Unusual weather.

Our winter has been exceedingly unusual this year. We normally get tons of snow and winter seems to never end. This year we have had very little snow and lots of rain. It really makes me wonder what summer will be like this year. Last summer was so hot that it seemed like it would never cool down. My brother could hardly keep his pool supplied with a salt cell and chemicals because it saw so much use. Given that our winter has been so mild it makes me wonder if our summer will be mild as well. We had a very harsh winter last year followed by a terribly hot summer. I don't know if there is any connection between the two but I would love to have a nice comfortable summer this year. 

Fruit trees

We planted a peach tree in our backyard a couple of years ago. It was just a tiny little thing and has grown quite a bit since then. It might even be big enough this year to produce some fruit. I am considering getting a second fruit tree for our yard this year. My goal is to be able to produce enough fruit in our yard to feed my family for a year. We love fruit and it can be pretty pricey in the store. I don't mind waiting for the trees to be big enough to fruit because I know the investment will be worth it. I am just not sure what kind of fruit tree to get. I want to plant fruit that costs me the most at the store and is easy to grow. I need to research pear trees to see if they would do well in my climate and my area.

Planting season ....

The time has come for our family to begin starting plants for the upcoming gardening season. I love that my children are completely enthused about growing a garden. I don't know what I would do if I had children who were more interested in sports than nature. I know that I could learn all about baseball uniforms and who needs baseball cufflinks if I had to but I am glad I don't. My children are begging me to start another batch of seeds tonight. We have already started some spinach and lettuce to grow indoors until we can plant outside. They just love checking every day to see if something is sprouting in the soil. I think they find it magical the way a tiny little seed becomes a huge fruiting plant if given the right care. I know I love sharing my passion for gardening with them and look forward to getting my hands in the dirt very soon.

Beef...

For the last few years we have gotten our beef from a local group who offered grass fed beef at a very fair price. The beef has been incredible and we absolutely love it. We have gotten beef before from a local farmer who did not raise grass fed beef and it was not nearly as flavorful. We found out today that our source will no longer be offering beef and that we will have to find a new source. I am quite sure the price will be much higher. I also wish I could count on it tasting the same...

Learning the hard way...

Earlier this month my brother got a new dog. He has never had a pet before and has waited for a very long time to get one. In anticipation of his new dog I tried to fill him on things that the dog might do. He didn't want to hear my advice and went into the experience convinced his dog would be perfect and their lives together idyllic. This week my brother emailed me to let me know that he would not be getting some photos he had been scanning for me to me at any point in the near future. Apparently his dog went a little crazy and knocked over his laptop and broke his portable hard drives. I had to smile just a little bit on the inside even though I felt bad for him. He had passed off my warnings about very active dogs as me not knowing how to train my dog. At least it isn't only my dog who has damaged a few things as a puppy.

One less task...

In our home the task of filing taxes has always been my job. It is not that I am some financial wizard but rather that I started doing our taxes almost 20 years ago and have kept it up. I don't like doing the taxes and always fret a bit over them. This year I decided to just get things done and not put them off until the last minute. I am proud to say that as of about an hour ago my federal tax return was filed and accepted. That is one less thing I have to think about in the coming weeks. I now have only my state and local taxes to do and they are much less complicated. I will likely put those off a bit longer simply because I don't feel compelled to pay the state money ahead of time.

Hobbies...

My husband desperately needs a new hobby. He says that the winter weather leaves him bored and restless. I have suggested tons of ideas to him such as signing up for guitar lessons online but he doesn't seem interested. I understand his desire to find something he is passionate about but at this point it would seem like anything would be better than sitting around bored. In my own life I try to constantly be learning new things and expanding my knowledge across an array of topics. Along the way I come across ideas and hobbies that I never knew existed. I think if he would just spend a bit of time trying one new thing he might discover something that he really cares about. Sitting in front of the television makes this a highly unlikely event. 

Layaway...

Since we paid off our credit card debt a couple of years ago I have made a point to pay cash for everything we buy. There have been a couple of exceptions to this rule and that is when I can get a payment plan that is cash based. This is how I bought my Vitamix blender. When I can't get a cash based (no credit card) payment plan I either save the money or look for a layaway option. I noticed this week that Kmart has layaway options available online for certain items. This is pretty cool. I like the idea of not having to go to the store to physically collect an item and take it to the layaway department. I haven't used the online option but it sure sounds handy if it works like the traditional option.

Noisy...

My laptop is about six years old and it has worked like a dream until now. For some reason it is getting really noisy. My guess is that the fan needs cleaned but I don't know for sure. Something similar happened with our desktop computer a few years ago. The computer got so loud that we could hear it running through the  computer cabinet. My husband took the computer apart and cleaned it and it worked fine until the day we replaced it. I don't know if laptops can be cleaned in a similar fashion or not without ruining them. They are so much more compact that it seems like it would be easy to dislodge an important component. I will have to do some research before I set my husband loose on this particular computer. 

In love...

I have lusted after a Vitamix blender for several years. I finally became the owner of one a couple of weeks ago. I bought it on QVC using their payment plan. It is absolutely EVERYTHING I read it would be. Each day since we received it has been used at least twice a day. We have made ice cream, sorbet, soup, almond milk, and smoothies galore. The texture of these items is so much better than in a regular blender. I know that these are expensive gadgets but for someone like me who cooks just about everything from scratch and eats only whole foods a Vitamix is a must have tool. I really couldn't be happier with it.

Pictures...

My father-in-law is someone who is always taking pictures when he visits. He takes countless photos and keeps every single one of them no matter how they turn out. During his visit over the holidays he finally gave us copies of all the photos he has taken in the last five years. I don't know whether he used Disc2Day.com cd duplication or what to make us copies but he gave us a ton of CD's with all his photos on them. It is really nice to have the photos but I wish that he would edit his photos when he takes them to get rid of those photos that are not flattering or are simply bad pictures. This would probably cut the number of photos that he gave us in half which would be more manageable to look through and organize. At least he is interested in his family and wants to remember every moment of his time with them. 

Tough decisions...

This is the time of year when I need to plan for the next gardening season. It would be nice to have a huge garden and all the room in the world to grow everything. As it stands my back yard garden is limited and I need to choose carefully what I grow. We are adding a garden at my folks house this year which will enable me to grow more. The problem is that I have never grown anything there and don't know what will work the best. It has been a process to determine what I want to grow and where it might end up growing. This year is going to be a learning curve and next year it will hopefully be easier to plan and prepare.

So many presents...

We ending up celebrating Christmas at our house this year rather than elsewhere like we usually would. It was nice to have family here and not have to travel. I cannot think of a thing our children did not get that they wanted. I feel like I should send flowers to everyone thanking them for being so generous. I might just have to spend some time @Proplants in the coming days to find just the right gift. My in-laws went way beyond the call of duty in terms of spoiling our children. It made the gifts we bought pale in comparison. Our children are not spoiled the rest of the year which makes it hard to feel guilty come Christmas morning. It is great that they are always polite and thankful for each gift they receive because they know it comes but once a year. 

Bad weight loss plan...

So... obviously I am always trying to loose weight. I gave up grains and dairy a couple of month ago in order to improve my diet. This week life threw me a curve ball and I started the worst diet plan ever...It has consisted of a week of vomiting and the like. I feel like I was kicked in the stomach by a horse. My energy level is so low I can barely leave the bed and I haven't eaten more than a piece of toast in days. I know I have lost weight but it is a really rough way to loose it. I also know that it is likely I will gain it all back once I start eating again...

Relaxing...

In the past couple of days I have received a number of calls from my in-laws about various gifts for my children. They are the type of people who put off shopping until the very last minute possible and then complete it in a hurried rush. I cannot handle the stress of last minute shopping and prefer to do all my shopping early and online. I love being able to look for things like ralph lauren coupons to save money. There is no standing in line and no worrying about fighting traffic. I make a few clicks on my computer and packages arrive at my door well in advance of the holidays. I cannot imagine why anyone would wait until the last minute if they didn't have to do so. 

Baking for the holidays...

My children have been quizzing me as to when we would be baking Christmas cookies. Today seemed like the perfect day to complete that task. We have spent the day baking four kinds of cookies. This is a significant reduction from my normal holiday baking. Since my husband and I have given up grain it doesn't make sense for me to bake quite as much as I used to. The children and slowly transitioning to a grain free diet- although they don't realize it. My plan is to reduce over time the number of grain base products in their diet until such a time as it seems normal to them not to be eating grains constantly. This make take a year or more but the day will come. For now I am fine with letting them indulge in a few holiday treats.

New additions...

This year we have a new person in our family to buy Christmas gifts for. My older brother got married over the summer and I now have a sister-in-law to add to my holiday shopping list. I don't really know her that well which makes buying a gift difficult. I know that for my brother's buying a perfect gift is as simple as picking up some cool t-shirts or some of their favorite music. My sister-in-law said that she loves poetry and could use some new nail polish. I know nothing about either of these areas. I have one bottle of nail polish that I have had for a decade or more and I don't read poetry. I guess I am just going to have to wing it and hope that she appreciates that I tried to find something she would like. 

Jolly holiday...

I cannot believe that there only 20 days until Christmas! What I furthermore cannot believe is that my tree is up and my shopping is done. To make this even better I spent the other night wrapping gifts and only have one left to wrap. Usually we are in a last minute rush to wrap gifts on Christmas Eve. I decided this year that I was not going to put myself under that pressure and I would not be begging anyone to help me wrap gifts at the last minute. There are only a couple of more things I need to pick up before the holidays but otherwise I am completely done and ready!!!

Shopping for clothes...

This week I bought myself the first new piece of clothing I have purchased in probably a year. Most of my clothes are things I had had or have purchased at a thrift store. I simply am not drawn to shopping for new clothes like I once was. In fact I would wear medical uniforms at home if it weren't for looking odd to my neighbors. I simply like to be comfortable. Working from home and home schooling creates a situation where I don't have a need for a bunch of special clothes. I supposed one could argue that dressing nice is important for your self esteem even when you are just sitting at home. Either way I am happy with my wardrobe as it stands. My purchase this week was out of need rather than desire which is an important differentiation. It does help that I absolutely love the new sweater I purchased even though it likely won't leave the house much. 

Baking ....

At the end of last month my husband and I gave up grains, sugar, and dairy. We invoke a paleo lifestyle in terms of our diet. Since that time I have felt wonderful! The first week was touchy but I now feel amazing. I no longer hurt in various parts of my body and my mind is so clear. Today, I was forced to do some baking for Thanksgiving and it felt a bit weird. What was cool is that I felt no need to taste anything I was making. Normally I test things as I cook out of a habit or simply craving those things. Today I baked scads of bread which is typically a sure fire problem for me in terms of not eating it but I didn't have any. It smells wonderful but it doesn't tempt me at all. I know that it is awful for my body and that I will regret eating it so I didn't. The scale may not show it tomorrow but that is progress in my mind.

An empty chair...

This will be the first Thanksgiving in as long as I can remember that my entire family has not gotten together. My youngest brother will not be coming home as he is traveling to visit his girlfriend. I am really happy he has someone in his life but it won't be the same without him. This will be the first year that my older brother will be bringing someone to Thanksgiving dinner. He got married this summer and we are still getting to know his bride. I am not sure what we will talk about around the table but it should prove to be interesting. The few times I have been around my new sister-in-law she has always had something interesting to say. Last time we visited she filled me on the best eyelash growth products on the market. I also learned that she is writing a novel. The topic of her book was a bit troubling to me and I am hoping that we won't be discussing it at the table this Thanksgiving. With some luck we can find something else to talk about I am sure. 

I love turkey...

I cannot think of a meat that I love more than turkey. Some people love steak and others love fish but me I just love roast turkey. This year I simply do not have the room in my freezer to store a turkey and have been a bit bummed about this. Thankfully, my mother will be cooking a turkey for Thanksgiving and I will at least have one turkey dinner this year. Being on a paleo diet has left me a bit bored with most of my daily protein choices. Having some turkey will not only add diversity to my diet it will allow me to truly indulge in a food that I love.

A year from now...

It is hard when you are on a diet not to plan for the future. I find myself frequently daydreaming about the me I could be in the coming months. I think we all do this sort of thing depending on what is going on in our lives. A pregnant mother will dream about what her child will be like when they enter the world.  A newlywed may spend time counting the days until a first anniversary. These moments mark triumphs in our lives that we want to symbolize in certain ways.


A husband will spend weeks searching for perfect "anniversary gifts for her" and a his bride will do the same. Giving just the right gift from the heart sends a message of love and promise for the future. I have been blessed to have 20 anniversaries in my life with my husband and each has been truly special in its own way. With each year we are married I feel like somehow our loves grows more and more special.


Since my life is at that stage where I am no longer dreaming of wedding or babies I have new objectives for myself. Right now I am in the process of overhauling my health and body. In my mind I am constantly doing various calculations to determine how much weight I might loose in a given amount of time if present trends in my life continue. I realize that what I am doing is a lifestyle change as opposed to a "diet" but weight loss is a side effect of my lifestyle change. I also realize that weight loss slows over time and am working to keep my mind of getting ahead of its self in theorizing how much I might weigh six months from now. I keep telling myself that no matter what as long as I continue on this path I will be a new me a year from now.

Awesome results!

Today is my eleventh day following the Paleo diet or lifestyle. I have to say that for about a week I felt really tired and worn out. Giving up grains, dairy, and sugar kind of throws your body for a loop if you have been used to eating lots of it. After the seventh day I really began to feel awesome and my appetite and cravings slipped away. I am limiting my carbs to about 20 grams per day because I am trying to loose weight. My husband is eating Paleo but is not trying to loose weight and eats fruits in order to get his carbs. So far I don't think he feels quite as good as I do because I secretly think he is getting too many carbs and possibly sugar from little sneaks here and there. As of this morning my weight is down 10.4 pounds and I am very, very happy with that.

Rethinking food...

The new lifestyle choices I have made are causing me to rethink everything I every learned in college. You may recall that I have a background in healthcare. Having been out of the college arena for over a decade leaves me wondering how things have changed in education since that time. I wonder if students looking for Healthcare Specialists Jobs today have a different view of patient care than I did? I am not currently practicing but believe that if I were my approach would be dramatically different based on everything I have been researching and learning. I also believe that putting this knowledge into practice in my own life has given me a unique perspective on how dramatically simple changes can impact overall health. 

Family time...

Today has been an absolutely gorgeous day! I love a beautiful warm day in fall. Fall happens to be my favorite time of year. There is just something about the changing leaves that makes my heart happy. We have spent most of the day outside as a family raking leaves and taking a walk. It just feels great to get the kids outside without layers and layers of clothes. I know that it won't be long before we are freezing cold and reminding everyone to put on boots, gloves, and hats. I think it is important to make the most of every warm day sent our way while we can.

Cooking...

Cooking for me is a way of life. I cook food for my family several times a day. We rarely eat out and choose to eat as cleanly as possible. My brother was over to visit this weekend and commented several times that neither he nor his new bride cook. My brother works at a job that would be similar to Houston web design. This means that he rarely leaves his desk. Given that neither of them excercise and are already overweight I don't expect great health for them in the future. I just can't see how they will enter in later life in good health if they eat pizza and take-out every single day of their lives. This is not my choice to make for them but I can only hope that one of them decides to start taking better care of themselves and encourages the other to do the same.

Paleo works thus far...

For the last week I have been rigorously following the Paleolithic diet. This equates to eating from four primary groups of food and forgoing the others. The groups of food I have to not eat from include the dairy, grain, and sugar groups. I have been strongly addicted to carbohydrates my entire life. I know that not eating carbs causes my waistline to shrink. By eliminating these groups of food I hope to tackle my carb addictions all at once rather than one at a time. Less than a week into the diet I have lost 6 pounds and don't feel the least bit deprived of food.

Upgrade on the horizon...

The laptop I am writing with is about 5 years old. Although it performs well enough I can tell that there will come a time in the near future that I will need to make an upgrade. Technology has changed a great deal in the last five years and I am quite sure there are better things on the market. I have heard about the Galaxy Tablet PC and am a intrigued by it. Likely I won't be making a purchase before spring and have plenty of time to research the options on the market. I just bought my third power cord for this laptop and know that whatever I buy will have to have a good track record for durability. 

Homemade dish soap.

I have been on a kick for a while to learn how to make everything imaginable myself. Today things were a bit slower and I decided to make a batch of homemade liquid dish soap. I have been unhappy with the price and performance of the dish soap I have been buying at the market. Today I made a gallon of dish soap for around $1.00.

This soap is essentially a bar of Colgate Octagon soap, a tablespoon of borax, and a bit of washing soda that has been grated and melted on the stove top with a couple cups of water. It is then added to a gallon jug that is almost full of water. In that water I added a 1/4 cup lemon juice and a tablespoon of glycerin. The entire recipe is then mixed together in the jug and allowed to cure overnight. I have yet to try it but I will keep you posted!

Packing things up.

This is the time of year when we are face with our final outdoor projects of the year. As fall rolls in we have several things that need to be addressed outside before snow falls. One thing we have to do is to bring indoors all of our teak wood patio furniture and outdoor furniture. The garden is pretty much finished for the year which means we need to do some cultivation of the soil in order to prepare it for planting next year. I have several potted plants outside that will need to come inside for the winter and several new plants in the ground that will need to be protected. There is also garlic to be planted sometime before November. As glad as I am to see another gardening season come to an end, it is also sad to know that ground will soon be covered with snow. Being stuck inside all winter leaves me dreaming of warm spring days and getting my hands in the soil once again. 

A long weekend...

I love long weekends. I can't imagine anyone not appreciating a three day weekend. It is so nice to have my husband home and to spend time doing things together. We have always worked well as a team and can accomplish a great deal together. This weekend we will likely finish up our summer long canning marathon. We have a bushel and a half of pear to take care of and at least one more pressing of cider to complete. I wish that there were a way for my husband to leave his day job and stay home all the time (while still earning a living). That is not likely to happen any time soon which leaves me thankful for long weekends.

What is the story?

We have lived in our house for exactly three years and have gotten to know most of our neighbor's fairly well. There is one person that we don't know well at all and for some reason I wonder what his story is. He is in his 50's and lives in his parent's basement. I know only a couple of things about his aside from the fact that he smokes acid cigars cheap and rarely leaves the house. We only know his first name and that at one time he had a wife and a child. No one ever comes to visit him and he doesn't have a job. Basically he only comes outside to smoke and that is the only time we see him. I wonder what has transpired in his life for him to be living in the basement and having such little interaction with the outside world. He could be perfectly happy with his life but I just find it a little odd especially given that he live right next door.

Like Christmas...

I don't watch a great deal of television but there are a very few shows that I absolutely love. I watch all of my favorite television shows online. When the new season starts for each of these shows it is like Christmas to me. There is one night of the week that I dedicate to myself and watching my favorite shows. This way I am not taking time away from my family several nights of the week. All summer long I forgo watching television and wait patiently for the season premiers to arrive. Last night was the night that and I could not be happier. Finally knowing what happened or might happen on my favorite shows is always fun. Watching them all on a single night is even better.

Finding a routine...

We are well on our way to figuring out our school routine for the new year. Both of my children are now enrolled in the same cyber charter school which has made things a bit more complex than last year. The curriculum that their school uses is much richer and demanding than the one my youngest son used last year. They now have the same laptop computers which is nice. Last year gave me a taste of what schooling them both would be like. It did not prepare me for juggling two students with hefty workloads and demanding assignments. I feel like we are now sorting out what routine works best for us and that I am finally able to give them both the attention they need during the school day. 

Hard work...

One of my projects right now is trying to get across to my oldest son that working hard at things in life is important. He has a rather poor work ethic and tends to do the least amount of work possible on all things. He sets goals and never sees them through to completion. I know many people would say that this is something that we have instilled in him but I find that hard to accept. His father and I are the type of people who are consistently working towards and achieving our goals. Somewhere along the lines we have either made it seem to easy to our son or not held him to a high enough standard. I can only hope that we are able to negate this attitude and give him that inner drive to succeed with the gifts he has been given.

Walking again...

This summer I have been completely engrossed in gardening and preserving the food from my garden. Thus far this year we produced over 500 pounds of food in our two small garden plots. That equated to around 600 jars of food in my pantry. If you have every canned you know that it is a pretty big job that involves a great deal of heat and steam. I would venture it is one of the top fat burners you can partake of in the kitchen. Because I have been so busy in the garden and the kitchen I have not been working out at all in any other form. I now have a plan to start walking again in the next couple of weeks. It will be nice to do something that doesn't involved bending over in the kitchen or standing over a steaming pot. 

Once again I am canning...

I love canning. Really I do. It is just that after the 500th jar I start to loose a bit of my enthusiasm. As I type I am cooking down tomatoes in order can what will hopefully be my last batch of sauce. The rest of the tomatoes will either get dehydrated or turned into pizza sauce. Earlier this evening we picked 18 pounds of green beans which will also hopefully finish up my green bean canning for this year. It ended up being a decent year despite the weather. I really felt the garden could have produced more but in hindsight it did as well as I could have hoped for given the rainy start that was followed by a drought. Next year we hope to put in a large garden at my parent's house that will give us more room to spread things out and expand our crop line.

Gift shopping...

Tomorrow night we are going to go shopping for a wedding gift for my brother. Normally buying a wedding gift would be no big deal but this time is going to be different. My brother has been single for a very long time and is in his middle 40's. If there were something he thought he needed for his home or life he would have already bought it by now. His bride did create a small registry at a local store but it isn't very detailed. I really think she took the symbol barcode scanner and went down one side of the kitchen isle and nowhere else in the store. She doesn't cook and has made it very clear that she is not intending to learn. Having been married before I would think she would be able to cook a couple things but she swears she can't cook. It seems like buying them any kitchen gear would be a waste of money given that neither of them cook. I am quite positive that they will be eating takeout for every meal or cereal. Maybe I should just buy them a couple of cases of cereal and some disposable bowls because she also doesn't intend to be homemaker. I am not really sure what she is going to do because she quit her job a few months ago and my brother says that she will not be working. It should prove to be interesting to find out what her role in their marriage will be.

The big day is coming...

On Friday my older brother will walk down the isle for the first time in his life to be married. I am glad this day is finally here. This wedding has been a cause of stress for so many people. The bride apparently had cold feet and kept everyone hanging as to whether the wedding would take place. She has issues and my brother loves her despite them. There is a part of me that has mixed feelings about the entire thing because she never discussed her hesitations about marriage with my brother. My hope is that they will be happy and bring joy to each other for a very long time. As concerned as I am about there future I will show up for the wedding and smile and be as supportive as I can be.

Busy weekend.

This weekend is going to be one of the busiest I have had in a long time. I am not really sure at this point how I am going to get everything done. We are supposed to be going camping for a couple days but need to do a bit of rv repair before that takes place. While I wait for my husband to make the repairs I am going to be canning. We are getting a couple bushels of peaches tomorrow which will need processed right away. Last night we were given a couple of bushels of early apples that are past their prime and will need processing immediately as well. We are going to try making cider out them. This will be our first time making cider and I have no idea how long it will take us. Our gardens need tended to as the the potatoes have died and there are beans just waiting to be picked. I have a bushel of tomatoes in the freezer that will need made into sauce before I run out of freezer space. So much to do in a such a short amount of time!

So much to do...

Yesterday we were gift a couple of bushel of early apples. These apples are a little past their prime and need processing fairly quickly. I also stopped this morning at our spot at the community garden and found that all of our potatoes are dead. These will need picked tonight as will our green bean plants. In the morning we have plans to travel to a pick your own peach place to get a couple of bushels of peaches. Our other intention for this weekend was to go camping. I am not quite sure how I will get this all done in a single weekend.

A good trip...

Yesterday we took a drive with the children. We went out with the intention of picking up some produce to can. Along the way we found this incredible kitchen store with virtually everything I could ever want for my kitchen. Not only did they brand new merchandise but they also had used stuff as well. It didn't matter if you were looking for used bar equipment or a new pressure canners this store had it all. I was able to find some half gallon canning jars I had been looking for and many other small items. It was quite the unexpected pleasure to stumble across this store in the middle of nowhere. I love knowing that I have a resource for those odd kitchen items I might need in the future. We were also able to find a great deal of sweet corn in bulk that was not available in our immediate area. It goes to show that sometimes you find the best stuff when you are not even trying. 

Canning and canning some more.

As I type the sun has long since set and night is upon us. I look back on this day and consider it a day well spent. We were able to process 65 ears of corn for the freezer which is a great feeling. That corn will taste amazing this winter. We also put away 6 quarts each of beans and potatoes. I also found myself canning 7 quarts of pickled cauliflower and cucumber slices that I didn't intend to can. Someone left me a bag of produce on my porch yesterday that couldn't wait until another day to be canned. I really didn't intend to can more pickles but couldn't think of any other way to preserve them. I am sure they will be appreciated by either us or someone at some point in the next year.

Weekend fun...

Last weekend we took the children out geocaching for the first time in a long time. It has been so hot and humid that the thought of going out looking for travel bugs or a custom challenge coin has been far from our minds. It is just no fun to be out in the sweltering heat looking for caches. The weather finally broke last weekend and we were able to find 3 different caches. This was a fun adventure for the kids who were starting to get a little stir crazy from being inside. Neither of my children cope well in the heat and want no part of being out in almost 100 degree weather. Hopefully this change in the weather continues for a little while and we are able to get out again looking for more caches. If you haven't tried geocaching I suggest you give it a try because it is great entertainment for the entire family.

So many fires...

This has been a week spent putting out fires. Some of them were literal fires... I accidentally put my electric tea kettle down on a hot stove burner last night and caught it on fire. Aside from that it seemed like one appliance in our house after the other decided to break. It started with our stove top which we managed to quickly and easily replace. The next day our refrigerator gave up the ghost and this required moving two other appliances around in our house to keep a running fridge in the kitchen. The day after that my waffle iron decided to burst into flames for an unknown reason. I am wondering if this is some sort of 20 year jinx? We recently celebrated 20 years of marriage and it appears our appliances are tired and worn out after all that time.

Nerdy or organized?

 A friend of mine recently went on an organizational binge. She has decided that her life is disordered and that it is time to make some changes. She called herself "nerdy" when she looked at some of her organizational tactics. One thing she did was buy a bar code scanner. At first I thought she said she had purchased a receipt printer and couldn't for the life of me figure out why she had made such a purchase. She explained that she was using the bar code scanner to catalog her book collection and download the details to a computer file. I have to admit that I have never heard of anyone else doing a similar thing but I guess given the size of her book collection it makes some sense. Personally  this is not something I would spend time doing but if it works for her then more power to her. Between you and I it seems one step beyond alphabetizing your CD or record collection.

Dry spell...

We installed a rain barrel collection system last year. Our system consists of three 55 gallon barrels linked together. Last year we never had to use our city water to irrigate our garden. This spring was incredibly wet and it seemed like we would never be able to to use our rain barrels. For some reason the rainy weather went away and we haven't had rain for a very long time. I have drained my rain barrels and they have yet to fill up. For weeks I have had to use our city water to irrigate the garden and I hate it! Not only do I hate using city water on the garden but I hate paying for water that I usually get for free. In addition we are having to water our spot at the community garden with city water. At least we aren't being flooded out which was my fear for this year given the way it started out.

A wee bit excited...

This is the first year I have attempted to grow things like pumkins, melons, and squash. I didn't have high expectations for my ability to grow these items after my cucumber crop failure last year. I am pleased to announce that I have fruit on every plant that has survived! I am particularly excited about my winter squash. I wish I had a working camera but I don't at the moment. I would be nice to have something like the casio ex camera or really any camera that would document my gardening success. One of the varieties of squash that I am growing is supposed to top the scales at 25 pounds. I would be happy with just one squash weighing that much on one plant. If all my plants have a squash that large I should be up to my ears in squash which will be wonderful

Lots of green!

We have an abundance of green in our house! No, sadly we do not have an abundance of money but rather we are over run with zucchini. I have been shredding and dehydrating zucchini for what seems like days. Last year I shredded and froze all my zukes and quickly found out how much space they take up in the freezer. This year I am dehydrating and powdering them and really like it. The zucchini make a great filler in main dishes and we love it in baking. In the powder form the kids are much less likely to turn up their noses at a speck of green in their food. In a powder form the zucchini is almost invisible.

Entering the fair...

This will be the first year that we are going to enter things in  our local fair. Our older son has desperately wanted to enter a baked good in the fair for the last couple of years. For some reason we always miss the deadline to registering to enter something in the fair. My oldest son wants to enter the brownie competition. He has been researching recipes and ideas all day. He has found everything related to brownies imaginable including  sport themed brownie pops and a recipe for black bean brownies. I haven't provided much input thus far into helping him choose a recipe because I want him to choose all on his own. I love that he is the type of kid who loves to cook and bake and is willing to participate in things like the fair. He finds fun in the simplest things which I think is a great characteristic.

Loosing it...

For whatever reason I am loosing my voice. This seems to happen to me about 3 times a year. It isn't a huge deal because I don't feel especially crummy. The thing is that it is a struggle to talk and there is a great deal of talking that takes place in our house. I spent the day canning and you would think that standing over a steaming pot of water that my voice would be happy as a clam. For whatever reason I have this thick feeling in my throat and little power in my voice. Hopefully it doesn't turn into anything else other than laryngitis because having a cold in July is absolutely no fun.

Teaching financial responsibility.

This week I took my children to the store with the intent of getting supplies for my youngest son's upcoming birthday party. Typically this is a pretty cut and dry procedure. For some reason my older son had it in his head to show every single thing in the store to his little brother and suggest that these would be good things to have at the party. I started out by ignoring this behavior but finally felt I had to address it. My older son is 12 years old and knows that when he suggests to his little brother that "we should get something" that his little brother is going to expect that certain something. Our older son is also old enough to know that we have certain limitations in our financial resources that dictate just how much we are going to spend on certain activities. When I suggested to him that he might want to buy his brother all of the toys and party decorations he was pointing out he promptly said that he didn't have the money. I then asked what was leading him to believe that I also had the money? He said that we could always take out payday advances and that he had heard all about them somewhere. This led to a long conversation about choices that his father and I will and will not make with our finances and acquiring debt. I think it is really important to have these type of ongoing conversations with my children because my parents never did. I might have made a great many choices differently in my younger years had someone honestly discussed financial responsibility with me.

Into the wild.

We are packing up for our first camping trip of the year. This year we decided that rather than take several short weekend trips that we would take just a couple of longer trips. The children are beside themselves with excitement and could hardly sleep last night. I have to admit I am looking forward to a bit of down time. My only concern this year is that the bugs have been so horrendous. We can hardly stand to be in the backyard because of the swarms of bugs. My hope is that our camp fire will drive them away to some degree. Thankfully if it gets too bad be can always go in the camper to get away from them.

Maturing...

We have just returned from our annual cherry picking excursion. This year was the first year that we let our older son get up in a ladder to pick cherries. He hasn't shown us until now that he has the coordination to hold a bucket and balance himself on a ladder until now. Prior to getting the orchard he spent the entire trip detailing how he was going to build a cherry picking device in the future using all these gadgets and possibly an omnimount. I love that the child has such a creative mind but wish he focused his energy at times on using the skills he already has to do a job. My son is forever trying to come up with ways to build things to do a job for him. I am trying to impress upon him that sometimes the best tool for the job is the one you were born with.

Cherries galore!

Every year on the weekend of the 4th of July we have a family tradition. That tradition is to go to a pick-your-own cherry orchard. Our kids absolutely love to pick fruit and cherries are no exception. This year we anticipated a poor picking season and almost didn't go. We went ahead and made the trek to the orchard and were pleasantly surprised. The season was not as good as previous years  but we did come away with 27 lbs of cherries. This was a great deal  because they were just one dollar a pound. Our local market charges three times that much. Tomorrow I will embark on preserving them in various ways. I am thankful to have the cherries and such a fun family adventure once again.

Celebrating simply...

When it comes to birthdays in our family we have very specific traditions. Our children always have a party with family and presents. When my husband and I have a birthday we tend to let the day pass simply with little hoopla. This makes no sense to my in-laws who believe that every birthday should be celebrated equally. It doesn't matter where they are in the world we can count on being expected to do something to mark their special day. If we should fail to acknowledge their special days there will be guilty phone calls to follow. I know how to get flowers delivered everywhere and can explain to you how to use an infinite array of florists such as ProFlowers Richmond Va or elsewhere. Personally, I wish they would relax their expectations just little bit but I know after 20 years that will not happen any time soon. It has actually occurred to me to set up an account of some sort to have flowers delivered to them annually on specific dates.

Simple living...

Over the last couple of years we have dramatically changed our lifestyle. I have tried to explain this to people who are not familiar with the things we have been doing but it never seems to make sense to them. Some people see our changes as becoming "hippies" whereas others see it as homesteading. The reality is that we have basically simplified our lives. We rely less on modern ways of doing things and more on "old school" ways. These ways often end up being frugal or "green" along the way. I like not needing the newest thing on the market to do a task for me. I like using a retro way to accomplish the same thing and the pride I feel in using my own hands and head to do so. I really love not relying on big box stores or supermarkets to feed my family. I guess that no one will ever get what we are doing until they wrap their heads around our reasons for these changes. Everyone will see our lives via their own perspective which will always skew our reality to them.

Shopping and saving...

My mother does not understand why I shop so much online. She has not yet wrapped her head around the convenience of online shopping. Whenever I see her she is always asking me where I found this or that item. The answer almost always is that I bought the item online. In her mind I can't possibly be saving money because I must be paying for shipping as well as the item. I have tried to explain the concept of using dropdowndeals promo codes but I might as well be speaking Chinese. It doesn't make sense to her that I can save tons of money and time by using promo codes online. Most of the items I buy online cost less than they would at my local store even with the cost of shipping. Sometimes I even find codes for free shipping and the item at a discounted price. I would rather spend a few minutes looking for an item online and get exactly what I am looking for than drive around town with the hopes of finding that item. I love to support local business but only have so much time and money to spend on extras. Shopping online allows me maximize my spending dollars.

Women in the Outdoors.

I have just returned from a day spent in the great outdoors with 200 other women. The event I attended was sponsored by the National Wild Turkey Federation and is designed to encourage women participating in outdoor sports. I have to say I had an awesome time at this event. There were so many interesting classes to take on a variety of topics. You could learn about anything from hunting to mountain biking and everything in between. I now feel very confident that I could go out fishing and be able to select the proper equipment to be successful. It was just a nice day out with other women who are interested in being active in the outdoors and do not want the intimidation that a mixed gender group might involve.

Smoothie making machine.

Lately I have been hooked on smoothies for breakfast. In the morning when the weather is cold I typically have a bowl of oatmeal. When the weather becomes more humid an ice cold smoothie is my breakfast of choice. I have been experimenting with all sorts of additives and combinations. My favorite is vanilla protein powder with lots of ice and some chia seeds. I have tried just about everything imaginable with the exception of creatine powder. My children are actually jealous of my morning drink because they think I am having ice cream while they get healthy stuff like yogurt and fruit. I cannot convince them that mommy is not having ice cream for breakfast. Because I get up before they do they have yet to see how I make my smoothies which make it impossible for them to grasp that no ice cream is involved.

Time alone.

After the children go to bed my husband and I are lucky enough to have a couple of hours together each evening. Sometimes we just do our own thing and head to our respective corners of the house. Often we find ourselves just sitting on the couch talking. This is truly special time to me. We don't have a television in the room where our couch is on purpose. We made a decision a couple of weeks ago to put the televisions in areas of the house where it would be less convenient to watch them. This has really worked out well for our family. The children are reading and playing more because it isn't much fun to watch television in the basement or whatnot. My husband and I are spending quiet time as a couple talking. This has been such a treat.

Head to toe workout.

Today I spent about 8 hours in the garden. I have been sitting at the computer for just under an hour and already feel exhausted. You don't think about it when you are gardening but it really is a workout. There is a ton of bending and reaching that goes on when you garden. I realize that many people don't want to spend time gardening and would rather visit buyliporexall.com than get dirty. There was a time when I would have hated gardening but I no longer feel that way. When I garden not only do I use my body in a positive way but I also grow great healthy food for my family. There are no other workouts that I can think of that strengthen your body and create food at the same time. I might be more encouraged to visit a gym if this were a possibility.

Surprises...

Next month I will celebrate 20 years of marriage to my wonderful husband. There are so many things I love about him. One thing I really love is that he does little things for his family without being asked. He is forever surprising myself and the children with little things that he thinks we will enjoy. Often these are things he picks up at thrift stores for next to nothing. Today he came home with a nearly new FoodSaver for me. He knew that I had my eye on a version different from the one I have but couldn't justify buying a new one. At the thrift store he found exactly what I had been looking for. This item needed a little cleaning but was in great working condition and it cost him less than $2.00. A new version of this vacuum system would have cost us around $100.00! At the same time he picked up a clip on tie that he thought our younger son would love to use for dress up. For very little money he brought home two great gifts and made smiles all around.

Entertainment.

About 3 weeks ago we had our television service put on hold. The children were behaving like hooligans and needed a bit of an attitude adjustment. Not having television has made them rely on their own ingenuity for entertainment. They have made all sorts of games up this week. I have seen pillows and a balloon become a unique version of ping pong in our living room. One day they spent the afternoon launching paper airplanes from the upstairs window into the yard. Earlier in the week they spent the day building a castle out of cardboard boxes. Initially I said the television would be gone for a month but I really think that they are more active and happier without it. They just don't realize this yet.

Gardening season...

Last summer I had no clue what I was doing when it came to gardening. We built a raised garden bed and put plants in it without a thought as to the weather. Over the last year I spent every spare minute reading about gardening and educating myself about growing certain vegetables. I am almost to the point where I feel like not knowing anything is better than having a clue. Today planted the majority of our backyard garden and I can't help but worry. Will the plants survive? Will the season be a wash because of all the rain? This year is harder because we are depending on our garden in a larger way than we did last year. Last season we were happy with whatever we got. This year we really want to produce most of our produce and not have to buy it at the farmer's market.

School is out!

This week my children started summer vacation. We work really hard during the school year to complete all of their courses ahead of schedule. By doing this they are able to enjoy a nice long summer vacation. I have spent the week sorting through their books and papers. There was a bit of document imaging I also needed to complete. Each of them is required to submit a portfolio of assignments to their teachers by the end of the school year. We also had various health forms and whatnot that needed turned in. I love tidying up at the end of the year and getting rid of all the clutter on my desk. It won't be long before we start receiving shipments of texts for next year and my desk is once again cluttered. In the meantime I am going to enjoy my empty desk and my days not spent teaching.

Not my project!

There is cooking going on in the kitchen and I have nothing to do with it! Typically if there is something in the oven or on the stove I am the one in charge of it. Tonight I am pleased to report that this is not my project and I am glad. My husband and children are in the kitchen making their first batch of beef jerky. I purchased a dehydrator a couple of weeks ago and my husband is now testing it out for making jerky. I don't mess around with raw meat and have no intention of getting involved in this particular project. I will dehydrate anything else but to be excluded from this particular family project. My husband has been buying jerky from the store and thinks making it at home would be less expensive and more tasty. I will let you know how the jerky turns out.

Complete at last!

Over a year ago my husband was in a serious car accident. The other driver was very underinsured which made the claims process tedious. Since he was at-fault we were left waiting for our insurance company to settle with his. I learned a great deal about insurance as a result of this experience. Following the accident I think I visited every website imaginable such as www.wholesaleinsurance.net trying to understand the claims process better. In the end it just became a waiting game. This week we received word that our insurance company had settled with his insurance company and that our case was closed. It is a good feeling to know that we can finally close that chapter of our lives and move on. All I can do now is hope that the other driver has learned something about insurance as well and is now properly insured.

Put it in a pot...

About six months ago we bought half a dozen free ranged chickens that had been processed locally. These chickens are raised in a wholesome and humane manner. The price was probably not as good as the local market but I like knowing the meat is natural and not pumped full of chemicals. Today I decided to try roasting one of these chickens in my dutch oven with a bottle of our home brewed beer. The chicken is just about done and it smells lovely. I had my doubts about how chicken would taste with beer because I have never done this before. If the smell is any indication of the taste we are in for a dinnertime treat. I am now contemplating placing another order for chickens for the summer.

Entertainment...

I believe that when you give a child a consequence that you need to follow through with it. I took television privileges away from my older son for a month at the beginning of this week. He needed a fairly stiff consequence for repeatedly lying to me about having done his school work. It is only a week into his punishment and I am already quite sure I need bellaplexbecause the child is giving me wrinkles. It seems like every five minutes he is asking me if we can do this or that. I can't keep a consistent stream of thought going because he keeps dinging me for something. I am trying very hard to be patient but I need him to entertain himself for a bit without asking me to help him with a project. I can see why people tell you not to give a consequence without completely considering what you are saying. I think this punishment is worse on him than it is on me.

Blocked in...

The road in front of our house is in the process of being replaced. In addition to this work the water company is also replacing the water lines in front of the house. As you can imagine this make for a huge mess and inconvenience. I looked out the window just now and there is a 6 foot trench in front of my driveway. Not only is the trench that wide but it is also that deep. I couldn't leave my house if I wanted to do so. I realize they have to do what they have to do but I had no warning that my car was being blocked in the driveway. I had intentions of taking the children to the grocery store but that is going to have to wait until the work day is over. I will be very, very glad when all of this work is over and we have a nice new road to look at it.

Envious energy...

In the walking group I belong to there are about 160 women. You might expect this group to be of a certain age group but it is not. Virtually every age is represented in this group which I think is awesome. You have women who are just becoming of an age to be considered a "woman" and woman who are well into their golden years. There are women who are still young enough to worry about wrinkles and needing bellaplex. What I love the most is the group of women who are well past enjoying the benefits of a wrinkle cream and are still active. One woman in particular just celebrated her 85th birthday. She is as fit and active as those of us in our 40's. I can only hope that when I get to that stage in life that I will want to be out there doing things and living life to the fullest.

Rain....just... go...

I cannot tell you how sick I am of rain this year. I feel almost as strongly about it as I do the snow that never ended this winter. Our yard is such a soupy mess that I can't get anything done. I know the local farmers are suffering as well. We are at least 2-3 weeks behind where we should be with our gardening. All I can hope is that spring finally does come and the rain starts to come in some sort of regular pattern. Our luck will be that the rain goes away for good and we have a horribly dry summer. People can say that global warming is not a reality but I really believe the weather has gotten crazier as the years have gone by. I don't remember anything like the weather we have today when I was a child.

Newsletter...

My oldest son is absolutely fascinated with hunting for monsters. He has bought books on the topic and researches everything imaginable online in regards to finding elusive monsters. Now that he doesn't have the television to watch he has decided to put his time to good use and is writing a newsletter about monsters. His goal is to get people to subscribe to his newsletter and then mail them copies of it. He doesn't understand why we can't just use an online printing service to print his newsletter. I have explained to him that the best choice would be to simple email people copies of his newsletter but this isn't good enough for him. He is convinced that their will be a great demand for his newsletter and that there is money to be made by selling print copies. How do you support a child in their goals and keep them grounded at the same time?

Tough love...

This week I had to make some tough decisions in regards to the behavior of my children. One of them had taken to lying to me and the other was just being disrespectful. These are new behaviors for them. To me this signifies something that is impacting their view of the world. My suspicion is that this influence is in fact too much television. We don't have cable or satellite but we do have Netflix and a Roku. These services give them almost the same programming choices as they would have if we had a regular television service. For the next month or so our family will be forgoing these services in an attempt to see if the attitudes in this house improve. The problem is that if they do improve how will I then either permanently suspend television or reintroduce it to them? Both send a backwards message...

No processed foods.

It occurred to me today while looking in my pantry that I have not a single processed food in my house at this point. There was a time when our house was stockpiled with every sort of processed food imaginable. This was also a point in time when I desperately needed something like Lipofuze and could not imagine why I couldn't loose weight. About a year ago I slowly began to wean my family off of processed food and to a more natural way of eating. All of our foods are made from scratch and come from local sources. There are very few foods that I buy at the grocery store any more. The only things I tend to buy are things like toilet paper and milk. It is weird to look in the pantry and not see it chocked full of all sorts of things to eat. On the other hand it is reassuring to know that what my children are eating is healthy and wholesome.

Bum chicken.

We have a chicken that I don't think is every going to lay an egg. The other two chickens are the same age and have been laying for over two months. This chicken shows little in the way of signs that she may be close to laying an egg. I have racked my brain and the internet trying to figure out what might be going on with her but I just don't know. At this point I am just going to call her a "dud" for now. Luckily the other two chickens lay every day and more than meet our needs for eggs at this point. I just wish I knew why she might not be laying and if there is anything I can do about it. It is good that it doesn't cost that much more to feed two chickens as opposed to three because she certainly isn't earning her keep.

Baby steps.

This weekend my older son went for his first camping trip as a full fledged Boy Scout. This was a big step for me because he went without his father to accompany him. I will admit that I was nervous the entire time because I didn't know the people he was going with or much about the other children. It was a very long night and morning until he returned. I was relieved to pick him up safe and sound from the trip. He was tired but reported that everything went fine and that the kids and the leaders were all very nice. I know this is just one small step in many more until he is a grown adult and that there will be many more trying phases in between. There will be parties, girls, and experiments with cigarettes and Padron cigars. These are simple facts of life that come with raising teenagers. I am thankful however that these life events come at you in baby steps and not all at once because I think I would be a mess otherwise.

Cider making man.

My husband has a goal for the fall. This goal is to make cider from the apples on my parent's trees. The trees were pruned by him a few weeks ago and he has high hopes for the results. He has spent every spare minute building his cider press and it is nearly completed. The next thing he needs to build is a device to crush the apples into small pieces for better pressing. He has some name for this device that escapes me at the moment. I only hope that no one looses a finger in the process. I want to see him succeed at his goal but I do wonder just how much cider he expects us all to drink?

Planning for the future.

It is always interesting when we get together with my in-laws. They are at the stage of life where retirement is in the very near future. We on the other hand have possibly 25-30 years before we retire. We have no way of knowing what the future holds for our generation. Will social security even exist when we get to retirement age? People say that programs like social security disability will always be there for people who need them. I would like to believe this is true. On the other hand I believe in preparing for whatever may come. We are in the process of minimizing our expenses in order to put every spare dime possible into our retirement accounts. My hope is that our social security will be a nice bonus in addition to what we have put aside on our own.

Purposeful gardening.

Last year we threw seeds in soil and hoped for the best. We always figured that we would buy starts from the store if our seedlings failed. We experienced minimal success with this method. Our seedlings were leggy from being started too soon and watered without regularity. This year my seedlings have been started according to the schedule suggested for my area and with proper light, heat, and water. Thus far they look outstanding and a far cry from last year's pitiful plants. I spent every spare minute this winter reading and learning about gardening and feel much more confident in my plans for this year. I know I will make mistakes but that is part of the joy of learning something new. It is nice to feel like I finally have a hobby that will benefit my entire family.

Expanding the family.

A couple of weeks ago my brother announced that he is getting married. He is 42 years old and has never been married. You can imagine that we are surprised and happy at the same time. I am a bit surprised by what they are planning for the wedding. Apparently they are going to a justice of the peace for the ceremony. Afterwards they will be having a pool party at my brother's house. Considering how old my parents are I can't see them getting into the pool to socialize without some sort of pool lift being involved. It isn't the way I would choose to celebrate my first and hopefully only wedding but I am not the one getting married. I am happy that my brother has someone in his life and wish them nothing but the best.

Mold allergy...

Several years ago I went for allergy testing. It revealed that I have allergies to mold, dust, and grasses. I didn't give this much consideration because I don't tend to come in contact with a bunch of mold on a regular basis. A couple of months ago I decided to try growing oyster mushrooms in my house on a fairly large scale. Everything was going pretty good until the mushrooms started to fruit about a week ago. I then started feeling sick and having what seemed to be an allergic reaction to an unknown substance. After 3 days of increasing symptoms it hit me that I might be allergic to the mushrooms I had been cultivating. I hadn't given it any consideration that they were a mold. I know this sounds dumb but I just thought of them as mushrooms and didn't consider the spores they would be putting in the air. Today I removed the mushrooms from the house and cleaned everything well. Almost immediately I began to feel better. So much for my oyster mushroom operation.

It should be fun.

I did something this week that I never do. People who know me on a personal level know that I am not someone who joins things. I am not a social butterfly and tend to keep to myself. I broke with tradition this week and joined a running/walking group for women. There are about 180 women from around my area that get together each week to walk and encourage each other. The group has a half session prior to each walk that focuses on fitness. They then break up into groups based on goals and skill levels and hit the streets. I am a little anxious as to who I might end up walking with but I trust it will be okay. I know the group draws women from a wide range of backgrounds. I can hold my own on pretty much any topic from Table Rock real estate to political uproar but prefer much simpler conversation. My secret hope is that the group is friendly but not cliquey and that I will see a familiar face in the crowd. As much as I dislike making small talk I also don't walk to find myself walking alone either.

I am a sucker.

The people who make seed catalogs have me pegged. They know exactly what it takes to get me to place an order. All it takes is a coupon on the cover for 50% off my order or free shipping and I am convincing myself that I need just one or two more plants. You undoubtedly already know that I am pretty frugal and I don't by much without purpose or reason. There was a time when I was drawn to shoes and pretty things but that is no longer the case. Today it is the look of a gooseberry plant or the fragrance of a Meyer lemon tree that makes my heart flutter.

Bird watching.

This morning we were thrilled to look out the window and see a couple of robins sitting on our porch. This is an important sign in our life because it make it seem like winter finally is about to come to an end. We looked out the other window shortly thereafter and saw a couple of cardinals. My son immediately wanted to find his vortex binoculars and head out in the backyard to see what else might be out and about. It is neat how something as simple as seeing a few birds can lift your winter blues. We were talking just last night about how miserable this winter has been and that it feels like it will never end. I can now say I feel encouraged that winter will come to an end and I will soon be digging in the dirt and planting things once again.

Crazy exicted!

My mother stopped by this afternoon for a visit. We talked about our gardening plans for the summer and what we hoped to accomplish. I informed my mom that I had reserved her spot at the community garden again this year. She then asked if my husband would go with her to the farm store and they left. When they returned they had with a new mini-rototiller! I cannot tell you how excited I am about this. This will make life so much more manageable at home and at the community garden. The community garden is horrifically plagued by stinging nettles. For some reason I have extreme reactions to the nettles that is about and beyond a normal reaction. This, as you can imagine, made weeding a very difficult process. Having the mini rototiller will make life so much happier this year!

The signs are there...

My oldest son is clearly beginning to have the attitude and behavior we all associate with being a teenager. He will turn 12 years old this year and is already needing to use the occasional acne treatment. Lately he wants to spend time alone in his bedroom and is very firm about wanting the door to his room closed. We are trying very hard to respect his wishes but it is hard to change habits such as walking into his room randomly. The other thing I am having a hard time adjusting to is the new moodiness he sometimes exhibits. I am not accustomed to someone stomping upstairs in response to a request to make a bed. I am trying to ignore this type of behavior because I know it is a right of passage. I just hope that this phase does not intensify greatly because I am not sure our stairs can take the stomping.

Old man winter ... go south please!

This has been a wretched winter. I seriously cannot remember the weather being worse for last 10 years or more. Usually my children could care less about what the weather holds. They just take it in stride. Hot or cold they typically do not care. My oldest however has decided that we have had more than our share of snow. He keeps asking me whether or not the groundhog saw his shadow.Today heard me mention that we are expecting a winter storm tonight and he actually got very mad. He asked me when spring was going to come? I told him that spring always come eventually but this didn't seem to make him feel any better. There was a time when the child would anxiously look out the window in hopes there would be snow falling. He would immediately rush outside to try to build a snowman at the first sight of snow. We have had so much snow and so many snowmen this winter that I believe it has just grown old and cold.

Levitating train...

My husband and older son are in the process of building a levitating train for the second time. The train is being build for the science fair sponsored by the cyber school that my son attends. The first train that they build levitated about as well as a bottle of best prenatal vitamins. Finding the right type of magnets has been quite a process. We must have bought half a dozen types of magnets and have yet to replicate the project as it was shown online. My son has a keen interest in this type of technology and reports that these are going to be the trains of the future. All I want right now is for the one in my dining room to work as it is supposed to. We can worry about saturating the market at a later date.

Research before you believe...

I have a friend who listens to Fox News with the diligence one might give to a military operation. She is a stay at home mom who has never worked outside the home. She believes absolutely every word that is spoken on her beloved news station. It is hilarious in my opinion. Listening to and repeating what you hear on any single news station or source does not make you politically informed. I don't consider myself particularly politically savvy but I do follow politics. Before I trust what I am told or read I research the topic from a variety of places. My friend however does not and does regurgitates what she hears on Fox News. She then spend her time repeating this news on Facebook or commenting on other people's websites about topics that she feels informed about after having listened to the "news". Kills me...

Hen acting like a rooster.

We have three chickens. They are all very clearly hens and two of them are laying eggs. One of them however is not laying eggs and acts very much like a rooster. I doubt that she has been taking male enhancement products but I wouldn't be surprised if she started crowing soon. I have read about hens that in rare cases will assume the role of a rooster when one is not present. We had a rooster for a brief period that we thought was a hen and subsequently found a new home for. I am wondering if one of the hens felt the need to step into his shoes? This hens struts around and acts like the king of the castle. As far as I am concerned as long as she eventually lays eggs she can act like a rooster.

Quit running ...

If I had a dollar this week for every time I said two certain words I would get rich quickly. For some reason my children are unable to walk anywhere. They need to skip, hop, jump, and run wherever they need to get to. It is cute for a couple of minutes and then it gets very old. The stomping and banging just wears on my nerves. I love my children and am thankful that they are able to run and jump and whatnot but I don't need it in the dining room and in the kitchen.Whenever they start running in circles it inspires our very barky dog to join in the fun. She is unable to run in a circle without barking very loudly. You can imagine how this sounds when you are trying to have a phone conversation or focus on a project. So, I repeat myself and repeat myself some more. In fact I decided just now that my oldest son needed to put that energy into action. I sent him to ride the exercise cycle in the basement for 20 minutes after my multiple requests to quit running went unheeded.

Waking in the middle of the night.

For some reason I keep waking up in the middle of the night and am unable to get back to sleep. It always seems to happen at the same time every night. I wake up at 3:00 AM and just lie there staring at the ceiling. I imagine that if this continues I will need to look for the best eye cream for dark circles. In the past I could generally get back to sleep by doing math calculations. For some reason the process of multiplying or dividing makes me dreadfully tired. This little trick doesn't seem to be working any longer. There must just be something going on with my internal clock that will just take time to recalibrate. Hopefully, that will happen very soon.

Differing opinions...

For about 4 years we went to church every single Sunday. We even became members of the church. While we attended that church I wanted to believe that we would ultimately feel like we "fit in". The reality was that we never really felt that way. I know that church shouldn't be about fitting in but I do feel like you need to feel comfortable with the people you are around. It wasn't until the last year that we went to that church that I was able to put my finger on why I didn't feel like I fit in. Everyone we were surrounded by was wealthy...extremely wealth by our standards. We had every bit the education they did and likely more but we were not in the same income bracket. I found myself having a hard time praying for whether someone should purchase a second home or about the warranty on their $2,000 kitchen sink. I also found myself feeling angry when the assumption was made that we all held the same political views. I like to think that I can still think for myself and not have my opinions dictated to me by someone at church...I might be wrong on it all but I would like to think God doesn't expect us to be clones of one another.

Finally melting!

We have finally had a break in the weather in our neck of the woods! For the last two days the temperature has gotten above 40 degrees. I cannot tell you how thankful we are for this. My husband went out on our roof last weekend and spent the afternoon shoveling snow and ice off of it. We were concerned that all of the snow was either going to collapse our porch roof or potentially fall on our camper. I don't know if our rv insurance would cover that type accident or not. Several people in our town had their campers and boats ruined when a local storage facility collapsed last week. We had almost placed our camper there and I am so very glad we didn't. With the warmer weather the remaining snow and ice on our roof has almost completely melted. This is a big relief because there is more snow forecast for our area next weekend.

Things forgotten~

I purchased a couple of new domains today. It has been a very long time since I have done that. They were a spur of the moment purchase and are related to a topic near to my heart. I am actively involved in living a sustainable lifestyle on an urban mini-farm. The websites I purchased will be focused on topics specific to my experiences as an urban mini-farmer. I purchased the website because the domain names I had in mind were available. It is becoming increasingly hard to find available domains that don't have names that are completely wacky. I have been spending the afternoon getting the sites set up and can't believe how much I have forgotten about the process. I am hoping to have a space to post information that is topic specific and will be interesting to other people attempting to have an urban mini-farm.

Why we have rules...

Children need rules. Anyone who is actively involved in raising children realizes this fact. Whenever we are at an event or gathering I can almost immediately tell the people who do not have children. They are the people who have no qualms about serving children chocolate cake slathered in icing or cherry drinks to eat in the living room. You only have to try scrubbing either of these out of upholstery fabric on time to know that it is a bad idea. Children and upholstery are a tough combination. My children know that we eat at the dining room table or in the kitchen. We don't have drinks in the living room because it never ends well.

City Smallholding

This is week there is a flap going on in the world of city farming or homesteading. Apparently the terms I would like to describe this lifestyle have been trademarked and I am not able to use the words I would like to use lest I be infringing upon this trademark. The type of lifestyle I am referring to is embarked upon by those living in an urban area. These people replicate as closely as they can the lifestyle choices of those who live on a country homestead. Take out the word country and insert "urban" and you have the words which are now trademarked. It sickens me to think that people think it necessary to trademark these words. It is as bad as what Monsanto is doing in terms of owning seeds and the rights to grow those seeds. Trademarking a lifestyle choice is just so gay! What is someone trademarked -gay, heterosexual and so on? Would be then all have to come up with new names for ourselves lest we be threatened with legal action? So, in response to these dolts I have bought the domains - City Smallholding and City Smallhold. I may not be able to call myself an urban H*M#S&E'D!R any longer but I can call myself a city smallholder - for now.

I have a parrot.

Today has been one of those days where my children have been wearing on me just a little bit. You likely already know that I spend every day all day with my kids. I love them dearly but even I have a limit to how much I can tolerate before my patience wears thin. This day has left me wondering if I have a child or a parrot. Each and everything I say my older son has felt compelled to repeat. It wouldn't matter is I said "Diet pills fat burners" or told him to take his shower because the child would repeat it. I have actually wondered if I have been speaking a foreign language today. I know that he is just trying to process what I am saying and confirm what he heard. Typically I ignore all the repetition but I can tell you right now I cannot do this today. I think I need a couple of quiet hours to myself and it will all be okay.

Of the age....

Turning 40 has been interesting. It almost seems like this is age is a turning point. I feel like I have entered a special club or something. There are article written specifically for people over the age of 40. My doctor has special guidelines for women over the age of 40. I am now one of those lucky women who gets to have a mammogram each and every year. I don't mind doing this but it feels kind of weird to be of the "age". I have never felt any older that I did in my 20's. I suppose there are people who look at me and see a middle age women but I don't feel like that. I frequently run into people I went to high school with and wonder if I look as old as they do? I feel like I have so much life left to live and yet there are people who see me as having already lived half my life.

Thryroid test

One of the tests my doctor ordered for me is one to assess my thyroid function. I requested this because I have been working very hard to loose weight and it is not working. I am limiting my calories to 1,400 or less per day and working out for an hour a day. The scale has not budged in the 3 months I have been following this plan. I am very close to finding out what the top 10 diet pills and adding them to my repertoire. I don't like taking pills and will likely try to stay away from anything that like that but I have considered it. She said that testing my thyroid would be a good idea given how strict I am being with my eating and exercise. I doubt the test will show anything but it would be nice to be able to rule that out as a contributing factor to my lack of progress.

Cluster headache

During my visit with the doctor today I discussed my ongoing allergy issue or what seemed like allergies. For a long time I have had these reactions that seem sort of like an allergic reaction. The weird thing is that is only seems to impact one side of my head. I have tried a bunch of allergy pills and none seem to have an impact on these attacks. The attacks would come randomly with nothing would seem to be causing them. In describing my symptoms to the doctor she came to the conclusion that I might be having cluster headaches. While I am not thrilled with this diagnosis I am happy to know that there are some options I can try to possibly control them. Allergy medicines are not having an impact and I hopeful that the new medications she prescribed might help me.

Almost a year.

I was going through a box of papers I had been hanging onto and found several reports from my husband's car accident last year. It has been almost a year since he was in the accident and has thankfully totally recovered. Prior to the accident I had been considering investigating cheap car insurance quotes to see if we could save some money. This plan was put on hold because the accident left us with tons of insurance issues to take care of. I didn't want to change carriers in the midst of dealing with all the bills associated with the accident. Our carrier was so easy to work with that I haven't given another thought to switching to another insurance provider. I can't believe how fast the year has gone. I am just so thankful to be on the other side of that horrible event and to have my husband here beside me.

Routine checkup.

I just returned from a visit with the doctor. I am not someone who routinely or well ever goes to the doctor. I finally decided it was time to get everything checked out to make sure I am in decent health. One of the reasons I don't go to the doctor's is because I feel like most of the time my concerns are dismissed. It takes a great deal for me to feel a problem is large enough to warrant a visit to the doctor's. To take the time to schedule and appointment and wait to see the doctor only to be dismissed is more that frustrating. I have finally found someone I feel listens and understands that I need major motivation to come to see them. It was nice to leave the office feeling like I was heard and that my concerns had validity.

Wish list ...

There are very few things that I can say I really want that I don't have. Most of things that I want are things that are part of a bigger project or plan that will benefit my entire family. When it comes to thing or belongings that are for me the list become incredibly short. For the last year I have tried very hard not to be swayed by the glitzy marketing of products that we are told we need but we really don't need. I have learned that there is a difference between things we "need" and things we "want". To be honest there is just a couple of things that I want but can't justify as really needing. I love technology and have lusted after a product like the Galaxy Tablet PC for some time. I would love to be able to have a portable device that would allow me to multiple things on a single piece of equipment. Mostly I just want a hand held device for reading books. As much as I love the feel of a book in my hands it would be nice to have all my books in a single portable device.

This year will be easier.

The start of a new year always causes me to reflect on the year that has passed. Last year was a year of ups and downs. My husband started off the year with a serious car accident that left him laid up for several months. We spent the summer learning the ins and outs of gardening and trying to live sustainably. In the fall I began homeschooling our younger son in addition to his older brother. We paid off all of our credit card debt and began truly living within our means by making only purchases that were true necessities versus "wants". So much in our lives has evolved that I can't begin to put it all into words in a single post. The world is different because we are living differently. Almost loosing my husband caused me to realize that life really can throw you for a loop when you least expect it. It forced me to look at how we were living in this world and what truly matters. I feel like that one event spurred us on the path to the life we have been meant to live.

Staying current...

Since leaving my professional career a few years ago I have had little time to think about what I walked away from. About a month ago I decided to investigate exactly what I would need to do if I ever decided to pursue healthcare jobs once again. As it turns out there is not much I would need to do to go back to work in my profession. The biggest thing I would need to do is take some continuing education classes in order to get back up to speed on changes in my field. Even though I don't plan to return any time in the very near future I feel it is important for me to stay current and keep my licenses active. I know that you never know when life is going to throw you a curve ball that makes returning to work an absolute must. My goal for the next few months is to complete as many continuing education units as I can and then to reactivate my licenses to practice.

Life like Grandma...

Growing up I spent about 50% of my time at my grandmother's house. It was a happy place to be and I sought out as many reasons as possible to be there as I could. I have to say that I believe the person I am today is a direct result of the time I spent there as a child. It is funny how much I rely on the skills my grandmother taught in the course of my life today. My grandmother was a very self-sufficient woman and had little need for the conveniences of modern life. She taught me to do so many things simply by letting me observe her and help her in the tasks of her daily life. For much of my adult life I put these skills on hold because there just wasn't time for canning, gardening, and sewing when we lived in the big city. My quest for a high powered career didn't leave room for these types of activities. As we have changed our priorities over the last couple of years I have found myself opening my life to so many skills my grandmother taught me. I have to believe that she is looking down from Heaven with more pride in her eyes about my full pantry than she ever did my collegiate adventures.

Rate caps.

This week the electricity rate caps in our area expired. We had been warned that we can expect our electricity bills to raise dramatically. It is possible that our bills will be as much a 40% higher than in the year prior. We have made a number of changes in our home and lives to anticipate this event. Our bathroom lighting fixtures now feature energy efficient light bulbs. We have also switched many of our electronic devices from tradition power strips to smart power strips. I have been line drying as much of our clothes as possible to limit the use of our clothes dryer. The children have been being trained to turn off whatever lights they are not using. Yesterday, I picked up discounted LED light bulbs to use on our Christmas tree next year. I have made as many changes as I possible can but wish there were more I could do. I would install solar panels but that is just not in our budget right now. I am anxious to see what our first electric bill under the new rate plan is going to be.

Words that help...

In my life I can think of a handful of people who are going through some seriously difficult times. They have either buried those so close to them or are in the process of saying goodbye to someone near and dear. I have such a hard time finding the right words or knowing when to speak and when not to. In one case a parent is caring for a child battling cancer for the second time. Their child is so, so young and is fighting so hard but the battle seems impossible to win. I want and pray desperately for this child to be completely healed. I simply don't know what to say other than this. I know this mother is looking for people to strengthen and support her and given that I cannot physically be where she is I can only do so via words. I just wish those words came more clearly and easily and that I could convey the words in my heart.

Everything and more.

Each and every year I am always amazed by the sheer volume of the gifts that my children receive. They are the only grandchildren on either side of the family. This means that they are spoiled rotten by countless people. I try very hard not to go overboard when I buy for them because I know that they will get more gifts than any child should. I can honestly say that this year there is not a single thing that they asked for that they did not find under the tree. This isn't to say that they ask for expensive gifts or anything but they do get what they ask for. I have no doubt that if my children took a notion to ask for blue diamonds that they would in fact be given them by one of their indulgent grandparent's. Thankfully, they ask for pretty basic things like building or chemistry sets. My older son put rechargeable batteries on every list he made. He realized that many of the toys that he already has could be used more often if he had an endless supply of batteries. You have to love a child that thinks like that. I can see why people would want to spoil him.

Sqeezo

Santa brought me a gift that I could not be more excited about! He brought me a real and all metal Squeezo! I had hoped for a plastic Squeeze type device and could not have dreamed that I would get a metal one. It is a kitchen utensil for making all kinds of sauces and purees. It will be indispensable in the coming year when it comes to canning tomato juice and applesauce. I am absolutely thrilled with this gift and cannot believe that my in-laws ( I mean Santa) bought me such a generous gift. I love that it is one of these items that you can still buy that are designed to last a lifetime. So few things anymore are made to last like that and it is a joy to own and know how to use such a cool device.

New plan.

In the last month I have decided to give using supplements a try. I have never been a person who has been good at taking medicine or keeping track of this type of stuff. The only thing I have successfully done for any length of time is use various acne treatments and take my allergy pills. I decided to give supplements a try because I had been doing a great deal of reading about various health issues that have been linked to deficiencies in certain things in the body. I can already tell a difference in my body when I forget to take a couple of the things on my list. It is nice to see some positive results in areas like my sleeping patterns and general feeling of well being. I had been having a really hard time sleeping at night but am now sleeping like a baby. Hopefully, this is all real and not just a placebo effect taking placing in my mind.