Live-Blogging?

Yesterday, I had this idea. I was thinking of 'live-blogging' for a couple days. Sort of a 'day in the life' kind of thing, just blogging about what's going on with me that day, checking in with the interpeeps when I walk by the computer...

But. Then I realized how utterly boring that would be for all the readers involved. Considering that the big excitement for this morning was a semi parked on the country road outside our house. The semi driver even came to the house, I figured he was lost & wanted directions, but actually he had a delivery for the camp. So there you go. The most exciting part of my morning was someone making a delivery to camp. I tried to feed Zachary his cereal, but he wouldn't eat it for some reason. Later this morning, he ate and had a dirty diaper. Also, I cleaned the bathrooms and washed the dishes. And worked on my devotional for Hobby Weekend, which is coming up next week.

So after sharing my riveting morning with you all, I think you'll understand why I decided to forego the 'live-blogging' of my day, and instead bore you every few days with the 'more exciting' tidbits of my life.

WFMW: Pot Scrapers

Works-For-Me-Wednesday:

Here is a tool that I use all the time in my kitchen.

It is a garden variety, plastic pot scraper. (On my ivy tablecloth. You're welcome for the expert photography.) You can purchase them at all kinds of different stores, mine I found for about 50 cents at a local Amish 'variety store'. They're also sold with the Pampered Chef stones, as the recommended tool of use for cleaning stoneware. I use it for all kinds of different things.

1) The first thing that I use it for, surprise of surprises, is scraping dishes. It works great for skillets with burned on eggs, burnt on cheese on pizza pans, (anyone noticing a pattern here??? ...no wonder my husband is always saying, "I'll make dinner, you just feed the baby") and melted cheese on plates. And of course I use it to scrape the aforementioned Pampered Chef stoneware, since I use my pizza stone at least once a week.

2) Another thing that I use the scraper for is scraping my sink out... If someone happens to drop some cheese in the sink or something else gets stuck to it, just a quick swipe with the scraper gets rid of it- and since it's plastic, it won't scratch it like a knife would.

3) I think the best use for the pot scraper is to clean off the counter after you make biscuits, cinnamon rolls, or any other kind of dough. You know if you use a wet washcloth or a green scratchy pad to clean your floury, doughy counter, all you get is a bunch of goop all over your counter and you have to keep wiping it over and over. Well, when I get done making biscuits, I just grab the pot scraper, scrape all the remaining dough & flour into a pile, and throw it in the garbage, then wipe off the counter with the wet washcloth. This works really well for laminate countertops & also wood butcher block countertops. I would say the pot scraper is probably the easiest way to clean wood butcher block countertops overall.

Well, I hope all this rambling has been useful to somebody! Head on over to Shannon's place for more Works-for-Me-Wednesday tips!

Quote for Mommies

I found this sweet quote on the website of a lady who's having her twelfth child today. Yes, I said TWELVE. Wow. Anyway...this is a really neat quote to remind us mommies about our God-given purpose in mothering!

Here is another sweet, fragrant mouth to kiss; here are two more feet to make music with their pattering about in my nursery. Here is a soul to train for God, and the body in which it dwells is worth all it will cost, since it is the abode of a kingly tenant. I may see less of friends, but I have gained one dearer than them all, to whom, while I minister in Christ's name, I make a willing sacrifice of what leisure for my own recreation my other darlings have left me. Yes, my precious baby, you are welcome to your mother's heart, welcome to her time, her strength, her health, her tenderest cares, to her life-long prayers! Oh, how rich I am, how truly, how wonderfully blest!

-Elizabeth Prentiss, Stepping Heavenward

I also love the MOPS slogan- Because Mothering Matters. Sometimes when you feel like all you're doing is feeding, diapering & clothing someone...you can feel like that's not as important as a teacher who fills children's minds with knowledge...but it is. It is the beginning of one of the most important influences on that baby's life...and I need to remember that when I'm tempted to be impatient or frustrated! :) Hope this encourages someone today!

Kisses

Time goes SOOO fast around here! I told Joel today, it seems like just a couple weeks ago that Zachary was tiny and screaming all the time, and refusing to eat, and not sleeping at night....and now he's such a big, sweet boy. He has slept through the night FOUR times this week! :) YAY! And all the people said, Amen. He sleeps from about 9:00 or 9:30 pm to 6:30 or 7 am, so that is wonderful. He is just such a happy boy, too. He loves for someone to be there playing with him as often as possible, and he responds to Peek-a-boo now, and giggles at me sometimes when I tell him he's a silly boy or talk in a silly voice. :)

Yesterday Joel called from town and I couldn't get to the phone in time because I was nursing Zachary, but when Zachary heard Joel's voice on the answering machine, he popped right off, and looked around to see where Daddy was! He loves his daddy! :)

He's started giving kisses now, too- when you hold him up to your cheek, he'll open his mouth and 'kiss' you, and it's so fun! Those first few weeks were so difficult, and I just thought, How long will this tough stage last??? But now all of his little responses are so rewarding, and he's so much fun. And I'm thankful we went through those tough times together, because now we appreciate his happy little personality so much more!