I Want a Shawabty

Yesterday I had the privilege of chaperoning my daughter's Alpha class field trip to the art museum. This year they are studying Egypt and our local museum has a ton of Egyptian artifacts. Our docent was very nice but she was quite soft spoken and some of the kids and adults, myself included, were getting a little board with some of the things she was showing. Until, she started talking about the Shawabty.
See, the Egyptians believed that if you do all you are supposed to in this life and live a great life then, in your next life you can have Shawabty's do your undesired chores in the next life. So, before people died they created these sculptures that would come to life and be their slaves in the next life. If you didn't want to scoop the litter box you could send your shawabty to do it. Whatever job you hated or didn't want to do you had a Shawabty. This way, your next life would be better. It was your reward.
I have many tasks in my life that I would rather not do. I would like to have several Shawabty's. One to do the laundry, one to do the dishes, and one to clean my kitchen floor. You see, these are jobs that are never done. Lately, my kitchen floor is my weakness. My kids seem to think that if they don't want to finish eating something they can just push it onto the floor. I hate to sweep and mop. I think it is mostly because I do not have the proper tools. My broom sheds when I use it and it doesn't get everything. I can sweep and then look back at my floor and you can hardly tell I did anything. I have been trying for years to find a good mop. I don't like the sponge mops because they just push the grimy water around. The micro fiber is okay but it is really hard to push across my floor for some reason. So, I've succumbed to scrubbing on my hands and knees in the same fashion as Cinderella. I want a Shawabty. I've been really good, so I think I deserve one in this life so I don't have to wait.

How to Make a Chocolate Nugget Box

This little box is fairly easy to make and is perfect for thank you gifts, Valentines, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Easter, teacher appreciation, etc. You can use it for so many different things by just changing how it is embellished. The easy way to create this box is copy the pattern onto your card stock and follow the instructions on the paper. I tried to figure out how to insert a copy of the pattern here but couldn't figure it out so, if you would like a copy, leave a comment with a way I can contact you or send an email to annewithany2 at hotmail dot com. The printed instructions for the box will be visible after assembly underneath the nuggets. Simply cut out a piece of card stock to fit down inside to hide the writing.
I was going to create a step by step photo guide on doing it then came across a video on You Tube and figured I didn't need to re-invent the wheel. The video is how to make a nugget box that holds 3 pieces of chocolate. The pattern I have is to hold 8 pieces of chocolate. You will notice in the video she has covered her chocolates with decorative paper. I usually stamp address labels and wrap those around the chocolates but I wanted you to see the type of chocolate to use. You can stamp images or print sayings on the labels to go along with the event you are giving the chocolates for. Hope you enjoy making these as much as I do.

What you will need to make these boxes
Coordinating card stock
Decorative paper (if desired)
Stamps/stickers for embellishing
Scissors
Double sided sticky tape
other adhesive
8 Hershey chocolate Nuggets
mailing labels
any other embellishments

I'm a OWOH Winner

Today I was pleasantly surprised to see I received one of the prizes I won during the OWOH giveaway I participated in earlier this month. My magic carpet took me to B.B. Bellezza and I won this cute necklace with a charm of the Chinese symbol for love she made on a recycled scrabble piece.

Kimberlie Burkhart, the jewelry artist, takes ordinary things and gives them a second life. Take a moment to visit her website and see some of the beautiful pieces she has created. I personally love the revamped keys. If you want to get your hands on her jewelry but you don't live in PA you can always visit her Etsy shop.

Thanks Kimberlie!

Well Woman Exam

It is recommended that you visit a health care professional for an annual well woman exam. It has been almost 2 years since my last visit and I decided I couldn't put it off any longer so today, I made a visit to my OB/GYN. I hate going to these exams but not for the reason you might think. Sure, having my doctor probe in the nether regions is a little uncomfortable but that is not why I dread going. I hate going for the fact that I have to stand on a scale and have my weight recorded.

I don't know a single person who is happy with their weight. I know people who are thin who wish they were bigger and people who are thin and think they are fat. I'm not either one of those. I'm overweight and I hate being overweight. In fact, I think I'm only a pound or two away from the weight I was when I delivered baby #4 almost 2 years ago. The thing is, I don't think of myself as being overweight until I have to be accountable for my weight, see pictures of myself, go clothes shopping or put on a bathing suit. I still feel like I'm a much smaller person. I have a pretty good self esteem. However, I'm reminded I'm not as small as I feel when I try to squeeze through a tight space that I'm sure I can get through only to realize half way through that I'm stuck. Or, when I walk by one of my kids and the next thing I know the junk in the trunk has knocked them over and I had no idea I was that close to them. I know I'm overweight but I guess I just ignore it. I know my weight. My husband knows my weight. A few really close friends know my weight. For some reason though, having a nurse know my weight and the doctor know my weight is much worse. Maybe it is because it is recorded on my medical record. It makes it official....I'm overweight.

So, today I show up for my exam. I went back so they could take my vitals. Then came the moment of reckoning. She pointed towards the scale and asked me to get on. I look at where she was pointing and it looked like a cattle scale to me. Great. Just perfect. I'm too big for the regular scale. I laughed out loud to myself and made a comment about it looking like a cattle scale as I stepped on. The nurse chuckled a little bit and said "I know it is big but is a scale that our wheel chair patients can use." I knew what type of scale it really was but after 2 seconds I saw the numbers. The numbers themselves weren't very big, maybe 3/4 of an inch but they might as well have been 6 inches big and blinking bright red because that is how it felt when she wrote it down.

The awkward moment was over quicker than it has taken me to write this moment down. I survived. I'm in the process of changing some bad eating habits and getting in an exercise routine but the progress isn't as fast as I would like. I don't loose weight easily. In recording my medical history she asked about a thyroid disorder. I hesitated in answering because at one point in my mothers life she was diagnosed with a thyroid problem only to have it discovered by another DR. that she was diagnosed wrong. We decided to check it out just to rule out the possibility. I don't think I have one but secretly I kind of wish I do because then my weight isn't entirely my fault. I think my birth control is to blame for some of the problem, genetics is to blame for some too, but the majority of the problem is on me and my love of all things baked. I haven't met a brownie, cookie, or bread I didn't like.

I reach out to you my readers....few in number but strong in knowledge and experience....what things have worked well for you in the battle of the bulge and what things should I avoid. Is there a specific diet plan? A specific exercise? I would love your healthy recipes. It is time to look as thin as I feel.

Counting Blessings

I have unfortunately been sick for the last several days. Yesterday my husband had to work a 30 hour shift which meant it was sick me vs 4 very healthy kids. I was at a low point yesterday, feeling a little woe is me when I decided I needed to get out of this funk. The best way to do that is by counting my blessings. So, that is what I did. These are not in any particular order but here are my favorite ones.

1. I have 4 healthy children whom I love very much.
   
2. I have 4 children who love me and think I'm am the most amazing person in the world. (at least that is how they make me feel)
   
3. I have a wonderful husband
   
4. My husband has a job
   
5. Because of my husband's job, I get to stay home and take care of my family.
   
6. I have use of my hands to knit beautiful baby gifts.
   
7. I have a house and 2 vehicles we use to get around in.
   
8. I have the Gospel of Jesus Christ
   
9. I live in the fullness of times.
   
10. I have a pantry full of food.
    
11. I can read great books.
    

These are just 11 of my many blessings. Suddenly life doesn't look so bad. I really have a pretty awesome life and if it takes an illness to make me count my blessings and be grateful, then I'm thankful for my illness too. Afterall, it gave me a chance to knit and read book 2 of The Work and the Glory series guilt free.

Best Recipe for Meatloaf

I've tried many recipes for meatloaf. Some are too spicy while others are too dry and bland. My sister in law gave me a cookbook for Christmas one year and in it was her father's recipe for the meatloaf he used to cook for the firehouse when he was a fireman. This recipe makes a lot so I freeze half of it to bake at another time.

Firehouse Meatloaf

2 lb. lean hamburger

1 (4 oz) can tomato sauce
1 lb. pork sausage

1 green pepper, chopped
4 eggs

2 small cans mushrooms
1 onion chopped

1 C. Italian bread Crumbs

Blend ingredients together with your hands; form into loaf shape on wax paper. Move to a cooking rack and bake open at 350 for 1 1/2 hours or until done.
Or, take half of mixture and freeze it. Place the other half in the shape of a ring in a 9x13 inch pan and bake 45-60 minutes until done.
I sometimes chop up whatever veggies I have and add them too.

(This picture is pre-baked)

How to Make Tissue Paper Flowers

Spring is in the air. I know we are still in February but the sun is shining bright today and it makes me think of spring. So, here is a fun little craft you can do with your children to help you decorate for spring.

Take different colors of tissue paper and lay them one on top of the other. Then fan fold them. Once it is completely folded up tie a pipe cleaner around the middle. Gradually pull apart the layers of tissue and fluff them up. Now you have a beautiful Fiesta flower.