A funny ending to a not so funny beginning

What is a mama suppose to do?!?!

I am just going to start off and say it.... 

I was with OUT a toilet for 18 hours! From late Tuesday evening till Wednesday afternoon. And of course we (at this point in time) only have the one. What is a mama suppose to do?!?!

*Called the Husband - who was 5+ hours away, but told me what to do

*Watched a "how to" video on Youtube so I knew how to do what the husband told me to do

*Used what husband told me to use; how the video showed me to use it

*Considered calling plumber $$$

*Gave up and went to the lake :)

Then I got back from lake and called father who came over and got it unplugged!!!

Who of course, made the sly comment, 

"Well that took half an hour at $120 per hour with a minimum of an hour."

FUNNY!

The tools that were used got placed in the bathtub. GROSS! And of course, tonight, was bath night. I could have and did clean half the tub. I also, cleaned some of the "tools" that were used - plunger, bucket, toilet brush, and the trash can (because I was doing everything else, why not).  I wanted to allow these items to dry before I cleaned the other half of the tub. Well bath time rolled around and these were not dry when the kids were ready, so the following happened :) like I said "What is a mama suppose to do?"

Sink bath for All!

 Little guy thinking this is odd and the bubbles taste ok

smiles

Mr.Mans turn

bubble face

 And because I figured he was in there might as well put him to work

Aby also hopped in there. She had to cross her legs and in her words "I have to cross dem Eli, cause I too big....Cris Cross apple sauce"

Toilet got unplugged and cleaned, dishes got done, kids got cleaned, and some water went on the floor, so that got washed as well.

Funny end to a not so funny beginning

-Young Schumom

Shadow boxes preview

In the process of making 3 of these!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/erikaoline/6124646145/in/photostream/lightbox/

I found mine at a local craft store in my home town.

 They are 12x12 and were $5.99 each and 25% off that.

Since the ones I have are bigger, I am going to include each child's going home outfit and possible a wood initial, maybe even an ultrasound picture. I love to scrapbook, so this is basically like making a page and then framing it. 

Updates to follow!

-young schumom

Garage Sale finds

Stool make over

Found this gem at a Sale this past weekend for $3. I had no idea what I needed it for, but had this feeling if I left it there, I would regret it!

It was painted that green when I found/saved it. I liked the color. I lightly sanded it, taking off the loose paint and dirt.

The lines/cracks in the piece are beautiful. They tell a story of its life.

 The middle had some water damage to it. I sanded it down to get rid of the "bump". I then cleaned it off, stained it using Min-wax stain, let dry and then put a protective coat on top.

And the outcome.... AMAZING!

 I LOVE how the wood darkened up. 

 I have her sitting in my back yard by a pine tree with an old metal wheel (I found at my parent's farm) and an old ladder. I plan on putting a plant on top her next spring summer, brought out a little color. Big reveal next summer as it is too cold to go back there now :)

Smiling even though it is cool out
- young schumom

Flag inspired Strawberries

photo & inspiration from  http://bakingbites.com

YES, I DID make these with 3 kids running laps around me. I was SO impressed with myself, and I thought they were rather good. Unlike my brother's girlfriend, who I quote said, “Whats with this white cream?!?!” I sarcastically said, “Its White-Chocolate, and I made em!”

Here is what you need to make these “Flag inspired strawberries”

Picture includes ingredients for
-Flag Inspired Strawberries
-Star Spangled Rice Krispy treats
- Red, White, & Blue Pretzel Rods

 FOOD-
White Chocolate (almond bark)
Strawberries
Blue sugar sprinkles (found mine at Walmart for .98)

HOUSE HOLD ITEMS-
Wax paper
cookie sheet
soup pan
container

I cut up my chocolate and put into the soup pan and heated on the oven (remember you can ALWAYS add more). I knew I was going to be “slow” at this that is why I did this on the stove compared to using a microwave. In the mean time, put some wax paper on the cookie sheet, and place sprinkles in  a container that will allow the strawberry to roll. I cleaned the strawberries  in my sink with this clever idea

fill sink with water, add 1 Cup vinegar, mix together. Add all fruit and soak for 10 minutes.

 Let Strawberries dry (or chocolate won't stick – made that mistake) Heat Chocolate till it is creamy.

Handsome helper

Grab Strawberry stem and dip ¾ way into chocolate. Allow extra chocolate to drip off. Then roll in sprinkles. Set on wax paper.

When done, place in fridge to allow chocolate to set and harden. DONE! So yummy!

Hope this will be enjoyed by all.

-young schumom

Happy 4th 2012

4th of July seems to be the best inspired time to restart this blog! I will be posting some yummy treats I made in the upcoming days. Also, thanks to Pinterest I will be posting some GREAT, EASY, FAMILY FRIENDLY recipes. I know they are good, because my husband requests them :)

HAPPY 4th OF JULY BLOG LAND!

-young Schumom

The start to #3

How it all started-

After having our last child who weighed a little over 9 pounds, I thought there was no way I would ever be able to go through that pain again. I remember asking god to just “take me” because the pain was unbearable. Partly because he was SO big and that he was ready to come out and the nurses told me to STOP pushing because my doctor hadn't arrived yet. I just kept think, “Seriously, we can not wait!” If you have never had a child vaginal or a child that weighed as much as my son did then you know what pain I am referring to When my Doctor finally did arrive (which was only minutes from when they called him) I started pushing. My husband was holding one of my legs as he counted and a nurse was holding the other. All of a sudden one of the head nurses that was also in the room, quickly pushed my husband out of the way, started pushing on my belly, all while my doctor was saying, ”We may need more help in here.” His shoulders were so big that they thought he may need more hands to get through the birth canal. YICKS!. After my perfectly healthy baby boy was born into this world I looked at his father and said this will pro bally be our last one. Even though more kids were once in the cards.

Now after that all went down, I decided against any form of birth control. I feel that if we were to get blessed with another child then it would be our path of life. I am a stay at home mom, of two, while my husband works road construction. Financially, we are doing ok. Some weeks we live pay check to pay check, but I always feel lucky that we have food on the table and a roof over our heads while there are some families who aren't as lucky. In our younger days we did rack up a little dept. And currently we just bought a new house, and have 2 student loans due on top of everything else. I feel lucky if there is $3.10 left in the checking account after everything is paid for. Also, with my husband working road construction he is gone all week long. When he is home on the weekends he likes to go hunting and fishing. Which I understand, he works all week long and deserves some free time. My argument is that he kids would also like to see him. Our relationship struggles a bit with the fact we can not see eye to eye in this area. Therefore, having another child might be a little difficult for us. But just like anything, something we could get use to. Which is a good thing, because on January 7^th @ 1:18pm I took a home pregnancy test after being 4 days late, and it was positive.

I decided to change the format of my blog, and start taking things day by day. I would write about my struggles with being a single mom (during the summer) of 2 with one on the way. I figured that this would be a nice thing for me and my kids to look back on when we all get a little older. Even though I didn't do anything like this (even though I though it would be fun, just never started) for my first 2, I though I would be able to go and compare this pregnancy to theirs. Let the fun times begin!

1 month, 1 day along-

I have been late before, 2 days... 4 days, and took pregnancy tests with them all being negative. I always had that “What if” feeling, but knew that when I was pregnant I would know for sure. I feel that it is sometimes a waste of money to buy a pregnancy test. I mean they are $6 bucks, and if it is negative a waste of money (for me). The funny thing was, I would take the test, it would be negative and the next day I would get my period, waste. Same story every time. But this time I felt different. I felt that I didn't need to waste my money, because it would be positive.

I had some errands to run, and my husband stayed home with the kids. I felt this would be the prefect time to get a test. When I was about to walk down the isle there was an employ blocking my way. And of course for some reason, I always feel weird walking down “that” isle, like I am the only one and everyone is going to be looking at me. Well anyways, she was still down there, so I decided to skip it, Gods way of telling me I didn't need one. Well a couple days later I found myself in “that” isle once again. Bought the test, went home, and low and be hold just like I thought, it was positive! Now the ride begins, once again!

SEASON'S GREETINGS

Another year has almost come to a close once again, and I ask myself, “Where has all the time gone”? I feel that in a blink of the eye, we find yourselves entering a new year. My children are no longer babies, and Joey's gray hair is getting much more noticeable. We have gone through way too much this year, just like any other year, which reminds me that this will be the first edition of my Christmas letter, therefore I need to go back to get everyone caught up in the Schuman household.

Abygehl- (Ms. Schuman) will turn 3 on the 7^th of December. She believes she is wiser beyond her years, as to when asked how old she will be, she replies “5”. She started potty training and although we haven't yet figured it out, I do see the light at the end of the tunnel. Aby is also a VERY big help around the house, whether it be picking up a mess or making one. She is always willing to lend a hand. I recently enrolled her in ECFE classes, which she loves! She plays, sings, and runs around with kids her own age. Aby enjoys her brother (most days), Dora, her dolls, dresses, baking and being outside. It is fun to have someone for both Joey and I to shop with as she likes clothing and Fleet Farm.

Elijah- (Mr. Man) runs the show around here. He started walking when he was 10 months old, which made me nervous, but he needed a way to catch his sister, and now the two of them run laps around me. He turned 1 on the 6^th of October, and continues to grow and learn. Along with Aby, I also enrolled him in ECFE classes. He gets the chance to run around and make friends, but he mostly cares what he can fit into his mouth. Last week it was a paint brush with green paint on it. Boys will be Boys, which I am finding out the hard way. He LOVES his sister, trucks, climbing on everything and being outside. The boy never seems to walk but runs everywhere he possibly can. He is a joy to have around!

Joseph- currently is still working with H&R construction out of Dalton. He continues to very much enjoys fishing and hunting. He was even lucky enough to bag a 9 point buck this year. Our freezer is over flowing with game meat. Joey is a wonderful father and we can't wait till he gets laid off for the winter.

Erin- continue to be a stay-at-home mom, working Friday evenings at BINGO and causal at The Cottages in Fergus. I also graduated from college in April with an Associate Degree. Everyday is a new adventure for me. I am consistently trying to find activities and outings for the kids and I. We managed to make it to the Chahinkapa zoo, multiple parks, and lakes this past summer. I was also able to attend 2 scrap-booking retreats this past year, which allowed me to have some much needed time to myself.

The Schumans- At the beginning of 2010 we finally sold our home! We had to move into my parents house for almost 2 months before we could move into our current house. We were able to find a 4 bedroom home with a family room that was more then double the square footage of our old home. We have the joy of seeing wildlife everyday, which includes 5 deer who live in the woods behind our house.

We hope this letter finds everyone healthy, and in good spirits. Another year in the books, and this family is looking forward to what 2011 has to offer!

Love the Schumans- Joesph, Erin, Abygehl, and Elijah