Rockin Rock Candy

Made rock candy with the boys. This is one of there favorite things to make. Granted... I do most of the work since it is boiling and tying and what not...they love the final outcome! Here is my recipe for the worlds most rockin rock candy!!!

4 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
mason jar
cotton yarn
pencil or sticks

Boil the 2 cups of water, while pouring add in a bit of sugar at a time from the original 4 cups of sugar. Add enough to stir in until fully dissolved then add a bit more. Continue till all the 4 cups are dissolved. Turn burner off, remove from heat. Let cool for 15 minutes at room temperature. Return pan to burner, bring to boil. Add remainder 1 cup of sugar a bit at a time until fully dissolved. Let sit 10 minutes. Pour into a wide mouth mason jar. Wet the cotton strings and dip them in the sugar. Tie strings to pencil and drape them into sugar water mixture. Prop pencil across top of jar. Wait 5-7 days. My boys love watching every day to see more and more sugar crystals grow!!! You can add flavoring oil or food coloring if you want, just be sure to do it right after you are done with the final boiling.

Starting tomatoes!

Trying to get things rolling for the garden this year. I'm running a bit behind, but not too bad! I still have to preseed spearmint, and cauliflower. The rest of my herbs and veggies can be sewn directly into the garden when the ground thaws. Well, if it ever thaws, I personally think we are in our next ice age here in New York State!! Here are some pics of 2 of my boys helping with tomato seeds:) They are all very excited this time of year. They love helping in the garden, and they love the harvest of their hard work!!!

Sock Monkey and Hand Spun Alpaca Yarn!

Been working my tail off to get my son Joseph's sock monkey done. Finally got it knit using KnitPicks Stroll Sock Yarn on size 1 needles. I must admit it was my first sock monkey and I probably should have followed a pattern. I was determined however once I started to make my own no matter how many times I had to tink and work my own pattern. Once I was finished he picked out some sport weight acrylic leftover yarn from my stash for the sweater and shorts. After all was said and done, I realized I was a crappy embroiderer!!! Oh how I tried to give that sock monkey a kiss on the hiney and eyes and lips...to no avail!!! I ended up asking for suggestions and got a really great one...I used felt for the eyes and nose and it looks so adorable!!! It is about 15 inches long all together.

I have also been working on 2 huge batts of alpaca roving...on my spindle. I had a dark grey and a light grey. My original intention was to spin them, ply the 2 colors together and knit a pair of diaper soakers for my 4 month old son Joshua. This project has also proven to take over a month and that is just to get the yarn spun!!! I forget just how little time I have to do my crafts anymore with 5 children, school and a household to take care of!!! Last night my youngest went to sleep a bit earlier than normal and since I already had all my housework and dishes done I sat down and spun for 4 hours finishing the remainder of the 2 batts. I was so happy!!! I have decided against plying them together, instead I am going to knit with the single ply and felt them. I cannot remember for the life of me where I got this particular alpaca from and I wish I remembered the name of the place so I could link to them here... I can however link the awesome Grandeur Spindle from Yorkieslave on Etsy.

Now....... wonder how long it will take me to actually find time to get the soakers knit!!!

A Boys Life...

This is a picture of my 11 year old. In my home we have 2 computers, (one of them being a laptop), 3 tvs, an XBox 360,  a Wii, a PS2, 3 Gameboy Advances, a Nintendo DS, 3 other high technical kind of Gameboy something or another, to say the least we are not lacking in the electronics department... I have 5 boys, so there is always at least one boy on an electronic. Sometimes more than one boy and they are sharing, well, tolerating, anyhow. so....... when I walked in my kitchen and caught my 11 year old son on the laptop AND the DS, I had to laugh and snap a picture. I'm beginning to worry!!!

Bubble Wrap

Seriously...who doesn't love to pop BUBBLE WRAP??? It is the most fun thing in the world to do. Whenever I get some in the mail, my kids like to lay the pieces on the floor and jump on it, popping multiple bubbles at once to ensure the loudest noise possible. THIS site lets you do just that without having to wait for the mail to get here to play with your new toy! Enjoy!!!

Booze makes you smarter.......

And HERE is proof!!! I have this from a very very reliable EXPERT I knew I was doing something right!!!

So, as you can see, drinking alcohol actually kills off the slower brain cells, leaving the more intelligent brain cells, and walla...you are one smart cookie!!!

10 Years From Now

I read THIS with tears in my eyes. It is so true, so true. As a mother of 5 boys, I am constantly trying to keep up with house work, laundry, cooking, dishes and baths. Thats not even mentioning the yard work, my homework, kids homework, and daily(minutly) squabbles I am having to break up. To say the least, I am a busy mother. In 10 years from now, however, it wont matter if my dishes were done directly after dinner. It wont matter if I vacuumed every day. It wont matter that I lost the argument every day for my children to actually keep sheets on their beds. It simply wont matter. What will matter most is the game nights we have together, the dinners I force them to sit down at the table and be sociable with each other, the walks we take, the love we shared. I am going to try to rememebr this more often when I get so upset that my house never stays clean for more than a minute, that the diaper bucket is full of dirty diapers the same day I have washed them, that the boys refuse to keep sheets on their beds. I will make a pact with myself right now, that in 10 years...it will not matter...will you make that pact with me??? Read THIS BLOG post. It really pulls at the heart strings and puts a reminder in this mommas life!!! Will you let it make a difference with yours???

Pacific Trash flow

THIS is disturbing to say the least!!! I understand that we have a trash problem and that the Earths POPULATION is growing more and more every day. This trash flow, however, is a serious problem for our future residency here on Earth. This island of trash is twice the size of Texas, and growing larger and larger every year.

Shoe Show Sunday!!!

Shoe Show Sunday!!! Not only is today Shoe Show Sunday, but its also the First Day Of Spring! What better way to celebrate this, my favorite season, than with eye gawking at an awesome baby pink pair of strappy pink heels by Pleaser?

Not only are they too hot to trot for any Spring outfit, they would also be perfect for an Easter outfit!!! I think I have every color out there in a pair of shoes other than baby pink. These are definitely going on my "wanted" list!!!

Security Breach!!!

My 9 year old came home with this from his fathers house this weekend. Personally I think this is an excellent imaginative use of a Sharpie. I certainly hope it helps to keep his brothers out. I did, however, suggest a padlock:)








                                                          

I am 18 years old.......

on Mars. Ran across THIS uber cool website. It displays exactly how old you are on other planets in the solar system basing off how many times they rotate around the sun. I have been lying about my age for years. Or have I? To bad on Venus I am 54!!! How old are you when your feet aren't placed firmly on Earth???

Astonishing!!!!!!!

So...I HATE snow...that is no big secret. I am a Southern girl stuck in a Northern world. I whine and complain all winter long until Spring. I ran across a site tonight that made me appreciate this cold nasty wet stuff just a bit more. I knew no snowflake was like another, and I knew that close up they are very pretty. What I didn't know is magnified many many times, the intricate detail is astounding!!! Take a look for yourself... Pictures

                                                                         

The Mayonnaise Jar

Family...children...friends...are more important than any house payment, car payment, or job will ever be. when my van died 3 weeks ago, I still had the love of my children. When I lost my job because my van died...when I came home I still had the love of my children. We have to move very very soon...again...I still have the love of my children. Why? Why do my children love me unconditionally and KNOW even when things are so rough that everything will be ok? Because I have always made it my job to make sure they knew they were first, no matter how many bills had to be paid...they came first. No matter how much housework I had to do...they came first. My children know without question they are first in my life...period... and this article has always been one of my favorites. Read it...let it sink in... think of the things you do that could involve your children...yes it is true we have to work hard to raise them. Yes it is true we have to have our own personal time. This is not debating that. I am telling you to remember to not let IT get in the way of raising your children, of laughing with friends, of living life...not watching life pass you by so you can say your car is prettier than the Jones's...

                                                                                  The Mayonnaise Jar...

5 Foods you should grown in your back yard...

Hopefully sometime soon I will finally be someplace I can actually have my own garden again...it has really been a rough few years of having to buy my vegetables rather than grow them. Here is an excellent article on what people, such as myself, with small or limited space, can still do to grow the basics...TLC  has a great article on growing 5 important money savers and health builders. Take a few minutes to check it out, then implement it into your life!!!

Here are the vegetables they suggest:
1: Basil
2: Apples (yes, apples, from a tree...and they really make it sound easy I promise!)
3: Tomatoes
4: Leafy greens (such as lettuce or spinach)
5: Cucumbers

   I would also like to suggest a flower bed full of strawberries. What would be better on a hot summer night than fresh strawberries? You can grow them with much the same care you would normally give to a flower bed, or a flower box.  now go out and GROW SOMETHING!!!

Man Candy and Eye Shadow...

I love shopping at small local and or small businesses. Most of you know that my favorite place to shop online for many of my finds are found on ETSY. I got 2 orders in the mail this past week and I absolutely adore both of them!!! Lets start with something girly... I needed new eyeshadow, and I love mineral loose eye make up. I have a hard time finding colors that actually show on my eyes, many of which I have bought in the past now sit in a drawer in my bathroom unused because the color isn't what I expected, or they simply don't show up once applied to my eyes. I ordered 2 eye shadows from Carina Dolci and ran to the bathroom mirror to apply. LOVE IT!!!

What else did I get in the mail? I ordered a 4 ounce roving of the most scrumptious merino and silk blend!!! As a matter of fact, I had seen this in particular blend and couldn't remember who had it...the hunt was on!! I thought in the back of my mind it was CopperPot Woolies but couldn't be sure. I emailed them on ETSY and it was them!!! I was so happy they could custom make my order for me!!! Low and behold.......

Moral of my ramblings???????? Well, after having to sport money for 5 kids shoes last week, it was nice to actually get something for momma:) What momma doesn't love opening the mailbox and finding new eyeshadow and ManCandy in their mailbox???

peaceful parenting: Brian Morris & His Circumfetish Push to Cut The Wo...

peaceful parenting: Brian Morris & His Circumfetish Push to Cut The Wo...: "Many of you are familiar with Brian Morris. He is a fanatical pro-cutting man with a circumfetish like no other. He and his close companion..."

Shoe Show Sunday!!!

So, keeping the tradition of Shoe Show Sunday...here is todays most awesome pair of shoes... The best part about these shoes??? I own them:) Havent had a chance to wear them, as New Yorks weather is disgusting 10 months out of the year. Im waiting for summer to hit so there is no snow or mud to ruin them. Behold.......the awesomeness.......

I should be ashamed of myself for the addiction I have.......my name is Nicole...and Im an addict.......

So, had a crazy dream last night about my favorite next husband...

Those who know me well know that I have a serious "thing"  for Dr. Daniel Jackson from Stargate SG-1.

He is probably the hottest nerd that ever flashed across my TV screen, and my heart!!! I have watched almost all the episodes but last week decided to use my Netflicks to start watching it from series one all the way to thee end. Anyone who has watched this show knows I have had to watch this man die ohhhhhh about 7 times now, and yes it startles me every time!!! Last night, my mind took over and made up its own little dream about him!!! I dreamt that he had died, and ascended again, but instead of coming back in his normal hot human form like every other time, he came back as a baby, myself and the rest of SG-1 (ummmmmm, ok?) didn't know who the baby was we had found. The next day the baby was older, about 5, then we realized who it was........ then of course I woke up:(


The moral of this wild and crazy overly intimate confession? Yeah, need to take a break from Stargate!!! I have been saying for years he is my future husband...oddly I even told my now ex husband this while we were actually married.

Stunning pictures of space... a must see!!!

Our Galaxy

My mother sent me this in an email. It is stunning and breathtaking!!!Had to do some nifty work to get blogger to accept  power point display. click the link, it will take you to where I had to upload it to.

The medical scam of circumcision.......Templelawn Blog

The truth,,,

Awesome Facebook post this evening!!!

So so true. It is worded awesomely!!!
As Nature Intended!

"I don't think people understand what "personal choice" means. Personal choice means the choice belongs to the person the choice affects. Infant circumcision is not a personal choice! You cannot call circumcising your son a personal choice because you forced your choice on your child. The child didn't get a choice!" ~Christina King

Intruder breaks into home, gets scared and calls 911!!!!!!!

Classic story...loving family turns in for night, locks doors, snuggles up safe and sound... but wait!!! A burglar breaks in!!! Fearing for his life, (the  burglar!!!) he calls 911 because he feels threatened by the homeowners!!! Ok, so he was actually taking a shower when they returned home...but you get the jist of it!
Ironic Story here

Majority of Whooping Cough victims were vaccinated.......

So why continue to pump people full of chemicals and toxins? Oh yeah, for a profit!!!


If we don't tell the general public, who will???

Something to consider.......

Wish the US would puts its peoples health over profits such as Germany has........

Shoe Show Sunday!

I have a serious addiction to shoes. I thought, being the sharing person that I am, that sharing my shoe obsession with the rest of the world on Sundays was in fact the most humane thing to do... so, here is  to a start of a new tradition.......Shoe Show Sunday. Lets start this tradition off with a bang!!!

   First on the menu: These hot red with white polka dot beauties!!!

Drooling over these!!! Someday, when I am rich and famous, and/or have a sugar daddy, I am going to get these shoes!!! Until then... I must continue to look at the pic, and wipe the drool off of my keyboard.......