Works for Me Wednesday

August 18, 2010August 18, 2010 / Sara Vincent / 2 Comments

It’s another Works for Me Wednesday post!

First, thanks for your grace on these days when I don’t post until late in the evening. With school back in session it is nearly impossible for me to get an early post out if it is not prepared the day before. And since I’ve been encountering some “writer’s block”, prepped posts are hard to come by these days. 🙂

Three Tips for Today:

First, the recipe book:

I used to have a cabinet above my microwave stuffed with magazine clippings and random recipes. It was a mess. A few years back I got this fabulous idea to put all of my random recipes into a 3-ring binder to keep them organized. It’s fabulous! I bought a large binder, some vinyl page protector sleeves, and a set of tabbed dividers.

The categories are: Beverages, Breakfasts, Breads/Muffins/Rolls, Appetizers, Salads/Soups/Sandwiches, Sides and Main Dishes, Desserts, and Kid Stuff (where I stash recipes for things like Peanut Butter play doh. 🙂 )

If a recipe is from a magazine, I typically just tape or paste it to a piece of white printer paper, and slip the page into my vinyl page protector. The page protectors keep the recipe clean and safe from splatters during food prep. I also will print out many recipes now and just slip the paper into the cover. Instant organization. Can’t beat it!

You could go all kinds of crazy with this thing. I opted to tame my OCD and *not* alphabetize the recipes because I knew that this would wreak havoc on my psyche when I went to add recipes later and would then have to move things around. It can make finding a recipe a little slower, but I still manage to find them.

Second, early meal prep:

This is one of those things I sort of *knew* from experience, but was encouraged by a friend to make it a daily habit. And it is fabulous! I don’t know that it will happen every day, but even three times a week could make a radical difference in my afternoon stress levels.

Basically, you have dinner prepped and ready to go by lunch time. It could be a crock pot meal, assembling your casserole and putting it in the fridge for the day, or at the very least prepping all your ingredients for that must-be-made-fresh meal ahead of time.

This is a picture of our dinner which I had assembled and in the fridge by 9:45 this morning.

Third, hang it up!

This is another one of those super-simple things I stumbled across today and will make a new habit. I get tired of having to look over my mixing bowls to see my recipe or constantly moving it out of the way. So, today I taped it to the back splash. Perfect! Eye-level and out of harm’s way!

For more great ideas, head on over to We are THAT Family by clicking the button below. And have a fabulous Wednesday!

Endings and Beginnings

August 17, 2010September 18, 2010 / Sara Vincent / Leave a comment

Tonight the routine begins again. Back to twice a week ballet and schedules that must be kept and ordering my days around others’ commitments. It is the ending of summer and freedom and laziness and the beginning of new goals and challenges and dreams. This one has hope of going “on pointe” this fall and others have hopes of their own. Here’s to a year of growth and hardship and wonder and beauty. May we all reflect His Son even more when we welcome summer again.

“Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.”

~ Joshua 21:45

Afternoon Reflections

August 16, 2010 / Sara Vincent / Leave a comment

It’s afternoon on a Monday. School is finished for the day and children are tucked away for an hour of quiet. I settle in at the kitchen work station to perform a few quotidian mysteries. But first I do my maternal soul work and count the blessings of the week past.

0733. a dog that didn’t fit but was desperately loved

0734. doggie “grandparents” that loved her even more

0735. being really impressed with our vet

0736. days and weeks that get all interrupted

0737. sunshine and water

0738. a leotard that fits!

0739. the weekend and friends to share it with

0740. small group gatherings and good conversation

But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the Lord!”

~Psalm 40:16

May your Monday be filled with rejoicing and gladness, for truly, “Great is the Lord!”

Week in Review

August 13, 2010August 13, 2010 / Sara Vincent / 2 Comments

I remained silent yesterday in posting as it was a day with not much good to say. Not a bad day, just a bad mood and a bad back that left this mama grumpy and short tempered. Add in another day with a heat index of 110+….. It was best to just remain silent.

About lunchtime the dog did something humorous and I laughed in spite of myself. It felt good and I realized it had been a while since I had done that. I doubt that I should let myself go so long without smiling or laughing. (My husband is nodding his head as he reads this.)

In spite of all its ups and downs and interruptions, it was a good week, because life is a gift and God doesn’t give bad gifts.

We went to the dentist

And found out Emma needed a filling replaced.

We served others

And bought groceries

And did school.

Our oldest lost her first dog to xylitol poisoning.

**Please keep chewing gum away from your pets.**

I discovered a family of flies living in the basement.

And immediately panicked.

We bug bombed the house.

Emma got her filling replaced

And we tried to find ways to stay out of the house for four and half hours in 105 degree heat.

We cleaned the house

And finished off the school week.

I read Ann’s blog

And decided that regardless of how bad I may feel, I needed to gather up the fleeting moments of summer and take them to the lake beach.

The sun and the sand worked their God-given magic and my children spilled their energy and I laid down my burdens and we enjoyed just being.

The weekend awaits. I must steal away and find time somehow to string together a lifestyle and ideals into thoughts and words that encourage and strengthen. And then I hope to steal more moments of time with my husband and my children. Because summer is fleeing away. I always welcome the return of routine and schedule and order when fall comes (and yes, this year at least, temps back down in the double-digits). But I always mourn the end of summer: the freedom, the warmth, the slowness. But it is the coming and going of the seasons of time and of life that teach us to appreciate them all for what they are, unique blessings from the heavenly Father’s hand. I will see you on Monday when we count them again.

Have a blessed weekend, friends!

By His Grace ~

~ Sara

Twisted Tuesday and Works for Me Wednesday

August 11, 2010August 11, 2010 / Sara Vincent / 1 Comment

This has been kind of an odd, topsy-turvy sort of day. I feel all kinds of turned around. Today will be a Works for Me Wednesday post (even though it’s Tuesday as I’m writing, you won’t see it until Wednesday! 😉 ). Scroll on down if you don’t want the details on our twisted Tuesday.

We rose early to serve breakfast. Straight from there we went to get groceries. By 10:30 in the morning we were home, unloading a week’s worth of groceries for six people. It felt like it was about three in the afternoon. 😛

The groceries had to be put away and school still had to be done. The oldest was going out with my mother-in-law for her (Grace’s) birthday lunch.

I also had to break the news to Grace that her sweet little dog had died this morning. We both cried. Then we cleaned a bit. Then we cried some more.

I went down to the basement to put some groceries away and saw flies. Too many flies. My personal (local) friends that read this will remember our first experience with flies in this house. Apparently it was like something out of Ammityville Horror. I’ve never seen the movie, but that’s what I was told. We had a rotting mouse carcass under some shelves, but didn’t find that until weeks after the fly incident. Literally hundreds of flies. To this day I have a visceral reaction to flies in the house. We have no idea what could be attracting the flies or where those bats of late have come from, but we have a bad feeling they’re related.

I keep trying to start dinner and keep getting distracted by things like Facebook, laundry, blogging, and children wandering in and out of the kitchen.

Anyway, on to those Works for Me Wednesday thoughts….

1. Cleaning the Microwave

Ever have trouble with your microwave becoming caked with gunk? The first ten years of our marriage I tried several different ways of cleaning out the microwave and nothing ever really cut it once the stuff was really baked on. That is until I was researching a different issue (how to remove the smell of cat urine from a mattress – the culprit has been banished, though I do feel sorry for her out there). I discovered vinegar – wonder of wonders! Fill a small bowl (cereal size will do) with equal parts water and white vinegar. Heat until boiling (about two minutes in my microwave). Remove bowl and wipe down the inside of the microwave with a dry cloth. Voila! Clean microwave! If your unit is particularly dirty, it may take a time or two. Beware of strong fumes, btw. 🙂

2. Kids Chores

Ok, I don’t know why I didn’t come up with this one sooner, but it just came to me yesterday and it worked so well, it’s going to become a habit!

Let me begin by saying that I have a love/hate relationship with chore charts. I have used them many times in the past, but have noticed that after a while two things happen: A. the children stop “seeing” them and resume not doing their chores. and B. if a particular chore is requested of them that is *not* on their chart they act appalled that you would ask them to stoop to such depths as doing *someone else’s* chore. Or maybe that’s just our children. Ahem.

So, back to my new idea. Yesterday I was writing the date on the white board in our school/dining room in an effort to avoid answering at least seven times that day the question, “Mom, what day is it?”. That date sat so lonely at the top of the board that I wondered what to do with the rest of the space. I believe the Holy Spirit spoke to me and told me to make a list of chores that needed to be done that day and assign a child to each one. (Okay, maybe it wasn’t the Holy Spirit. But who’s to say it wasn’t? I firmly believe the Lord is present in the mundane things of life.) This would prevent me arbitrarily figuring out each morning who was on dishes and cat feeding and plant watering and so on. Then, when a chore is finished it can be crossed out and the next day I still know who did what and can assign the chore to someone else as needed.

This idea may not be for everyone, but it worked for me!

What about you? What’s an idea that’s worked for you?

Which Half?

August 10, 2010August 9, 2010 / Sara Vincent / Leave a comment

Last week I started reading what may be my all-time favorite book to the girls – Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. The memories I have reading that book over and over and over again. *sigh*

At one point in the first few chapters there is mention of a mule. Ellie interrupts my reading, “Excuse me, Mommy, what is a mule?” “It’s half horse, half donkey, Ellie.” “What half do you think is the horse and what half do you think is the donkey, Mommy?” Using every ounce of restraint I have, I respond, “I don’t know, Ellie. What do you think?” Very serious now, she replied, “I think the front half is the horse and the back half is the donkey.”

That’s my girl.

Hearing the Silence

August 9, 2010August 9, 2010 / Sara Vincent / 1 Comment

I put the youngest to bed. My beloved and the other three are at the lake for his youngest brother’s baptism. I grab the iPad and a beverage and sink into a chair to read. Thirty minutes pass. My mind grows tired. I consider turning on the television to pass the time until they return. Then I pause and I hear it. Silence. I hear nothing but the locusts outside and the fan blowing across the room. How rare, how beautiful, to be in my own home in the quiet. I give thanks for it.

0722. to be rescued from the drowning

0723. taking a rain check on a running date

0724. bringing the schedule back under control

0725. my very first ten year old

0726. generous sisters

0727. obeying the Spirit and going down the slide with my daughters

0728. the five meter board

0729. three hours of quiet reading for children

0730. getting the energy reigned in

0731. reluctant reader who finally catches that “bug”

0732. silence

May you find a quiet place today and enjoy the silence.

~ Sara

Week In Review + Links Worth a Click

August 6, 2010August 5, 2010 / Sara Vincent / Leave a comment

With a few more photos from July 4th (well, technically July 5th, since we got rained out on the 4th)….

This week we had yet another bat in our basement. Seriously? Seriously. This is our third bat in eight months. It is also our third bat in eleven years of marriage and the third indoor bat I’ve experienced in 32 years of life. And what on earth are they doing in the basement? I’m seriously baffled. More bizarre, this one was on the floor dead. At least I didn’t have to listen to it cry as Matt bludgeoned it with a tennis racket. Not that we have experience with that or anything. 😮

Coco was *not* a fan of the fireworks.

We worked our way through our second week of school! This week ran like a well-oiled machine. It was lovely and I’m thankful for it. Next week we add in the last of our home-based subjects – science, writing, geography, and latin. Things could get a little dicey around here for a few days. 😛

Ellie trying her hand at pyrotechnics

We celebrated the tenth birthday of our oldest child. Surreal. That’s all there is to it. I had a passing thought at one point that went like this “Well, in six years she’ll understand (such and such about driving)…” and then I thought, “In SIX YEARS!!!” And I considered going back to bed for a very long time.

Chandler's turn - and more of the spastic dog

In spite of a sickly stomach, I had a good run on Wednesday. I’m thankful for my running partners and the deepened friendships that have resulted from sweating and gasping for breath and feeling like we’re going to puke together.

What could be more fun than walking through a smoke bomb?

I took two girls to the dentist this week for their regular exams. Thankfully, they both passed. 🙂 Ellie had her first turn in “the chair”. She felt like a rock star, I think. Maybe it was the sunglasses.

Not from July 4th - Ellie chillaxin' in the dentist's chair

I’ve been reading Radical by David Platt. That combined with other books I’ve read in the past twelve months and just general stirrings are causing some discomfort in my spirit. I’m still praying about what it all means and what I’m supposed to do in response…I’m sure I’ll post more on that soon enough.

Back to July 4th - Everyone had to get in on the fun

There have been some great posts on other sites this week. Won’t you take a look?

Let Them Have You – Sarah Markley – I’m proud of myself….I did this on Tuesday night at the pool. My goal when swimming is always to be firmly planted on a lounge chair. Best case, I might stick my feet in, but I’m definitely not putting my face in the water. But I decided to embrace “yes” that night when I was asked to go down a slide (it might also have been the fact that it was 100 degrees at 7 pm) with my girls. Then I got all crazy and jumped off the 5 meter board and was pretty sure I was going to die. 🙂

It Feels Like Redemption – Kristen Welch – She articulates some of those uncomfortable thoughts I’ve been having.

Wrecked – Sarah Markley – More of those uncomfortable thoughts…

Elizabeth Esther’s interesting response to Proposition 8. I’m not sure yet how I feel about this, but it’s though-provoking nonetheless.

Six Hundred – Ali C. – you can pray for someone in Africa in a specific and necessary way. An inexpensive, yet PRICELESS, way to touch the life of someone halfway around the world.

That’s it for me. Have an amazing weekend, friends. Seek God, glorify Him, and enjoy Him this weekend! See you on Monday when we get to count the blessings once again.

For His Glory ~

~ Sara

Strange Products….

August 5, 2010August 2, 2010 / Sara Vincent / Leave a comment

Can someone please tell me why we need this?

It’s a touch-less soap dispenser. My girls are convinced we need one. Because the soap dispenser is germ-y. But you’re going to wash your hands…. I respond. Yeah, but the pump in the bathroom gets so dirty from everyone’s hands, they chirp. But you’re going to wash your hands, I respond again. And this is in our bathroom. In our home. We all share germs as it is. What does it matter if the soap dispenser has germs on it. The soap dispenser that you are using to dispense soap into the hands that you are going to proceed to wash said soap (and germs) off of.

Does anyone else see how silly this product is? Or is it just me?

Random Wednesday….

August 4, 2010September 18, 2010 / Sara Vincent / Leave a comment

….when I write about whatever pops into my head and throw in some pictures just for kicks. Here we go….

Coco's First Parade

Lined up and ready for a parade!

I have a definite limit on how many days in a row I can leave my house and still function well. I think I determined last week that that number is six. If you ask me to leave for the seventh day in a row, a meltdown is likely to ensue. Followed by gross schedule changes and hermit-like tendencies for a minimum of 24 to 48 hours. I’m better now.

Ellie & Her Flag

An ironic encounter - skinny, hairless, too long legs meets fat, furry, too short legs.

Birthdays cause a whirlwind of energy in our home. Of course, so does someone ringing the doorbell, the UPS man delivering a package, the phone ringing, the dog barking… I live in a whirlwind of energy. For a low-key, practically only-child, it’s exhausting. This is why I drink so much coffee.

A firecracker in her own right

Standing for the Star Spangled Banner

I’m embellishing this post with pictures from July 4th because I haven’t posted them yet. It’s my blog. I can do that. Even if it is August now. 🙂

Why would you do this to your dog?

Classic Americana

It’s been an amazingly hot summer. I’m a hot weather girl, but even I am about ready to admit that I’m ready for some cooler weather. I’m not admitting that yet, but I’m getting close. Multiple days of temps at or near 100 with heat indices of 105-115 tests even the most avid warm-weather-lover. It was actually hotter here yesterday than in Phoenix. I’m holding fast to my view that this is still preferable to February weather, but I concede that it.is.hot.

Not only do I know him - I'm related to him. Yikes.

Nothing says "Americana" like the Ranchero with a blow-up Uncle Sam in back!

I’m not even sure why I buy grapes and apples in the summer. Those “ordinary” fruits just can’t compete with the cantaloupe, blueberries, cherries, peaches, watermelon, and pineapple that reside in the fridge during the warmer months. I feel kind of bad for them, especially when they rot and I watch myself throw all that money away.