tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89925424560321266792024-03-13T23:01:25.036-04:00banana peelit's what's inside that matters...Jessica Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09448653568825634030noreply@blogger.comBlogger179125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992542456032126679.post-78106534840575053372009-01-02T10:49:00.002-05:002009-01-02T11:01:19.342-05:00IMPORTANTThe Peel is moving.<br /><br />We are hopping through cyberspace over to our new home at Wordpress. I've imported everything so it shouldn't be too different <span style="font-style: italic;">(except in looks)</span>. You all just need the new link.<br /><br />Which is:<br /><br /><a href="http://bananapeelblog.wordpress.com/">http://bananapeelblog.wordpress.com/</a><br /><br />Please join me over there!Jessica Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09448653568825634030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992542456032126679.post-72949655449439421472009-01-01T10:54:00.006-05:002009-01-01T11:14:12.985-05:00WaterDo you drink enough water? I know I don't. Not consistently anyways. I did a little searching around the Internet to find out how much I should be drinking. I think <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283">this article</a> was pretty good at describing how much you should be drinking, and it is a reputable source.<br /><br />If you don't want to take the time to click over and read it yourself. This is what the article said:<br /><p> </p><p></p><p></p><blockquote><p>Several approaches attempt to approximate water needs for the average, healthy adult living in a temperate climate. </p> <ul><li><strong>Replacement approach.</strong> The average urine output for adults is about 1.5 liters (6.3 cups) a day. You lose close to an additional liter of water a day through breathing, sweating and bowel movements. Food usually accounts for 20 percent of your total fluid intake, so if you consume 2 liters of water or other beverages a day (a little more than 8 cups) along with your normal diet, you will typically replace the lost fluids.</li></ul><ul><li class="doublespace"><strong>Eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day.</strong> Another approach to water intake is the "8 x 8 rule" — drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day (about 1.9 liters). The rule could also be stated, "drink eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid a day," as all fluids count toward the daily total. Though the approach isn't supported by scientific evidence, many people use this basic rule as a guideline for how much water and other fluids to drink.</li><li class="doublespace"><strong>Dietary recommendations.</strong> The Institute of Medicine advises that men consume roughly 3 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day and women consume 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day.</li></ul> <p> Even apart from the above approaches, if you drink enough fluid so that you rarely feel thirsty and produce 1.5 liters (6.3 cups) or more of colorless or slightly yellow urine a day, your fluid intake is probably adequate. <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283">Mayo Clinic Staff April 19, 2008</a></p></blockquote><p><a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283"></a></p>So, here is my goal for this week.<span style="font-weight: bold;"> I am going to drink at least 32 oz. </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">(1 liter)</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> of water per day</span>. To make this goal easier for me to accomplish I went to the store last night and bought each of us a water bottle that holds 32 oz. They were the cheapo kind that cost 2 dollars. I got a little one that holds 16 oz. <span style="font-style: italic;">(1 pint)</span> for The Blue-Eyed Boy <span style="font-style: italic;">(I read a few things that said that toddlers will get all the water they need and that it doesn't need to be regulated. UNLESS they have had a fever or been sick. So, his is mostly just so he can be like Daddy--and maybe get him off the sippy cups? A Momma can hope!).</span> This morning I filled it with water and have been drinking it <span style="font-style: italic;">(The Hunk filled his and took it to work with him)</span>. So far today I have 16ish oz to go.<br /><br />So there you go. Every day this week I want you to try to drink at least 32 oz. of water a day. Go grab a water bottle if you already have one, or go get one from the store to make it easier for yourself!<br /><br />Here's to taking it one step at a time!<br /><br />This post is part of the <a href="http://bananapeel-jessicalc.blogspot.com/search/label/365%20days%20to%20whole%20foods">365 days to whole foods series</a>.Jessica Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09448653568825634030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992542456032126679.post-32987447484757065152009-01-01T10:09:00.005-05:002009-01-01T10:43:17.683-05:00Welcome 2009Happy New Year dear friends! Another year has come and gone- how fast it flew! So many things have happened in the past year I can't believe it is over already. It seems like yesterday it was the first day of 2008.<br /><br />With a New Year comes new resolutions. I always make several, and I never do them. I try real hard and then I forget/stop/fail my resolutions. So this year in the attempt to actually accomplish my resolution I am only choosing one. And one that I feel really really motivated to actually do. And it's not one of those--today bam! I'm going to stop doing something. Because, as we all know-- that don't work. So, my resolution is going to be gradual, slowly changing throughout the year so that <span style="font-style: italic;">(hopefully)</span> in 365 days from today I will have accomplished my goal.<br /><br />Are you curious what it is?<br /><br />Well, I am happy to inform you that you will all be able to take the journey with me. Every week I am going to have a new goal to strive for which will get me one step closer to my over-arching resolution.<br /><br />What is my resolution?<br /><br />My resolution is that by the end of 2009, in 365 days from today, I will have converted myself and my family from eating semi/not really at all-healthy to a healthy whole foods diet.<br />I want to get rid of all the over-processed, empty calorie, nutrient void foods that we eat. And replace them with natural, un-processed, nutrient dense really-good-for-you foods.<br /><br />I know a lot of people make "eating healthy" one of their resolutions. Maybe if we all work together and keep each other accountable, we can actually reach that goal?<br /><br />I am hoping that by setting a small goal every week <span style="font-style: italic;">(and hopefully a goal that is relatively easy for everyone to accomplish)</span> by the end of the year I <span style="font-style: italic;">(we?)</span> will have accomplished my <span style="font-style: italic;">(our?)</span> goal. And rather painlessly.<br /><br />So what do you say? Will you join me? I hope you will--I'm sure you body with thank you.<br /><br />Here's a toast to 365 days to whole foods!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(see my next post for the first weeks goal)</span>Jessica Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09448653568825634030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992542456032126679.post-53243381165294214542008-12-31T10:09:00.007-05:002008-12-31T10:44:10.594-05:00I think it's time for a changePreface: I'm one of those Momma's who do not rock their baby until they are completely asleep and then lay them down. I've been very deliberate ever since <a href="http://bananapeel-jessicalc.blogspot.com/search/label/Red-Haired%20Girl">The Red-Haired Girl</a> was born to put her down when she was semi awake. This has made it possible for me to nurse her and put her directly in her bed whether she is asleep or not and know she will go to sleep on her own. <span style="font-style: italic;">(I must also add that I do not let her "cry it out" either. Fussing is okay, but if she starts crying, I will go in to get her and we try again. I could never stomach letting my baby cry for hours on end just to get them to sleep.) </span><br /><br />So today I did what I always do. I nursed her then laid her down in her bassinet and left the room. I was holding <a href="http://price-baby.blogspot.com/">Little Dizzy</a> and talking with <a href="http://bananapeel-jessicalc.blogspot.com/search/label/Blue-eyed%20boy">The Blue-Eyed Boy</a> when I heard this strange sort of noise. It sounded like something was in my pots and pans cupboard. My immediate thought was "Oh no! <a href="http://bananapeel-jessicalc.blogspot.com/2008/11/our-real-life-ratatouille.html">The mouse</a> is in my cupboard!" <span style="font-style: italic;">(we <span style="font-weight: bold;">still</span> haven't caught the last one, sneaky little devil!)</span>.<br /><br />Then I heard a baby giggle.<br /><br />So, with Little Dizzy in tow I tip-toed into the bedroom and this is what I found.........<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_paEPJtQaSt4/SVuMyWGPFqI/AAAAAAAAATY/ggLgZndXOJc/s1600-h/DSC01868.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_paEPJtQaSt4/SVuMyWGPFqI/AAAAAAAAATY/ggLgZndXOJc/s320/DSC01868.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285973384202491554" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_paEPJtQaSt4/SVuMy5jVT2I/AAAAAAAAATg/cCfJHX5oc5E/s1600-h/DSC01869.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_paEPJtQaSt4/SVuMy5jVT2I/AAAAAAAAATg/cCfJHX5oc5E/s320/DSC01869.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285973393719775074" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The pots and pan sound must have been the piggy bank.<br /><br />She has never gotten to a sitting position on her own, until today! She started really crawling on Sunday. Oh boy am I in trouble. But I LOOOOOVE it! There is nothing cuter than that little baby butt sticking out as she crawls. This is our first crawling baby, so it's all new <span style="font-style: italic;">(The Blue-Eyed Boy never crawled, he skipped right from rolling to walking)</span>!<br /><br />I think she needs to move to the crib. The only problem--there is no room anywhere in this teeny tiny house for a full-size crib. Our lease is up in February, but <a href="http://christopher-mercystreet.blogspot.com/">The Hunk</a> doesn't want to move in winter again. I don't really want to either, but I do want to leave this house <span style="font-style: italic;">(REALLY BADLY to tell the truth--I don't like it here at all. This house was great when there were only three of us, but it's waaaay too small for four.)</span>.<br /><br />I want my baby to be safe, even if that means moving in winter again <span style="font-style: italic;">(at least this time I won't be pregnant and will be able to help!!)</span><br /><br />Dilemma. Dilemma.<br /><br />In the meantime I cleaned off the dresser so she can't get into any of it, and put the locking clips in place so the bassinet can't rock anymore.<br /><br />Hopefully that will be enough.....until we figure something else out.Jessica Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09448653568825634030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992542456032126679.post-89584539911513306422008-12-30T22:39:00.007-05:002008-12-30T22:59:08.007-05:00The Life and Times of the "Little Wife"Today The Blue-Eyed Boy was playing with his new Playdough set thanks to his Great Aunt Teri and Choitka Erica <span style="font-style: italic;">(Aunt in Polish for those of you who're not lucky enough to be called a Pollock!)</span>. He was having a grand old time <span style="font-style: italic;">(making a huge mess)</span> wallowing in the Playdough fun-ness.<br /><br />The fun-ness continued on until he couldn't find something that he wanted......<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Blue-Eyed Boy:</span> <span>"Momma where's my little wife?"</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Me</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">(wondering if I heard him right)</span>: <span>"What are you looking for Babe?"</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Blue-Eyed Boy</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">(frustrated--but I would be too if I had to repeat myself countless times a day)</span>:<span> </span><span>"My LITTLE WIIIIIFE!!!"</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Me</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">(in my head thinking.....well probably with her family somewhere, or not born yet...but I don't think that's what he means)</span>: <span>"I'm not sure what you're talking about, and I don't think you know what you're saying either. Tell me again"</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Blue-Eyed Boy:</span> <span>"My little wife, momma. I need my little wife!"</span><br />I just stared at him in confusion while he continued searching. I couldn't for the life of me figure out if he was making a statement far beyond his years or if he was actually looking for something that existed!<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Blue-Eyed Boy</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">(triumphantly)</span>: <span>"There it is!! There's my little wife!"</span><br /><br />He then proceeded to pick his little yellow Playdough KNIFE up off the windowsil.<br /><br />and oh did I laugh!Jessica Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09448653568825634030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992542456032126679.post-57260475801184029612008-12-24T00:00:00.000-05:002008-12-24T00:00:01.340-05:00Our Advent Celebration--Christmas DayHere is our final celebration of Advent. Christmas if finally here!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Christmas Day</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5th Candle-(white) "CHRIST CANDLE"</span><br />The white candle reminds us that Jesus is the spotless Lamb of God, sent to wash away our sins. His birth was for his death; his death was for our birth. (John 1:29 and John 3:1-8)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Scripture Readings:</span> Psalm 100; Revelation 3:20-21<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Songs:</span> Wonderful Maker, He Reigns, Here is Our King, Holy and Anointed One<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Prayer</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.box.net/shared/63fjce0f2b">Printable Version of Christmas Day</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.box.net/shared/nzc43ultn2">Entire Advent Celebration</a><br /><br /><a href="http://bananapeel-jessicalc.blogspot.com/2008/12/our-advent-celebration.html">Week 1 & 2</a>; <a href="http://bananapeel-jessicalc.blogspot.com/2008/12/week-three-of-our-advent-celebration.html">Week 3</a>; <a href="http://bananapeel-jessicalc.blogspot.com/2008/12/week-four-of-our-advent-celebration.html">Week 4</a><br /><br />Have a very merry Christmas!Jessica Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09448653568825634030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992542456032126679.post-88084414664253100722008-12-23T13:17:00.003-05:002008-12-23T13:29:45.487-05:00Week Four of Our Advent CelebrationI forgot to post this on Saturday! Sorry, been so busy with getting ready for Christmas.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Advent Week Four</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4th Candle-(purple) "CANDLE OF LOVE"</span><br />God sent his only Son to earth to save us, because He loves us! (John 3:16-17)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Alternate meaning: "THE ANGEL CANDLE"</span><br />All 4 candles will be lit this week to symbolize the growing brightness of the coming of Jesus.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Scripture Readings:</span> Matthew 1:18-25; Matthew 2:1-2; Luke 2:21-35; Psalm 98:1-6<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Songs:</span> Silent Night; Come Lord Jesus, Come<br /><br /><a href="http://www.box.net/shared/pi5lb337n7">Printable Version of Week 4</a> (includes song lyrics)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.box.net/shared/a3k3d8h8a6">Printable Version of Weeks 1-4</a> (includes song lyrics)<br /><br />Again if anyone needs the chord charts to any of the songs, please <a href="mailto:mrsculver@gmail.com">email me</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://bananapeel-jessicalc.blogspot.com/2008/12/our-advent-celebration.html">Week 1</a><a href="http://bananapeel-jessicalc.blogspot.com/2008/12/our-advent-celebration.html"></a><a href="http://bananapeel-jessicalc.blogspot.com/2008/12/our-advent-celebration.html"> & 2</a>; <a href="http://bananapeel-jessicalc.blogspot.com/2008/12/week-three-of-our-advent-celebration.html">Week 3</a>Jessica Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09448653568825634030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992542456032126679.post-90502303986835207682008-12-21T00:49:00.005-05:002008-12-21T00:56:30.127-05:00In Case you were having a bad day....and need a laugh...........<br /><br />The other day:<br /><br />The Blue Eyed Boy hit the Red-Haired Girl<br />Me: "We don't hit people"<br />Blue-Eyed Boy: (matter-of-factually) "I'm not hitting people, I'm hitting babies"<br /><br />Day before yesterday:<br /><br />Blue-Eyed Boy: "Momma is Santa coming here?"<br />Me: "probably"<br />Blue-Eyed Boy: "he coming here?"<br />Me: "yep, I'm sure he is"<br />Blue-Eyed Boy: "no he not, he not coming here, he at church"<br /><br />Today:<br />Hunk: "Do you know where your Chapstick is? "<br />Blue-eyed Boy: "Actually, I believe it is in the living room"<br /><br />Happy Sunday!Jessica Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09448653568825634030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992542456032126679.post-15649476485389057272008-12-17T15:25:00.003-05:002008-12-17T15:57:42.292-05:00I'm it again....<div style="text-align: center;">I was tagged by <a href="http://shopgirlchicago.blogspot.com/">Shop Girl in Chicago</a><br />The rules: <br />1. Link to your tagger and list the rules<br />2. List 7 random facts about yourself<br />3. Tag 7 people (and make sure you check back and see what they say!)<br />4. If you’re tagged, play along and pass it on!<br /></div><br />Hmm...since I <a href="http://bananapeel-jessicalc.blogspot.com/2008/10/tag-im-it.html">just did this recently</a> I'll have to think of some more things...here goes nothing.....<br /><br />1. I am shy. Painfully shy. Like I can hardly talk to anyone unless I've known them practically my whole life. Are you surprised that I have a blog? I've always been better at expressing myself through writing, than through verbal communication.<br /><br />2. I'm old fashioned. I love cooking and cleaning and being little Suzy homemaker. I'd rather wear a dress or skirt than pants any day. Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong time period.<br /><br />3. I'm allergic to cats. I don't like them, so I'm really not so sad about that.<br /><br />4. I don't drink coffee, or ANYTHING with super high amounts of caffeine (so chocolate is okay!). It'll give me a stomach ache/make me barf.<br /><br />5. I cannot go to bed in an unmade bed. So, if I didn't make my bed in the morning <span style="font-style: italic;">(or anytime during the day)</span> I have to make it before I get in it to go to sleep. Drives the Hunk crazy, but I think he secretly like it too.<br /><br />6. I'm secretly <span style="font-style: italic;">(well not so secret now)</span> thinking of becoming a vegetarian...meat and me are not friends. I already do not eat red meat except on rare occasions, so it's not to far of a leap from there.<br /><br />7. I despise cell phones. I wish they had never been invented, they make people rude and obnoxious. I'm sure if I got stranded on the side of the road I would change my tune. Maybe it's not the cell phone itself that I despise, but the lack of proper etiquette people with cell phones exhibit? For future reference I don't want to hear about your boyfriends best friend's sister and who she is having sex with while I'm shopping for groceries with my 3 year old and 7 month old. And I don't think anyone else wants to either.<br /><br />I'm going to take <a href="http://price-baby.blogspot.com/">Dizzy's</a> lead and refrain from tagging anyone because we all just did this.Jessica Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09448653568825634030noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992542456032126679.post-36439901257117257032008-12-15T15:54:00.005-05:002008-12-16T16:32:47.872-05:00Christmas CardsSo<a href="http://bananapeel-jessicalc.blogspot.com/2008/11/5-photo-shoots-6-tantrums-15-clothing.html"> remember</a> how I took all that time to take pictures of my kids for our Christmas cards?<br /><br />Well, in a sad turn of events we decided that we didn't have enough <span style="font-style: italic;">extra</span> money to purchase and send Christmas cards. I was bummed to say the least. All that work! gone to waste. bah humbug.<br /><br />Then in a wonderful turn of events we received some extra money <span style="font-style: italic;">(can we say bonus check?)</span> that we weren't expecting. So, I went on Walmart.com and made a Christmas card <span style="font-style: italic;">(praise the Lord for one hour printing!!)</span>.<br /><br />So here are my beautiful children as they will appear on our Christmas cards. <span style="font-style: italic;">(I'm mailing them tomorrow so my dear family and friends who r</span><span style="font-style: italic;">ead...you'll be getting them soon!)</span>. The cards turned out really lovely, except for one thing. The Red-Haired Girl's picture is a little on the dark side. It doesn't look dark on our computer, nor did it look dark on the website, but when printed--it's a little dark<span style="font-style: italic;"> (sorry sounding redundant now)</span>. I lightened it up to show you here. It doens't look bad on the card, just a little bit darker than the Blue-Eyed Boy's picture.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(I would just scan the card, but I'm not sure how the copyright stuff works, and since they </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://christopher-mercystreet.blogspot.com/2008/12/last-night.html">almost wouldn't give the cards to us</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, I think I'll just show you the pictures).</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_paEPJtQaSt4/SUgb2J9cpBI/AAAAAAAAATI/K77tu4enIUg/s1600-h/big+boy+xmas.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 342px; height: 223px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_paEPJtQaSt4/SUgb2J9cpBI/AAAAAAAAATI/K77tu4enIUg/s320/big+boy+xmas.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280501180292441106" border="0" /></a><br />I think he's going to be just as much of a hunk as his daddy, don't you?<br /><br />And here's our beautiful sunny girl:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_paEPJtQaSt4/SUgb2TUFMcI/AAAAAAAAATQ/NqdLMFuN9vg/s1600-h/baby+girl+xmas.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 211px; height: 222px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_paEPJtQaSt4/SUgb2TUFMcI/AAAAAAAAATQ/NqdLMFuN9vg/s320/baby+girl+xmas.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280501182803292610" border="0" /></a><br />and to see the card layout I picked, <a href="http://photos.walmart.com/choosestyleslimline">go here</a>.Jessica Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09448653568825634030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992542456032126679.post-18496889802554467902008-12-13T16:23:00.004-05:002008-12-13T17:06:47.542-05:00Week Three of Our Advent CelebrationHere's what we will be doing this week for our Advent celebration.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">Advent Week Three</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3rd CANDLE--(pink) "CANDLE OF JOY"</span><br />The angels sang a message of joy! (Luke 2:7-15)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Rose or pink is a sign of joy that He is coming soon!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Scripture Readings:</span> Luke 1:5-17; Luke 1:18-45; Luke 1:46-66; Luke 1:67-80; Isaiah 7:10-14; Isaiah 9:2-7; Galatians 4:4-5; 1John 4:7-16<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Song:</span> Oh Come All Ye Faithful<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Prayer</span><br /><br />You can download a printable version of this weeks Advent Celebration<a href="http://www.box.net/shared/3hg7vzauad"> here.</a><br /><br />And you can download a printable version of weeks 1 through 3 <a href="http://www.box.net/shared/xthaqq9fuy">here</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">(The printable versions include song lyrics. If you desire a chord chart for any of the songs, please</span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="mailto:mrsculver@gmail.com"> email me</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">)</span><br /><br /><a href="http://bananapeel-jessicalc.blogspot.com/2008/12/our-advent-celebration.html">Our Advent Celebration Weeks 1 and 2</a>Jessica Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09448653568825634030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992542456032126679.post-70226853775281389892008-12-12T10:51:00.004-05:002008-12-12T11:21:35.037-05:00Christmas Cookies RevisitedMy beautiful, wonderful <a href="http://price-baby.blogspot.com/">Sister-In-Law</a> sent me a link to the <a href="http://foodblogga.blogspot.com">Food Blogga</a>. <a href="http://foodblogga.blogspot.com/2007/11/christmas-cookies-from-around-world.html">Here</a> she has 212 Christmas cookie recipes from around the world. As I was looking through them <span style="font-style: italic;">(and desperately trying not to drool on my keyboard)</span> I came across these <a href="http://www.talkoftomatoes.com/2007/12/17/whats-circular-dotted-with-holly-and-green-all-over/#comment-8395">wreath cookies</a>. As waves of nostalgia flooded over me I quickly jotted down the recipe.<br /><br />We used to make these! I can't believe I forgot about them. I always loved the red hots. There's something wonderful about the sweet gooey marshmallowy yumminess and the almost too spicy cinnamon candy mixing together in your mouth. Definately a delight for the taste buds.<br /><br />Needless to say, I am adding this last minute addition to my <a href="http://www.box.net/shared/o9on6d97jy">Christmas Cookie List.</a>Jessica Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09448653568825634030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992542456032126679.post-82862933188322720512008-12-10T11:14:00.000-05:002008-12-10T11:14:57.471-05:00Christmas Cookies Galore!Anyone else making Christmas cookies this year?<br /><br />I am!<br /><br />Here's what I'll be making:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pumpkin roll</span>--my absolute favorite Christmas baked good--even if it isn't technically a cookie!<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">My Momma's sugar cookies</span>--<span style="font-style: italic;">the best</span> sugar cookies ever!<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Grandma McClain's monster cookies</span>--this is a new recipe for me, I've never made it before. It is my <a href="http://christopher-mercystreet.blogspot.com/">Hunk's</a> great grandmother's recipe. He has very fond memories of them--so I hope I can live up to his expectations!<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Chocolate fudge</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">White chocolate fudge</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Peanut butter chocolate fudge</span><br /><br />The fudge recipes are all my mom's, as well, that she would make every year.<br /><br />The Blue-Eyed Boy and I went shopping last night and got <span style="font-style: italic;">(almost)</span> all the ingredients. I'm excited to get to baking next week!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.box.net/shared/o9on6d97jy">If you look here</a>, I'll share my secrets with you! (complete with recipes, and ingredient checklist!) I saved it in the compatibility mode so hopefully it will work for everyone's Word...it just might not look as nice as it does on my computer.<br /><br />So tell me what are<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> you</span> making?Jessica Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09448653568825634030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992542456032126679.post-3090464668628883892008-12-09T15:05:00.008-05:002008-12-09T16:08:13.964-05:00Our Advent CelebrationThis year we decided to celebrate Advent as a family. We have never done this before so I was really unsure of what to do, how to do it, etc. So, I did some searches on the Internet and found different things we could do as a family to prepare for Christmas. I didn't really like any of them all that much. I mean I would like a part of this one, or that one, but not one as a whole. So, I took what I liked from them and sort of made my own. My plan was to share this with you, but then <a href="http://bananapeel-jessicalc.blogspot.com/2008/12/cancer.html">last week</a> happened and I didn't have time to make my advent wreath or type anything up to share with you. We also didn't do the first week because we were shuttling two kids back and forth from the hospital. If there was ever a time where we definitely <span style="font-style: italic;">should</span> have taken the time to focus on the birth of Christ, last week would have been perfect. But alas, life doesn't always work out the way we want it to.<br /><br />So, to make up for it, we are going to do week one and two tonight and then we will be back on track. I thought I'd share with you what we are doing any way. Maybe next year it will help someone else out who wants to celebrate the Advent season but is unsure of how. Okay? So here we go.<br /><br />The first thing you will need is to make your advent wreath. You can do a quick Google search for <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=advent+wreath&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a">"advent wreath"</a> and find several that you can buy, or you can make your own very easily. All you need are 3 purple <span style="font-style: italic;">(or blue)</span> candles, one pink and one white candle. I used a plate from our old microwave and cut some leaf shapes out of some brown felt I had<a href="http://bananapeel-jessicalc.blogspot.com/2008/10/my-cowboy.html"> leftover</a> from Halloween costumes, and walaa! The advent wreath doesn't have to be all fancy. I'm a simple person, and I think simple is better!<br /><br />Here's ours:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_paEPJtQaSt4/ST7Y3kPKJNI/AAAAAAAAASw/USsEhujpqTk/s1600-h/DSC01782.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_paEPJtQaSt4/ST7Y3kPKJNI/AAAAAAAAASw/USsEhujpqTk/s320/DSC01782.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277894262456460498" border="0" /></a><br />The next thing you need to decide is if you want to do something daily, or weekly. We are going the weekly route. So, we decided that Tuesday nights would be the best day of the week for us to celebrate. <span style="font-style: italic;">(The traditional day to celebrate is Sunday, but we just would not be able to make that work)</span><br /><br />Here is my outlines of what we will be doing for Advent Week One and Two:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Advent Week One</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lighting of 1st Candle-(purple) "CANDLE OF HOPE"</span><br />We can have hope because God is faithful and will keep the promises he made to us. Our hope comes from God. (Romans15: 12-13)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Alternate meaning: "PROPHECY CANDLE"</span><br />The color purple is a sign of penance and also represents the longing we have waiting for the birth of baby Jesus.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Scripture readings:</span> Isaiah7:14, Isaiah40:1-5, Isaiah 52:7-10, Isaiah 40:9-11, Deuteronomy 18:15-19, and Psalm 89:1-4<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Song:</span> O Come, O Come Emmanuel<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Prayer </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Advent Week Two</span></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2nd Candle-(purple) "CANDLE OF PREPARATION"</span><br />Preparation means to 'get ready'. "Help us to be ready to welcome you, O God!" (Luke 3:4-6)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Alternate meaning: "CANDLE OF BETHLEHEM"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Scripture Readings</span>: Isaiah 11:1-10, Zechariah 6:12-13, Micah 5:1-5, Malachi 3:1-6, John 1:1-6. John 1:9-18, Mark 1:1-3<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Songs:</span> Away in a Manger and O Little Town Of Bethlehem<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Prayer</span><br /><br />It helps that I have a <a href="http://christopher-mercystreet.blogspot.com/">guitar playing hunk</a> who lives here, but even if your family is not musical, you can just sing the songs together. If anyone would like the words to either of these songs I would be happy to share them with you, just shoot me an <a href="mailto:mrsculver@gmail.com">email</a>.<br /><br />Another thing we've done is the Blue-Eyed Boy and I made a prayer chain. It's just like your basic paper chain we all made in elementary school, only on the one side I wrote the Christmas countdown and on the other side we wrote the name of someone we wanted to pray for. When I taped the strips into a chain the name is on the inside while the number is on the outside. So, every day we can pull one off and pray for the person that is on that paper for the day. The Blue-Eyed Boy had fun making this.<br /><br />So, there you have it. That is what we will be doing tonight <span style="font-style: italic;">(we're going to wait til it's dark so the candles can really shine)</span>.<br /><br />I'll post what we will do next week later in the week.<br /><br />Oh and here's a<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://bananapeel-jessicalc.blogspot.com/search/label/Tip%20Jar%20Tuesday">Tip Jar Tuesday</a> for ya:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tip #11</span><br /><br />Crawl under a blanket with someone you love. Life is short folks-- don't get hung up in the stuff that doesn't matter and forget about the stuff that really does.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_paEPJtQaSt4/ST7a05i3YZI/AAAAAAAAAS4/b8A-ETwqIo0/s1600-h/DSC01766.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_paEPJtQaSt4/ST7a05i3YZI/AAAAAAAAAS4/b8A-ETwqIo0/s320/DSC01766.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277896415659909522" border="0" /></a>Jessica Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09448653568825634030noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992542456032126679.post-88342979283664400572008-12-04T23:41:00.003-05:002008-12-04T23:57:31.894-05:00CancerIt's a word that strikes fear into the hearts of everyone.<br /><br />The dreaded diagnosis. The worst case scenario.<br /><br />It makes you question. It makes you worry. It makes you want to cry out in anguish at a God whom you know loves, and yet allows such devastation to occur.<br /><br />It keeps me from sleeping and makes me over-eat.<br /><br />It brings me to my knees in prayer over and over.<br /><br />It causes me to feel extreme amounts of helplessness.<br /><br />My Mother-in-Law, truly my second Mom, went to the hospital on Saturday. No one knew what was wrong with her. Yesterday the diagnosis was confirmed---multiple myeloma--a type of blood cancer. Her chemo starts tomorrow.<br /><br />The doctor is optimistic. I'm scared out of my wits.<br /><br />I want my babies to know their Grandmother.<br /><br />My husband needs his Mother.<br /><br />I need her guidance and friendship.<br /><br />I've been to the hospital everyday since Saturday. I wish there was more I could do than sit by her bed and chat about stupid things like teething babies, and toddler tantrums <span style="font-style: italic;">(not that babies or toddlers are stupid)</span>. I wish there was more that I could do than paint her toenails and bring her crossword puzzles. If I could remove those vile cells with my own two hands I would. If only I could bring the color back to her cheeks and clear the tiredness from her eyes.<br /><br />Yet I am reduced to a spectator.<br /><br />And as a spectator I wait and watch and pray for the happy ending.Jessica Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09448653568825634030noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992542456032126679.post-28027086873528332692008-11-25T13:56:00.001-05:002008-11-25T13:57:11.497-05:00Tip Jar TuesdaySo, I just realized that it's Tuesday. I missed last weeks <a href="http://bananapeel-jessicalc.blogspot.com/search/label/Tip%20Jar%20Tuesday">Tip Jar Tuesday</a>. So I am going to make up for it with TWO tips today. These tips have to do with taking pictures, since that is what I've been doing a lot of these days, specifically infant and toddler pictures.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tip #9</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Utilize the burst feature. </span><br /><br />If your camera has a burst feature <span style="font-style: italic;">(where it will take a rap</span><span style="font-style: italic;">id succession--typically 3--of pictures with one push of the button)</span> use it! I have found that it helps a lot to have those quick pictures one right after another. Especially if you can anticipate an infants smile or when your toddler is going to look at you. It also gives you three of a very similar photo so chances are that at least one of them will have turned out well.<br /><br />The downside is that it uses up your camera memory faster, and you have to sort through dozens and dozens of triple take pictures. But I think the benefits far outweigh this inconvenience.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tip #10</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Use sheets and blankets to disguise everyday</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> items.</span><br /><br />Our bedroom gets the best natural lighting during the day <span style="font-style: italic;">(it's on the east side of the house and has one central window)</span>. Its a very small room however so no matter where I put the kids on the bed there was something distracting behind them. To solve this problem I strung sheets <span style="font-style: italic;">(you want either a pastel or a super dark color depending on the look you're trying to accomplish--mine were pastel blue)</span> across where I wanted to take the pictures. I then put white blankets on the bed <span style="font-style: italic;">(these are Christmas picture, I wanted a snowy look, but I could've used green for a grass look, etc.)</span>.<br /><br />In the picture you see on the sidebar the Red-Haired Girl is sitting in her <a href="http://www.bumbobabyseat.com/">Bumbo seat</a>. I just put a white blanket over it before I sat her in it and WALAA she looks like she is sitting in snow. I also had some batting laying around left-over from some sewing projects, so we spread that around for "snow". The kids really loved that. I wish I had had a better faster camera so I could have taken pictures of the Blue-Eyed Boy throwing it up in the air and stuff, I tried but my camera is too slow so they were blurry.<br /><br />Also putting some pillows under a sheet can prop up your infant just enough to get a better picture. I used pillows to put under the Blue-Eyed Boy so he was taller than the Red-Haired Girl when she was sitting in the Bumbo.<br /><br />Make it fun, your kids will have fun and you'll get some really great pictures!<br /><br />And keep it natural. The more you force the pictures the worse they turn out. But when you are just having fun and laughing and talking and stuff you will be surprised with the neat pictures you can get.<br /><br />Here's a few more of our good "rejects". <span style="font-style: italic;">(I promise once I actually send out the absolutely perfect Christmas cards, I will share the photos here!!)<br /><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_paEPJtQaSt4/SSxJx7S6ffI/AAAAAAAAASk/qEf6-Yod_DA/s1600-h/DSC01634.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_paEPJtQaSt4/SSxJx7S6ffI/AAAAAAAAASk/qEf6-Yod_DA/s320/DSC01634.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272670385823448562" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_paEPJtQaSt4/SSxJL3FbDGI/AAAAAAAAASc/_zieC4Dynjs/s1600-h/brighter.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_paEPJtQaSt4/SSxJL3FbDGI/AAAAAAAAASc/_zieC4Dynjs/s320/brighter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272669731858091106" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_paEPJtQaSt4/SSxJLX39TmI/AAAAAAAAASU/JMOZxwmVrJ8/s1600-h/DSC01652.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 296px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_paEPJtQaSt4/SSxJLX39TmI/AAAAAAAAASU/JMOZxwmVrJ8/s320/DSC01652.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272669723480116834" border="0" /></a><br />Your turn--try it out!Jessica Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09448653568825634030noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992542456032126679.post-36523084080023764332008-11-25T11:35:00.000-05:002008-11-25T11:37:35.724-05:00Our real life RatatouilleHave you all seen the movie <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0382932/">Ratatouille?</a><div><br /></div><div>It's a good movie, a great movie. I really enjoyed it--good lesson/message, and very entertaining. The Blue-Eyed Boy loves it to. </div><div><br /></div><div>A week and a half or so ago, while The Hunk and I were watching <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0382932/">Life on Mars</a> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">(good show, anyone else watch it?) </span><span class="Apple-style-span">when suddenly</span> something small, furry, and brown came running into our living room. </div><div><br /></div><div>A. MOUSE.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yep, I was completely freaked out. We spent the next 15 minutes chasing the thing around the house trying to either catch it or chase it out the door. No luck. It got away to who knows where. </div><div><br /></div><div>The next day I went and got some mousetraps. And that night we put peanut butter on them. I barely slept the whole night because I did NOT want to hear the mouse get caught.<br /><br />Lucky for me, I didn't hear anything. Because the darn thing ate the peanut butter without setting off the trap!<br /><br />We did catch two the next night, however. And oh yes I heard it--lovely.<br /><br />We continued to place the traps out every night. And every morning we would find empty traps with no peanut butter left. It was getting ridiculous.<br /><br />And if we thought it couldn't get even more bizarre. The Hunk found a mouse on the counter top one morning, desperately trying to get my measuring spoons. We called him little chef from then on. For about 2 or 3 nights we would hear the chinking of him (or her?) trying to get the measuring spoons during the night.<br /><br />Mouse count so far: 4 <span style="font-style: italic;">(including the little chef)</span><br /><br />This morning the traps were empty but the peanut butter was still there.<br /><br />Hopefully we caught them all. They were living in the attic and at night when it was quiet you could hear them scratching around up there. C.R.E.E.P.Y.<br /></div>Jessica Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09448653568825634030noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992542456032126679.post-38846828826711839362008-11-22T11:31:00.003-05:002008-11-22T12:16:02.424-05:005 photo shoots, 6 tantrums, 15 clothing changes and 237 Pictures later....and we finally have our Christmas card pictures.<br /><br />Whew. It was fun, but man oh man. To get them both together without one wiggling or crying or puking or......tricky, folks, tricky. Oh and not to mention when the camera wouldn't work or was too slow or you know just all around stinkeriffic <span style="font-style: italic;">(new word meaning: terrifically stinky)</span>. I need a new camera and possibly a vacation.<br /><br />But I'm done! I did it! I persevered!<br /><br />I think. I might take a few more just because I like to torture myself--er take pictures of my beautiful children.<br /><br />I'm not going to share them with you just yet <span style="font-style: italic;">(don't want to ruin the surprise for all the family and friends that read!)</span>. You can see a couple of the good "rejects" on the sidebar. And if you can't imagine anything cuter than that, oh just you wait!<br /><br />Now to decide which company to go with for the card. This has been really tough. So far I'm a big fan of <a href="http://www.tinyprints.com/holiday-cards-best-sellers.htm">Tiny Prints</a> and <a href="http://www.peartreegreetings.com/index.jsp">Pear Tree Greetings</a>. They have wonderful cards and reasonably priced as well. Pear Tree has a create your own photo card option that is really nice and I am spending too much time on the computer fiddling with!<br /><br />Other places I've been looking include:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.snapfish.com">Snapfish</a> they are having a <a href="http://www.snapfish.com/promo048us?s_kwcid=holiday%20photo%20cards%7C2689043003">20 cards for 20 cents promo </a><br /><a href="http://www.shutterfly.com">Shutterfly</a><br /><a href="http://www.vistaprint.com">Vista Print</a><br /><a href="http://photos.walmart.com/storepage/storePageId=Cards">Walmart</a><br /><a href="http://photocarddesigns.com/">Photocard Designs</a><br /><a href="http://stores.doodlebugdezigns.com/StoreFront.bok">Doodlebug designs</a> I absolutely LOVE <a href="http://stores.doodlebugdezigns.com/-strse-196/Extra-Side-to-Any/Detail.bok">this feature.</a><br /><a href="http://www.photoworks.com/index.jsp;jsessionid=2DE123EA3578180D11EC8B5ED9030406?cb=PW&guest=true&toh=&svr=web36">Photoworks</a> <a href="http://www.photoworks.com/shop/detail.jsp;jsessionid=2DE123EA3578180D11EC8B5ED9030406?selProduct=cards-1617&parentCategory=cards+events+christmas&sbo=false&cb=PW&guest=true&toh=&svr=web36">This</a> is such a neat idea!<br /><a href="http://www.photoaffections.com/christmas-photo-cards-c-15">Photo Affections</a><br /><br />Anyone else a d0-it-yourself Christmas photographer?Jessica Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09448653568825634030noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992542456032126679.post-19647551950671509522008-11-21T11:07:00.002-05:002008-11-21T11:11:10.775-05:00HEY MOMS!!!Check this out......<a href="http://motherletter.blogspot.com/">The Mother Letter Project</a>.<br /><br />Very cool.<br /><br />I sent my letter in. Share yours!<br /><br /><br />P.S. I know I disappeared for awhile. Sick kids, sick hubby, sick me. You can guess how it's been. I'll be back, don't worry.Jessica Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09448653568825634030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992542456032126679.post-82757225729903554242008-11-16T07:33:00.002-05:002008-11-16T07:39:13.994-05:00Contest<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://brazenbaretoe.blogspot.com/2008/11/because-im-losing-giveaway.html"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 157px; height: 151px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-W49kZhsCf8/SR-We-6f4gI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/a8ZV7b9seVQ/s200/losing+giveaway.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Go check it out, you just might win!Jessica Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09448653568825634030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992542456032126679.post-1791530085788082202008-11-11T12:50:00.002-05:002008-11-11T12:53:32.772-05:00Pssss....I haven't completely decided, but I'm leaning towards Mode Parisienne. I'm going to try it out for a week and see if I like it better than Banana. If not I may just throw all your votes out and go with Mae Muhler! Take that! *wink*<br /><br />or maybe I'll change my template every month.....now <span style="font-style: italic;">there's</span> an idea!Jessica Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09448653568825634030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992542456032126679.post-71116879169105082432008-11-11T00:50:00.001-05:002008-11-11T12:55:10.732-05:00Tip Jar Tuesday<span style="font-weight: bold;">Tip #8</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Homemade carpet cleaner.</span><br /><br />This is the best carpet cleaner I have ever used. My hunk was surprised how well it works...and that's saying something because he worked as a carpet cleaner for a couple years.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Warning: I must note that this carpet cleaner uses ammonia so keep it out of the reach of your children and pets. </span><br /><br />Here's the recipe:<br /><br />1 tsp. vinegar<br />1/2 tsp. ammonia<br />3 TBL dish soap<br />3/4 c. water.<br /><br />Mix together and put into a foaming container <span style="font-style: italic;">(I use an old hand soap one)</span>. Vacuum surface to be cleaned. Spray foam onto rug, carpet, or upholstery and rub with a soft bristle brush <span style="font-style: italic;">(an old tooth brush works well--The Hunk said I should mention that you shouldn't brush your teeth with this toothbrush after you are done---*rolls eyes*)</span>. Don't let the foam sit for very long or it doesn't work as well, I've found it works best if you squirt it on and then start rubbing immediately--so work a small area at a time.<br /><br />Now for some fun I decided to ruin--er experiment on my own rug so that I could document with photos how this stuff works. So, I took my rug put it on the kitchen floor and opened the fridge. With my Hunk wondering why his wife was going wacky and the Blue-Eyed Boy asking every 30 seconds--"Momma what you dooooing?" I poured juice <span style="font-style: italic;">(not exactly sure what kind it is....grape and something else--apple I think)</span>, hot cocoa, and grape jelly on my rug. I also poured soy milk, but it didn't really show up in the pictures---but I can report that it came out. I only had a moments pause before embarking on this mission just for you my dear readers. The one I was really nervous about was the grape jelly. For this rug is the one by the door, the one everyone sees when they come into our house. I even let everything sit for 10 minutes so that it set in really good before I cleaned it off. I really trust this stuff!<br /><br /><br />Here are my before and after pictures (click to enlarge):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_paEPJtQaSt4/SRm_NcBjWvI/AAAAAAAAAQk/oWrRrv-EtEw/s1600-h/grape+jelly+and+basic.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_paEPJtQaSt4/SRm_NcBjWvI/AAAAAAAAAQk/oWrRrv-EtEw/s320/grape+jelly+and+basic.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267451476768414450" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_paEPJtQaSt4/SRm_M5OuAeI/AAAAAAAAAQc/4QW74l74ICA/s1600-h/cocoa+and+juice.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_paEPJtQaSt4/SRm_M5OuAeI/AAAAAAAAAQc/4QW74l74ICA/s320/cocoa+and+juice.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267451467428397538" border="0" /></a><br /><br />My rug isn't ruined, and it's cleaner in some places--ha! I now need to clean the whole thing.<br /><br />Now it's your turn--try it out! And let me know how it worked for you!<br /><br />Read all <a href="http://bananapeel-jessicalc.blogspot.com/search/label/Tip%20Jar%20Tuesday">Tips. </a>Jessica Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09448653568825634030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992542456032126679.post-52256163597900330512008-11-10T09:42:00.009-05:002008-11-11T12:49:29.335-05:00And the Winner is.......<embed src="http://text.glitterfy.com/show.swf?message=Monica&font=http://text.glitterfy.com/fonts/plainn_lib.swf&glitter=http://text.glitterfy.com/glitters/glitter5.swf&clickURL=http://www.glitterfy.com/&clickLABEL=Glitterfy.com&bevel=1&shadow=1&glow=1&blur=0&fade=0&blink=0&gb=2&ga=0.6&gi=0&gc=16777011&bb=2&bc=16777011&sb=7&sa=0.7&si=0&sc=0&blb=7&ls=0&fontsize=72&num=5" quality="best" wmode="transparent" bgcolor="#ffffff" name="Glitterfy Text" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" align="middle" width="293" height="137"></embed><br /><br />As picked by <a href="http://www.random.org/">Random.org</a>.<br /><br /><h2><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://random.org/integers/?num=1&min=1&max=8&col=1&base=10&format=html&rnd=new">Random Integer Generator</a></span></h2> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">Here are your random numbers:</span></p> <pre class="data"><span style="font-size:85%;">5<br /></span></pre> <p><span style="font-size:85%;">Timestamp: 2008-11-10 15:07:50 UTC</span></p><p><br /></p><p>Congratulations!! I will be emailing you!</p><p>Everyone else: Thanks for voting! Please check your email for your coupon code!<br /></p><p>Toni: I couldn't find your email. Please send me an email at mrsculverATgmailDOTcom.<br /></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Here is the tally:</span><br /></span></p><p>Mode Parisienne: 3<br /></p><p>Banana: 3<br /></p><p>Neoneon: 1<br /></p><p>Shiny: 1<br /></p><p>We have a tie. BAH! Now you all are making ME have to decide! The whole point of this was I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO DECIDE!!! Okay, I'm just kidding I'm not really mad. The funny thing is MY favorite was Mae Muhler---but apparently no one else liked it--HA! Okay so between Mode Parisienne and Banana I would have to pick......I don't know!! I'm going to think about it for a day or two....ya'll will just have to wait and see!</p>Jessica Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09448653568825634030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992542456032126679.post-69304685543227474482008-11-07T00:00:00.003-05:002008-11-10T09:36:26.242-05:00The Great Template Change Extravaganza!<span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >Cast your vote!</span><br /><br />Your choices:<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Day One: <a href="http://emporiumdigital.blogspot.com/2008/07/template-blogger-xml-me-mulher.html">Mae Muhler </a></span><a href="http://emporiumdigital.blogspot.com/2008/07/template-blogger-xml-me-mulher.html"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">by Emporium Digital</span></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_yQzUpgj3Km8/SH-HJYB-EaI/AAAAAAAAAp4/LOnXQDzioDE/s320/template_mae_mulher.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 173px; height: 130px;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_yQzUpgj3Km8/SH-HJYB-EaI/AAAAAAAAAp4/LOnXQDzioDE/s320/template_mae_mulher.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Day Two:<a href="http://blog.randomnessf1.com/2008/07/template-birds-on-wire-convertida.html"> </a></span><a href="http://blog.randomnessf1.com/2008/07/template-birds-on-wire-convertida.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Birds on a Wire designed by Better In Pink<br /></span></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/6726/birdsonawirepreviewkp3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 173px; height: 123px;" src="http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/6726/birdsonawirepreviewkp3.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Day Three: </span><a href="http://bloggertricks.com/2008/05/japanese-fleur-blogger-template-free.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Japenese Fleur</span> Designed by Lorelei,</a> and converted to Blogger by Blogger Templates<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_Toi-rh0Nm00/SD5RpDU416I/AAAAAAAABdk/owW0lMlMvF0/s400/japanese+fleur+shot.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 173px; height: 132px;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_Toi-rh0Nm00/SD5RpDU416I/AAAAAAAABdk/owW0lMlMvF0/s400/japanese+fleur+shot.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Day Four: </span><a href="http://fsabd104.blogspot.com/search/label/blogger%20template"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mode Parisienne</span> designed by Suckmylolly.com<br /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.suckmylolly.com/uploaded_images/Parisienne-778307.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 173px; height: 132px;" src="http://www.suckmylolly.com/uploaded_images/Parisienne-778307.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Day Five: </span><a href="http://www.ourblogtemplates.com/2008/09/blogger-template-shiny.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Shiny</span> by ourblogtemplates.com</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vstR4q94fu8/SNuGGISCqYI/AAAAAAAAB3Y/1Z7TOYKgESs/s400/Shiny.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 173px; height: 217px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vstR4q94fu8/SNuGGISCqYI/AAAAAAAAB3Y/1Z7TOYKgESs/s400/Shiny.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Day Six: </span><a href="http://blogandweb.com/plantillas-blogger/plantilla-blogy-neoneon/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Neoneon</span> by Plantillas Blogger</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://blogandweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/plantilla-blogy-neoneon.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 173px; height: 134px;" src="http://blogandweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/plantilla-blogy-neoneon.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Day Seven: Banana</span>. The one you see currently.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Who Can Vote:</span><br />Anyone in the U.S.A. or Canada <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">(Edited to add: I should have said, ANYONE in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD can vote and receive the coupon code, but only those residents of U.S.A. or Canada will be entered into the Bonus Surprise.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">How to vote:</span><br />Please leave a comment with your template selection. You can use either the day or the name of the template. A Blogger account is not needed. Just make sure you put your email address in your comment. If you do not feel comfortable leaving your email in the comment section you can email me at mrsculverATgmailDOTcom.<br /><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">When can you vote:</span></span></div><div>The voting will start at <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">midnight Friday, November 7th</span>, and will close at <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">10pm on Sunday, November 9th.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">What you will receive:</span><br />I will email you a coupon code redeemable for <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">4</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">0% off any purchase</span> made at my <a href="http://www.hyenacart.com/babeinarms">shop</a>. This coupon will be <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">redeemable until January 31, 2009</span>. And you can use it as many times as you like!<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">BONUS SURPRISE:</span></span><br />ONE voter will be chosen at random to receive a<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"> set of 2 knitted dishcloths </span>in the color of their choice <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">(Shipping included)</span>. Winner will be chosen on <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Monday morning </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">(November 10) </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">around 9-ish</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> (I do have young kids so it may be later than that).</span><br /><div><br />Have fun and thank you for participating!</div></div>Jessica Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09448653568825634030noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992542456032126679.post-71651894869200471882008-11-06T10:59:00.002-05:002008-11-06T11:11:49.480-05:00The Great Template Change Extravaganza Day SevenHere we are, it's the last day of the <a href="http://bananapeel-jessicalc.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Great%20Template%20Change%20Extravaganza">Extravaganza</a>. My Grandma will be happy, she told me she can't figure out my Blog these days since it keeps changing so much! Sorry Grandma! <br /><br />Today's design is hard to describe. It is a template I used <a href="http://bananapeel-jessicalc.blogspot.com/2008/11/great-template-change-extravaganza-day_04.html">the other day</a>, but I have changed it a whole bunch so now it is much different. I'm not sure if that has voided the creative commons license? I don't know. I still want to give them credit because they did all the hard work, I just adjusted some sizing here and there and changed the colors and made my own header image.<br /><br />So, this is <a href="http://www.ourblogtemplates.com/2008/09/blogger-template-shiny.html">Shiny</a> by <a href="http://www.ourbloggertemplates.com">ourbloggertemplates.com</a>, modified by me. I am going to call it Banana just so we all don't get confused, okay?<br /><br />So, come back tomorrow to cast your vote!Jessica Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09448653568825634030noreply@blogger.com1