over steak and dried mashed potatoes off of your week old plate. We however have been using an earth friendly product for a couple of years and this is fierce competition. I have found that with more natural products, more cleaning is required on your part in the first place. We have always (no matter what detergent) scrubbed our dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, (so we could use the short energy efficient cycle) so this product works great for us, and we love the custom smell, this batch is grapefruit-peppermint and makes the house smell lovely when I ever get around to washing the dishes. On a rare occasion a piece or two will have to get hand washed after it comes out or run through again, but like I said, this was normal for us with our previous purchased product as well. We love this and will be using it from now on. The savings are substantial, and our cost will drop when I start to order the citric acid from Amazon instead of getting it out of the bulk bin at Freddy's. The rest of the goodies you can get at the grocery store, shop around for the best prices, and get your baking soda in the biggest box you can find. Here's the info in case you'd like to make your own:
Dishwasher soap
In a quart jar with a plastic lid put
*1 cup borax
*1 cup baking soda
*1/4 cup salt
*1/4 cup citric acid
*30 drops of essential oil (your choice!)
mix well, cap it up. To use fill each dispenser, I use about 1 Tbsp in each.
*I also read that you can sub 2 sugar free lemonade Koolade packets for the citric acid, but haven't tried that yet. Apparently the citric acid acts as a water softener, so weather it works or not will depend on your water, if your water is especially hard, you can adjust the citric acid levels to work for you.

Test Product 2) fabric softener
Conclusion: we like this one too. I originally got a more simplified version from an e-newsletter that I subscribe to, www.hillbillyhousewife.com, can't remember if I've shared this before, but this is a great site and I have found lots of money saving food tips here. She says that you can just add 1/4 cup of vinegar to your rinse load or downy ball or whatever you usually use to dispense your fabric softener and you won't come out smelling like pickles (which was an actual concern of Alan's--he HATES vinegar) but instead, your laundry will be odor and static free. The option I tried was from the boogiemum blog though and it goes something like this:
you have to recognise when you are getting low on fabric softener and plan to save the bottle to reuse for your home made fabric softener or recycle some other bottle that has a nice sealing cap. Then gather your ingredients:
*1 cup of white vinegar
*1 cup of baking soda
* 2 cups of water
* 10 drops of essential oil
now here's the tricky part, you probably remember a volcano experiment from grade school that had these same ingredients--use this knowledge of chemical reactions to your benefit when whipping up your first batch of this new product. This will take a little practice, but it is suggested to add the liquids to the bottle first and then add the baking soda a little at a time so you can control the fizzing (hahahaaha-yeah right, just do it slow and OVER YOUR SINK!!!) Let the fizz settle a bit each time before adding more. Let this rest for a day or so, and then screw the cap on. Before using this each time, give the bottle a swirl to mix in the soda and add about 1/4 cup to your wash as you would any fabric softener. We love the smell of ours and it has been working pretty well. I think something from the chemical reaction removes all traces of it's vinegary past, and it has passed the sniff inspection around here. Please note, this is not actually downy and will not have the exact same results as a chemical laden product, that being said, we have been satisfied with the results. I have been told from various sources that fabric softener is bad for your machines and should be avoided at all costs, so this information also reaffirms my conclusion that this new product is the choice for us. **Side note, I have a friend that insists you can use a clean wad of tin-foil in your dryer as well in lieu of any softener, it will work for something like 25 loads. I don't think she's actually tried it, but it's one more option if you're looking for a list.

That is all for today, I have more, but I can't give it all up at once, I have to give you a reason to come back. (As if my charming wit were not enough) The sun is out and we are off to play in our new totally awesome sun hats (spf 50 and great prices) check them out: www.coolibar.com

I've started smoking

actually I just smell like smoke because we have spent every nice evening by our new fire pit-it is awesome! We talk and have s'mores and Alan plays his guitar, we have had friends over to enjoy it with us, it is our new favorite thing. The only down fall is as Layla says "after this we always smell so campy!" that about sums it up. For some reason, sleeping in your sleeping bag smelling like a camp fire is really great, but cuddling up in your own bed smelling like it, is well, not exactly as nice. It feels a little grimy. Um, I guess it doesn't help when the fire circle ends your day of running in the yard and digging in the mud and planting seeds and gathering fire wood, I'm pretty sure it's not just the smell, summer is just a little, well, dirty around here.
Alan finished building my raised garden beds today and we got them all planted but the 2 that are outside of my kitchen window. So far we have planted a cucumber patch, spaghetti squash, tomatoes, crook neck squash, lettuce patch (mesculin mix), an herb garden, purple bush beans, a climbing miniature kiwi vine, and a strawberry patch. We plan to plant flowers for the butterflies in one of the kitchen beds and also a children's garden of flowers to cut in the other. Then it's on to the front yard!! Woohoo, I'm tired just telling you about it. I bought a lily and a red hot poker today, and we got a weepy maple and bunch grass and some bush honeysuckle, and some perennial herbs to plant around my kitchen bay. A few more giant pots of herbs and we'll be done (planting). There are still river rocks, wood chips and landscape fabric in my not so distant future--these things aren't quite as exciting to think about, so I keep going back to the flowers.
We went to kindergarten pre-assessment this week. They make everything sound so overwhelming when you are signing up. I honestly didn't know what to expect and was a little nervous--Alan teased me and said that you would think it was my first day of school, I was walking around all nervous and troubled. As always, it was all for not: Layla blew the teacher away and had her laughing by the time they called me back to go over what Layla had done. I got accolades for spending so much time working with her (huh?) and she was so impressed by how mature Layla was (me too) and said that she is more than ready to start kindergarten in the fall.
This was a busy week (even though we hardly left the house!) I had a medium sized nervous break down when I found a bunch of reproductive carpenter ants (of course I know what they are--don't ask) which is one of the reasons we had the previous house treated and then removed, just kind of a big deal. The green bug killers are headed out next week to take care of it, let's hope they get it under control, our guarantee runs out soon, and it's kind of an expensive procedure--not as expensive as what we previously went through to remove them, but whatever. And, of course there was the summer solstice celebration. This year it included a lot of running around saying "happy solstice!!" no less than 200 times, and playing in the pool and sprinkler and having Popsicles and finishing off with a campfire and s'mores. Just about the best party ever in my book. I have to go lay down, I'm exhausted, and my back up heads back to work tomorrow-ciao!

a slug in the hair

my job is weird. You wouldn't imagine some of the things I am called on to do on a daily basis that weren't exactly outlined in the job description when I signed on, nevertheless, there they are waiting for me to handle, each and every day. Some days it's not such a big deal, a few phone calls, stinky laundry, mountains of dishes, digging in the mud, you know just stuff. Yesterday I got something new. Layla came in from playing outside and she was freaking out. She had been outside playing alone, so I started to worry, it's funny how many random things can rocket through your mind in a split second. When I finally figured out the problem, it was hard to keep a straight face: somehow a slug had made it's way into her hair, and she had grabbed it and pulled it out, but now her head was covered with a giant booger. EW! We tried to wash her hands, it didn't work, we tried to wash her hair, it didn't work, apparently, slugs throw off this gross snot to deter predators, and it is permanent, to shame you for screwing with the slug. Poor baby. I ended up picking the slug jello out of her hair with my fingers and a towel bit, by slimy bit, until we could comb it through, and got it all out-mostly. We washed her hands no less than a dozen times and that stuff wouldn't budge. We finally used some minty foot scrub to polish it off and then had to rub it off with my fingers and a towel. This process took an hour and the whole time she was trying not to cry and I was trying not to laugh--it was a slippery slope. Later I dug a dry river through my front yard, kissed a new road rash, called the doctor for advice on a puncture by sea shell wound, and found the best deal for my grocery buck at 10 pm, after which I came home and formulated my own dish washer soap and fabric softener. All in a days work...