7 Quick Takes in the Poppe Household

J.M.J.

It has been a rather quiet week overall, so these Takes will be short and sweet.  Just a few humdrum everyday moments and a few random quotes uttered in our home this week.  And if I had remembered to charge my camera battery, I would have posted pictures of these, as some of these were either cute, precious or amusing.  Well - all but #7..... Ahem.

---1---

I have managed to get about half of my Christmas cards into the mail this week.  No really.  This is huge.  Most years I buy the cards and they gather dust in their boxes.  One year I actually wrote about 20 names on the envelopes but got overwhelmed with the prospect of having to actually address them.  "Why can't the mailmen just look these addresses up for me?" I'd whine.  But not this year!  Which is pretty incredible, since I have like HUNDREDS of people I need to send cards to this year.  So if you get a Christmas card from the Poppes before Lent, just file it away with your Christmas decorations and open it next Advent.  Merry Christmas!

---2---

I played with my 2yo daughter today.  I am not the 'play house' type (I have a hard enough time living 'house' in real life), but how can I resist when she happily announced, "Walmart time!  Go shopping."  So I donned a straw hat and plastic see-through purse and off we went with our dollies in the stroller to the pantry where she began to swiftly shoplift everything she could fit into her Easter purse.  Hmmm....

---3---

I am anxiously waiting to use my new chocolate mint soap I made last month.  Tomorrow is the big day - the soap will be cured, and I will be lathering up in the shower with cocoa butter and jojoba oil, smelling like a piece of Andes mint candy.  Yum!

---4---

Fulton likes sardines.  It is the snack that not only nourishes, but entertains as well.  "Mom!" he grinned, "I smell like a lobster and it makes the girls scream!"

---5---

Rice Krispie sludge is the Best.  Snack.  Ever.  Whatever the recipe is for Rice Krispie treats, cut the butter by half, double the marshmallows and cut out about a cup of the cereal.  Don't bother putting it into a baking pan and cutting it into squares.  Really.  Try it.  This is pure joy to me.

---6---

I finally said something that even surprised me.  

"Boys!"  I hollered, "Settle down right now or you both are headed to a time out!"  (OK - I have said that like a million times a week - just wait for it...)

"Moooom, it's Marialina's fault!  She is the one doing it!"

To which I replied, "I don't think so.  You were the ones chasing each other and trying to stab your brother in the heart.  Marialina is just standing here trying to shove that toy up her nose.  Now settle down!"

---7---

And now I'll leave you with this quote from my rather imaginative 5 year old son:
"One time I swallowed a piece of gum and blew a bubble out of my bottom."

Now come join the fun and post your own for 7 Quick Takes!

Soap Making: Lemon Nettle Soap

J.M.J.

Batch 2:    Lemon Nettle Soap

I think this is my favorite soap so far!  I have been playing around with recipes again and have even figured out how to safely get the lye activated without killing anyone inside or freezing myself outside.  The bathtub works great!

I do all my measuring in there and just get the vent going while it does its thing.  Everyone is sufficiently terrified of the stuff, so I have no worries about accidents or spills.  Love it!

This soap recipe is definitely worth repeating!
(Please note that I use all organic ingredients - I am just too lazy to write the word 'organic' multiple times)

Base soap:
18oz olive oil
16oz coconut oil
14oz palm oil
7.1oz lye
17.5oz distilled water

And the goodies are:
1T partially ground lemon peel
1T partially ground nettle leaves
1tsp geranuim eo
1tsp ylang ylang eo
1tsp lavender eo
1tsp tangerine eo
2tsp lemongrass eo

 I actually made this the same time I made the first batch of the other soap, but haven't found the time to post about it.  Everyone loves this soap so this will be featured in my Etsy shop for sure!

Video Thank You from the Poppe Family

JMJ

I cannot believe we are almost at the one year mark for Fulton's accident.  Getting ready for Christmas reminds me of how precious Fulton looked after we returned from Christmas Eve midnight Mass.  The tree was buried in presents, but all he was fascinated with was the infant Jesus who appeared under the tree.  He couldn't take his eyes off of the Infant.

2 weeks before the accident

Time has flown by so quickly, I feel like I haven't been able to catch my breath and properly assess all that has happened this year.  The blessings, the crosses, the new friends in our lives, and dreams lost.  My cup runneth over, for even through the tears I see it is all from God and it is all good.
Thy will be done, Lord.

I am a complete organizational mess, as most of my real life friends and family know, and while I have tried to keep track of addresses for thank you notes, I think about half of the hundreds of well-wishers have gone unacknowledged.  There were so many I wanted to respond to personally, and that special pile has disappeared into the abyss, and I am left here unable to hug each of you and write to you to tell you how grateful I am for your love and support.  This pains me deeply, as every prayer, Mass, card, and pack of stickers has brought such grace to Fulton and our family.  The medical supplies (oh the needed medical supplies!), skin creams and salves, and all of the necessary but unglamorous gifts we have received were in many ways the most important.  The fundraisers, the generous donations people have made, the angels in disguise who have helped us with difficult scheduling and travel issues...  I am the unworthy recipient of such graces.  And I am so, so thankful.

Fulton, in his own way, is thankful as well.  He just does not know it yet.  But I think he can feel the love and has certainly benefited from your prayers.  He recently drew 2 self portraits (which I will post soon!) that proves how happy he is and how well he is doing.  Thanks be to God!

Until I get those pictures posted, I will simply post the video for you all to see.  Please pass this along to anyone you know who has prayed for Fulton or has followed his progress in the past - your churches, prayer groups and homeschool groups, friends and family members.  I shed many tears as I created it, but they are tears of gratitude and were shed for all of you.

Thank you, everyone, and have a blessed Advent!

***UPDATE:  I was just informed that some people are having trouble viewing the video on my blog.  You may do a search on YouTube and find it there if you type in the words Fulton Thank You.  Sorry!***

Small Success Thursday

J.M.J.

OK, I'll jump on in, even though this is a weird week for me.  Many CatholicMom bloggers are taking the Small Success Thursday challenge where we are to post 3 successes we have had for the week.  I think I really need to do this from time to time, just to remind myself that even on those days when I think I am getting nothing done, something I have done has still made a difference.  So here it goes.

#1  I have managed to make all of our medical appointments on time!  We are in Galveston for one of Fulton's follow up visits and have a lot on our plate.  Getting the family up and out of bed and to the hospital every day from the hotel can be quite challenging!

#2  I have passed out about 8 of Fulton's burn cards.  This means that 8 people are now better armed with information about fire safety and first aid for burns.  And perhaps a few more people will learn a little about our faith as well!

#3  I actually posted something on my blog!  LOL  Seriously, time has not been kind to me and I haven't been able to get to this blog for awhile.  I posted my first of a few articles on soap making, and now this post.  (This counts, right?)

Here is to all of you, trying to make a difference in your days!  I hope we all have at least a few successes to brag about!

Soap Making!

J.M.J.

A few weeks ago, Shannon, Virginia and I tried our hands at making melt and pour soaps.  The melt and pour method requires the use of premade soap blocks, shredded and melted down.  You then add some extra ingredients and viola!  You have soap that is very safe to make and you may use it right away.  We made the most delicious smelling chamomile oatmeal soap - so good I was tempted a few times to take a nibble.  But I resisted.  ;)

And while this method was fun, I have always wanted to learn how to make 'real', cold processed soap - but the idea of using lye frightened me.  And after hearing people's horror stories about their grandmother's niece's best friends' toddler falling into pots of lye solution has really left its mark.  So I resisted he urge to learn a new homemaking skill.  Until now.

Last week I stepped out of my comfort zone a little more and made 'real' soap from scratch.  And yes, it required me to use the lye.  I cannot believe how easy the cold process is! And it is fun, too.

I used this book

 

 



and really liked the results I got.  I followed the basic soap recipe and added my own mixture of essential oils, dried citrus peels and pink kaolin clay to make a beautiful batch of soap for oily skin.  It is about 2 weeks from finishing the curing process and I can't wait to use it.

First Day of School! (Morning Edition)

J.M.J.

Well, the day we both dreaded and were so excited about has finally arrived:  Fulton's and Marialina's first day of school away from home! 

"What?" you say.  "I thought you were a homeschooling family!"

Yes.  We are.

But we are also a family with children who have many needs and I have long come to realize that I am not SuperMom.  Not by a long shot.  I know my limits and a wonderful opportunity came our way like an answer to a prayer. So let me explain.

CJ, Virginia and Shannon will continue to work through their MODG curriculum at home.  The girls will have additional help through MODG teacher assisted and teacher directed programs while CJ just has dear old Mom as his teacher.

 

Marialina and Fulton will be attending preschool programs from 9am to 2pm every Tuesday and Thursday.  This will free up 2 days a week for me to focus entirely on the older childrens' school without interruption.

Fulton will be starting Kindergarten with me this year on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  However he will be attending a preschool program for the other 2 days a week for socialization issues.  Yes, yes, I know all the arguments about homeschooled children and how children actually fare better in life WITHOUT 'socialization'.  But hear me out. 

Ever since the accident, when we go to a playground or any other social setting where there are children he does not know, he always gets the "Woah!  What happened to you!?" 

Bless his heart, Fulton is terrific at answering their questions and most times, the children play with him for the brief time we are there.  (Or sometimes they chose not to play with him, which is fine for a child, too.  *sniff*)  But the problem is that we always go home and never see the other children again.  So the next time we go, he has to 'lather, rinse, repeat' without ever getting to a point where everyone is comfortable enough with each other to start playing pirates or dinosaurs.  No one really ever gets past his burns, and he never develops relationships with other children.  No playdates, no birthday parties, etc.

I know these are not absolute musts for him, but he is a very social creature and needs the playtime outlet with other children.  (He was SO excited about playing with other children his age last night and this morning, it was hard to settle him down!)  We are the only young family where we live, and since we go to Mass an hour and a half away from home, all the other younger children he knows live way too far for him to visit.

The doctors at Shriners say it is important that he not only learns how to deal with the initial reactions from others, but that he learns that he can have longterm relationships with others as well.  He has an extra barrier he must learn to help people break through.

Rest assured, he is in a very safe place.  Jay's parents' church runs the preschool program and they have been praying for him from the beginning.  They know his story well and are so excited to have him.  We feel they are well equipped to handle any issues that may come up and look forward to the new experiences he will have over the course of the year.

Marialina gets to go to school with her big brother but unlike Fulton's reasons, I really do not have as many good reasons for her to go, beyond the fact that I desperately need the babysitting time so I can keep the older children on track with school.  We are a semester behind because I was in Galveston with Fulton for so long, so we have A LOT of catching up to do over the next few months.  If we see she is not loving her playtime there after the week or so needed for adjustments, we have the option of unenrolling (is that a word?) her and bringing her home at any time. 

I have entrusted them to their Guardian Angels.  And I will, of course, let you all know how the first day of school went for my little bunnies.  Jay already told me a rather hilarious story about what happened when he dropped them off.  ;)  Stay tuned!

Pear Harvest!

J.M.J.

This Labor Day we have decided to harvest the pears!  Last year, all the pears disappeared off our tree (not a single fruit on the ground even!) a week before we planned to harvest them.  So this year we thought we'd get them a little early to throw off the mysterious pear bandit.

I will be up to my ears in canning projects over the next few weeks so keep an eye out for delicious recipes!  I love this time of year! 

Meanwhile, here are a few fun shots of pear picking day.