Saturday, June 14, 2008

Moving............

in more than one sense. Mr. Polka Spot is selling his place, so we are trying to combine households once and for all. There have been a lot of decisions to make and we've also been doing some home renovations here at the Farm. I've been MIA for quite some time, and no explination. Well moving him, doing my floors, kids activities, and blogging issues have been a lot of the problems.

I'm also trying out Wordpress for my blogging issues. So far so good. I still have a lot of work to do, but I'm liking things so far. I've combined the posts from both of my blogs and put them all into this one blog at Wordpress. I wish that I could come to terms with Blogger and stay here, but it just seems to fight everything that I try to do. I'm not a genius, but you'd think that I could get titles to work at least. So hope you come see what's cooking up at the Farm.

Please join me over at Polka Spot Farm.

Thursday, June 05, 2008

Searching....

My creation



I saw this at Javajem Knits and Knitorious.

Here are the rules:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page of results, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

The Questions:

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Menu Plan Monday May 11 - May 18







Monday: Chicken Nuggets and Mac N Cheese

Tuesday: Tacos

Wednesday: Church

Thursday: Honey Chicken and Salad

Friday: Baked Tortellini

Saturday: Carribean PorkChops and Bean Bundles

Sunday: Pot Roast with Carrots and Mashed Potatoes



edit: I had scheduled this to go up Monday morning but it didn't so here it is.

Thursday, May 08, 2008

1-2-3… Get Organized


Christy over at Multi Tasking Mama is reviewing the mini books from 1-2-3...Organized. I'm begging for a coupon code to order a few of these myself. I'd love to try:


Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Works for Me Wednesday

What doesn’t work for me theme for this week really got me thinking when my eczema went haywire. I’ve barely been able to do anything including type, hence the absence for several of the days. I normally use a lot of baby products on my skin, or at least oatmeal soap, and then lots of lotion. I know better than to go without certain products in my reach. I left my lotion at Mr. Polka Spots and was completely out of my oatmeal soap.

Thursday was the kids field trip to the zoo. (no pictures, but more about that later this week) I thought that being nauseated could be from the bus trip, but oh no come Friday night it was the worst stomach bug that I’ve ever had. I dehydrated really quickly but then it all stopped. Saturday morning I woke up with the palms of my hands were swollen and bumpy. Since then I have been battling my eczema flare up with the wrong soaps and lotions because I was not prepared. I ended up at the dermatologist and health food store to get the proper prescriptions, shots, soaps and lotions. I hope everyone takes care of their skin, because sometimes things sneak up on you.


For more Works for me Wednesday posts visit http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/

Monday, May 05, 2008



Menu Plan Monday 5-5 to 5-11




Monday: Nachos with all the fixings! T-Ball at 6:30 Baseball Practice at 5pm

Tuesday: (Baseball Practice at 5pm)

Wednesday: Church – Our Pastor cooks

Thursday: (We have T-ball and Baseball this night) PB&J, apples and something after the game

Friday: Baseball @ 6:30

Saturday:

Sunday: Cookout for my cousin Jared who is returning from Iraq!! Happy Mother’s Day!!

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Works For Me Wednesday

I keep mentioning how I use Microsoft OneNote to people, and they keep asking about it. I use this program for personal, business and school. I have recipes from blogs, and the blogs noted. Any sewing ideas or blog ideas have their own little spot in my notebooks. I can print all of the deals from MultiTaskingMama and go back through them when I have time to, or date what I have already done to see when I will get that deal. Here's some information that I just found on the Microsoft Website. I hope that you find this useful. What do you use for keeping up with your life?


 

Microsoft Office OneNote 2007 top 10 benefits

Applies to: Microsoft Office OneNote 2007

 
 

Microsoft Office OneNote 2007 is a digital notebook that provides a flexible way to gather notes and information, powerful search capabilities so users can find what they are looking for quickly, and easy-to-use shared notebooks that help teams work together more effectively.

Gather your notes and information in one place.

Gather, store, and manage your notes and information — including text, pictures, digital handwriting, audio and video recordings, and more — in a single location. Having all your important information at your fingertips can help you make more informed decisions and be better prepared.

  

Back up your valuable information.

Office OneNote 2007 automatically saves and backs up your notebooks, whether stored locally or on a network file share, so you're less vulnerable to data loss.

  

Find information more quickly.

Powerful search technology with optical character recognition helps you find what you're looking for more quickly — whether you're searching handwritten notes, text in pictures, or spoken words in audio and video recordings. You can configure Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003 or Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 to index Office OneNote 2007 files automatically to incorporate the data into your company's knowledge base.

  

Work together more effectively.

Shared notebooks give everyone access to the same information at the same time, online or offline. Office OneNote 2007 manages changes for you so that multiple users can work simultaneously in the same notebook—there's no need to keep track of versions and changes. With Live Sharing Sessions, geographically dispersed teams can view and edit the same page of notes at the same time.

  

Avoid duplicate work.

Office OneNote 2007 makes it easy to collect, store, and search information about projects in a central location. Capitalize on ideas, notes, and best practices when briefing new project teams or team members. Take advantage of OneNote archives to avoid duplicate work.

  

Organize your way.

Organize information in the way that works best for you. See all your open notebooks in a single view, and easily arrange and rearrange your notes with drag-and-drop functionality. You can add hyperlinks to other pages in your notebook so you can quickly find content relevant to the task at hand.

  

Prioritize and manage tasks and your to-do list more efficiently.

Use note tags to mark and easily track actions and important items. Note tags can be customized according to your needs and quickly viewed in a summary pane. Tasks created in Office OneNote 2007 synchronize with Microsoft Office Outlook tasks so you can manage your projects more efficiently.

  

Make meetings more productive.

Office OneNote 2007 gives you the flexibility to capture all of the information presented in meetings, including status updates, presentations, documents, typed and handwritten notes, and more. With all meeting notes stored in one location, everyone has access to the same information, helping ensure that all team members are on the same page and that everyone walks away with a consistent set of action items.

  

Get up to speed quickly.

The familiar look and feel of other Microsoft Office system programs and an intuitive user interface make it easy to get started using Office OneNote 2007 right away. Integration with the 2007 Microsoft Office system means you can share information between Office OneNote 2007 and other Microsoft Office system programs easily.

  

Improve productivity away from the office.

Synchronize your Microsoft Windows Mobile–powered devices with Office OneNote 2007 so you can take contents of your notebook with you and view them on your mobile device. In addition, information you capture on your Smartphone or Windows Mobile–based Pocket PC, including photos and text, can be transferred to Office OneNote 2007 and made text-searchable.


 

Monday, April 21, 2008

Flirty Apron Giveaway!

The Apronista Flirty Apron Giveaway is this week!! They are giving away an adorable apron from Flirty Aprons!




Flirty Aprons is giving the winner their choice of Apron from their Original Flirt line - sassy, feminine, and in many gorgeous colors, Flirty Aprons would be perfect in any kitchen!

To Enter - Go to the Original Flirty Apron page, and choose the Apron you love best. Then go here and leave a comment with your choice. You may also enter again by posting this giveaway on your own site and leaving a second comment with the link to your post. GOOD LUCK!!!

The Flirty Apron Giveaway is open until Friday April 25th at 9pm PST. The winner will be chosen by random drawing.

Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival Button



Its time once again for the Bloggy Giveaway Carnival.

I'm totally excited about having you here, and would like to announce that I will be giving away 5 Grab Bags of Ribbon. there should be 10+ yards of assorted ribbon in each bag. I will try to get a nice ribbony picture up later. Wanted to go ahead and let you sign up before I found the camera.

Rules to enter: Post a reply, that's it!
Winners will be chosen by my kids, so the more kid friendly, the more likely they are to pick you. I will print out the posts and read them outloud to the little ones ages 6-10.

I hope that you enjoy!

Sunday, April 20, 2008



This is spring break so I may put down some breakfast and lunch's for days, Mr. Polka Spot is working an odd schedule, and we are going out of town on Friday.


Monday: (Kids away)

PM: Chicken Pot Pie


Tuesday: (Mr. Polka Spot home AM Work PM)

NOON: Left Overs

PM: Grilled Boneless PorkChops, Brown Rice, Steamed Veggies


Wednesday: (Kids Home, Mr. Polka Spot home AM work PM)

AM: Cereal

Noon: Chicken Nuggets, Fries, Mac N Cheese

PM: Church


Thursday: (Mr. Polka Spot Home Am Work PM)

AM: Cereal

Noon: Grilled Cheese and Apple Slices

PM: Red Beans


Friday: Leave early Afternoon for Desoto Caverns

AM: Biscuits n Gravy

Noon: Hamburgers

PM: PB&J


Saturday: Away


Sunday:

AM: Cinnamon Rolls

Noon: Loaded Potato Soup and Hamburger Steaks

PM: Church


Snacks for the week: Homemade Granola Bars, Strawberries, Cheese Sticks, Grapes, Apples, Bananas

Monday, April 14, 2008



This week is finals week for me so I'm doing simple things that don't take much effort. T'ball and Baseball are still going on, and we leave for Desoto Caverns on Friday afternoon for Spring Break.

Monday: Lazy Lasagna
Tuesday: Hot Dogs
Wednesday: Church (pot luck I think so I'll make Chicken Spagetti)
Thursday: Grilled Chicken
Friday: Sandwiches maybe in the car
Saturday: Out of Town
Sunday: I have no eartly I

Saturday, April 12, 2008


The HSB Front Porch is having a contest and you can win a $50 gift certificate just for blogging about The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Spring Promo before midnight April 30, 2008. Subscribe now to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and receive 25 BONUS gifts valued at over $550! The Winter Promo sold out, don't miss out on the free gifts this time!

They are also giving away a $150 gift certificate to the Schoolhouse Store. All print subscribers (new or renewing) between April 3 - 30, 2008 will be automatically entered into a drawing. No purchase neccessary to win. To enter without subscribing, please send a postcard with your name, address, telephone number, and email address to:
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Spring Promo Contest
PO BOX 8426
Gray, TN 37615

Friday, April 11, 2008


This week on Menu Planning Mondays, I told you that we were having taco's. I changed what I was having for Tuesday to the Boston Butt and then had the taco's on Thursday. When Mr. Polka Spot saw the seasoning can in the cabinet, he asked if we could have them, I'm like well I already wanted to do that tonight. With him asking about them because of my can, I thought other's would like to know my secret to taco's!

Leanne's Taco Seasoning from Saving Dinner:

1 cup dried minced onion
1/3 cup cup chili powder
2 tablespoons cumin (I actually add an extra tablespoon-we love cumin)
4 teaspoons crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon oregano
4 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder

Combine all ingredients and store in a cool, dry place.

When you're using for Mexican dishes, use about 1 tablespoon or so per 1 pound ground beef, or chicken or beans. More if you like the extra flavor.


This tastes just like the packaged stuff, but has no salt. I love salt, but really don't miss it with this recipe if I don't add it.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Random Thoughts Thursday

MultiTaskingMama and I were thinking of starting a meme. As I’m completely random myself in many ways, I think this is a great idea for a Meme. I want to wrap my head around our random thought about a Random Thoughts Thursday Meme…so that it is more than just a random thought. So far I think I understand everything needed to be done for a meme, and I’ve snooped around at Mr. Linky. So maybe we can put our heads together and get the meme started in a week or two. I have finals next week, and this is the worst time for me to start something that I want to enjoy.
On to my random thought:

Hunter-and-Kayla-Kite-day
I’ve always wanted twins. It has always been a boy and a girl that I wanted of the same age. Two kids, that’s it, that’s all that I wanted. But now I have 4. I know that God knows my heart, and although I haven’t prayed directly for this, He has sent me twins. Pretty unconventional, they don’t have the same biological father or mother, they don’t have the same last name, they don’t share the same birthday. They are however, my twins! Right now there is no chance of me adopting dfss6 (dear future step son 6), but he is now half of my twins. The silly smiles, dirty fingers, smudged cheeks and heartwarming hugs are from my son. I thank God everyday for each of my children, but to be given a child 6 years after his birth is almost as amazing as holding him in those first moments of life
.Hunter-Ice-cream
To my newest son:
Thank you for being my son. Thank you for calling me mama, even if it’s only when you least expect it. Thank you for loving me.

I will love you always,
Mama

Monday, April 07, 2008

Menu Plan Monday

Menu Plan Monday: April 7-13

Monday: Pot Roast with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Steamed Carrots
Tuesday: Tacos
Wednesday: Church (need to check to see if its potluck)
Thursday: Boston Butt, spaghetti and cheese, French style green beans
Friday: Pulled Pork Sandwiches and Garlic Fries
Saturday: Grilled Chicken Salad
Sunday: Hamburgers and Hot Dogs

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Tackle it Tuesday:

Tackle It Tuesday Meme


Today I've started the actual writing process of my papers, after multiple bumps in the road. I had to start almost completely over today. I'm looking forward to my diploma so I can have a real break from all of this!

Monday, March 31, 2008

Thank You, Thank You Very Much

Mr. Polka Spot said "Let's go to Graceland."

I said, "Okay."

Christi-and-Seth-at-Gracela

Here we are after not checking the forcast the night before and ended up in the pouring rain. Thank goodness it was only 50 degrees, and no colder. We had a blast!

Little Bunny Foo Foo

Thursday night, Mr. Polka Spot came to the bathroom to tell me "I don't want you to freak out, but there is a rabbit in the house!" I start asking questions. Mr Spot had walked out to his car and left the door open. He looked up and something was hopping into the house.

We searched and searched to no avail. After giving up we went on to bed, leaving the door open so the little creature could hop outside.

At 1:55 I hear little thumper in my bathroom. I start tapping Mr. Polka Spot on the leg, until he wakes. We go to investigate.

When we look into the tub, there we find....


LITTLE BUNNY FOO FOO

P3280159
Mr Polka Spot saves lite little fellow
bunny-web-2

Awe how sweet!!!!We talk to him and pet him for a few minutes, and he's perfectly content to be held. So what do we do with him until we can move the cage the next afternoon?

Bunny-for-web

bunny-for-web-3

Put him in the Polka Spot Kids' gallon sized pickle jar!

bunny-for-web-4

So what next? I kept him in the jar, or the bathtub for most of the next day. I did take him out to pet and hold while watching tv for about an hour. Mr. Spot came home with a lovely cage, we put him in it then went to deliver Polka Spot Son6 to his mother. When we made it home he had escaped!!!

Now we are shopping for another bunny. We are thinking of maybe a breeding pair next time.


This weeks menu:

Monday: Chili (still not made it from 2 weeks ago)
Tuesday: Chicken Pot Pie
Wednesday: Church
Thursday: I may beg for Take out Pizza or Red Beans
Friday: Hamburgers
Saturday: Grilled Honey Chicken
Sunday: Pot Roast with potatoes and carrots

Thursday, March 27, 2008

I did get most of my Tackle it Tuesday done, but yesterday was a wash as far as school work went. I did get some pots planted. Mr. Polka Spot was all anxious about his appointment yesterday afternoon, the kids were all out of school also. DS6 was at his Nana's house, DD6 had gum in her hair when she got up. We got it out with Tea Tree Oil, then sent her to the shower. Then I keep hearing her say " I'm cold!" I checked, and sure enuff the hot water heater was off. Checked the propane and we were out. I called and our account switched offices. They were there in a little over an hour to fill the tank. Not even fill, only 100 gallons and it was almost 300 bucks!!! THEN we piddled all day with the garden and when looking at the tank for the water pump, Mr. PS somehow managed to unglue a pipe for the main line!!! Ok it was crunch time and all of my pvc glue was dried out. Finally we got new glue, got it put back together and I had just enough time to get Mr. PS lunch and him out the door. When he finally made it home, we hung out until church. Church was nice last night.

Now the plan for today:

9am Tax Man's office
Decide on Topics for 2 papers
Look up sources for 1 paper
2 quiz's if at all possible
Make Chicken nuggets before school is out
3:10 Pick up kiddos
3:20 snack, homework, dress for practice
4:30 meet Mr Polka Spot and DS6
5:00 Little Leauge Practice/TBall Practice (different locations)
6:30 Head home
6:45 Start Dinner
7:45 Start Showers
8:45 Start Settling down
10:00pm GET IN BED!!!

Tuesday, March 25, 2008


Tackle it Tuesday:

Today the plan is to make a plan. I have 3.5 weeks to finish all of my school work, this includes actually 4 papers, 2 are due on the 4th of next month. I want to make meal plans for the next month, along with a school schedule, also I need to find out about t-ball and baseball games. I also need to make a weekly schedule about household stuff or I will go nuts. OK this means my Control Journal is coming out to play. It has to stay out for the next month so things will automatically get done. TIME FOR ROUTINES!!!

Monday, March 24, 2008

My alternate personality

Polka Spot Farm and Ranch

I added a blog for the farm at the above link, just simply because we want to treat it as a business at some point in the future. I will try to move the gardening posts over to the new blog. At least from now on, if its outside at my house, it is probably over at my alternate personality.

Menu Plan Monday


Monday: Spagetti
Tuesday: Chicken Nuggets
Wednesday: Church (kids r out of school too so leftovers for lunch)
Thursday: Chili (didn't get it last week)
Friday: Pizza
Saturday: Chinese in Memphis
Sunday: no idea where we will be

Wordless Wednesday: Monday Edition


Egg Dyes


Easter Eggs

Egg Clue

Kayla and Hunter sharing eggs

Friday, March 21, 2008

Wordless Wednesday on Friday!








Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Tackle It Tuesday Meme



In honor of the Do it Now Principle, I'm getting all of my dishes washed and put away today. Since Seth and Hunter have been eating here almost every night, I've not been able to keep my kitchen going. I only have to hand wash one bowl and a few cups, and put away everything from the drain rack and It will all be done! I already feel like this has been accomplished. GO ME!!!

Monday, March 17, 2008

Mothering on Mondays


I'm joining this meme from Bow of Bronze.

This is the day I've been waiting on for a very long time. After Seth and I have been trying hard to come up with some type of motivation for Payton, we finally got a break. For the last few weeks I've had to constantly cancel and reschedule multiple appointments with Payton's teacher. Finally we met, along with another teacher. After a real round table discussion, we came to the agreement that Payton's father needs to be involved in his education.

To my surprise, his Dad called around 3pm asking what he could do to help. My jaw dropped. After 6 years of fighting to get him involved in this child's education he finally sees the light! I agreed to come up with a plan of sorts to get Payton to him in the afternoons after school so that he can help with homework and spend time together then return him home around 7:30pm in time to get a shower and into bed. I'm holding my breath to see if things fall through.

On another note, Hunter has to see the school counselor because he was describing IT to another student last week. His Dad wants more information on what was said before we talk to him. I'm sure the IT word was used, but this is 6 year old with a very active imagination.

I'm still praying and researching home school for my kids. I know that Payton is excited that he may be able to stay home. I know that HE provides, I just don't know how that's gonna work right now with me not working. I know things will work out one way or the other.





Monday: Grilled Burgers with scoops and Rotel dip

Tuesday: Baked Potato Bar

Wednesday: Passover Supper at Church

Thursday: (slow cooking Thursday) Chili

Friday: Chicken Nuggets and Oven Fries

Saturday: Keema and Tacos

Sunday: Easter at Nana's (taking Banana Pudding)

Friday, March 14, 2008

I submitted to a quiz that came with a button. I say that this is true about me. Its a wonderful time of day! Not to early, not to late!

Thursday, March 06, 2008

I have the most amazing boy friend! While sitting around the last few days I will look at blogs and he comments here and there. Many times there are polka dots on the pages, and in fabric that I'm looking at. Finally I errupted with we must name the farm the Polka Spot Farm...well it could be Polka Spot Ranch if we have mainly animals. I want a small Farmers market also, with all polka spot curtains and all kinds of things. I started the Polka Spot Farm Blog yesterday and hopefully will put all of the farmly goodness there soon.

On another note I left my lights on in the van again today. I'm notorious for this. Called my aunt and she wanted to finish lunch first, and is now on her way. BF is going to get me my very own jump box. I have one but apparently it never worked. He's the best! I LOVE YOU BABY!!

Saturday, March 01, 2008

Let the Gardening Begin!

Garden Started


When I got home today from bf's there was a swarm of buzzards and crows. After some searching and calling, I found the baby cow to be safe. Mama and my StepDad drove up a few minutes later with the Tractor and plow in tow. I got him to break ground for my garden. I think bf is as excited as I am about the gardening and possible ranch in years to come.



Later I took out the camera and started snooping around my Dad's old barn. I found the most amazing things there the other day and a few more today.




IMG_0040
This is an old crate of some sort I found under a bench in the Barn, I see a container for flowers.

IMG_0046

Old license plates all in a stack on the afore mentioned bench. These antiques are from 1968 and still in the plastic. I'm sure they were for farm equiptment that Daddy never took out on the road.

IMG_0039
An old hand plow of Daddy's. Really who knows how old it is, I'm sure Grand Daddy used it too.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Rain Rain Go Away

Everytime we think its gonna be pretty it rains again. Today all of the kids stayed home because of the flu, and it rained on top of that. There was a lot of lightening and thundering too, which means that its gonna frost at least 4 times next month. That's and old wives tale that bf keeps reminding me of. The load of lime hasn't made it because of the rain, its too early to buy tomato plants or actually plant anything...I'm getting bored with the non planting stage of my garden. I did go out and find some cool things out under the shed that was my dad's when he was alive, and prolly his dad's when he was alive and so on. I want to get pictures of some of these things so that everyone can see some of the history here. I think we are gonna get goats and a llama do. The llama is already named drama. We have a new pet too....well not really, but a skunk has taken refuge somewhere on the lane.

Hopefully I will get more posting now that i have the new cell modem. I hate not having dsl!!! TTFN!

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Dish Cloth Swap

These came in the mail from Rekesha in Virginia. Its not two but three crocheted dish cloths, a mini notebook and pen, notepad and darling butterfly card (not pictured). All in red and white for Valentines Day!
Also in the mail was my package of loofah seeds! I'm so excited. The new plan is for a larger garden with it being moved to the side of the house. BF said I'm gonna need all 40 acres soon!

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Happy Super Fat Tuesday

Today is Fat Tuesday and Super Tuesday. I haven't been to the polls yet, but I will go as soon as I get home and get a shower. Today is also Fat Tuesday for Mardi Gras and tomorrow will be the start of the Lenten season. I've been thinking about what I will give up for Lent. I'm leaning toward Cokes, and other colas. BF and I have had our fair share the last few weeks. If I can replace cola with water, I'll be doing better on my water intake.

On another note, because my connection at home has been down for quite some time, I haven't been able to update about the gardening this year. I ordered some seed catalogs, visited the local farmers co-op, and ordered loofah seeds today. BF has decided on a salsa garden, and I'm just not sure what else I would like to plant, but loofah, tomato and lavender sounds like a start.

We found such a cool store at the Galleria this past weekend! Ambiance. Hopefully I can find a website for it soon. We hope to frequent the Galleria from now on. I did go to town yesterday and found a couple shirts to reform into dresses for K, a basket, skirt, soap bottle, and BF's V-Day present.

Next up will be more plans on sewing, gardening and maybe an update on flooring options for the house.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Me and Jr. hangin


P1090003, originally uploaded by sweetrattle.

We decided to play some dice, and look who I won!!!

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Introducing......

The new men in my life. Love you Huck!

Thursday, January 10, 2008


Silly Pink Day


Have you ever just wanted to add some excitement to a normal house cleaning day? Just pick a color theme and roll with it. Pink is the spice of life today. What if the entire office wore pink one day? Think of all the fun you would have! Men can do this too and kids love it! Have fun with your color.

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Happy Birthday!

My baby is growing up! Happy 6th Darling!