So, did you decide to buy one of those places in New Jersey? Nah, me neither. I am sticking right here in my 100 acre wood, in my double wide without a mortgage. Of course, we are still paying our mortgage for the house in Ohio.
I am looking at this site about home loans. They really do have some good information. There is a link called mortgage 101. The mortgage calculator link was interesting. It will calculate how much income you need to qualify for a loan, how making extra payments will change your overall payments, whether you should refinance and lots of other options.
But on the home page there is a tool to get current mortgage rates based your location, type of dwelling and general credit. Out of curiosity, I was going to check the rates for West Virginia, but it was spelled West virginia. At first I was offended. I thought maybe it was a jab at my state, and then I noticed we were not alone. There was New jersey, North and South carolina, Rhode island and well every state with two words has only the first word capitalized.
I know I am not perfect with my spellings and grammar. I do proof read and still sometimes someone will point out an error or I will go and read a post weeks later and see a blunder, but this is just me talking with you. I am not a business or a professional. I do not make the same error repeatedly in a post. (do I?) Will someone please tell these people that both words of a name are proper nouns! I feel the urge to break out the red pen from my teaching days, and I wasn't even an English teacher!
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Monday, September 11, 2006
Ding - Time is Up!
Before we got pregnant with Vivian (our fourth) we thought, "This will probably be our last, but we aren't sure." A wise friend of ours once told us that you shouldn't make a decision about having more kids while pregnant or with a newborn. Tim and I agreed with his logic. The mom is hormonal. The family dynamic is changing. There is added stress. Of course, this friend has eight kids so maybe he wasn't the best one to listen too. Yet, we decided to wait until Vivian was six months old to talk about the issue.
The last trimester of my pregnancy was hard. I know it could have been much worse. I didn't have health problems. I wasn't on bed rest. I was just very tired, grumpy and uncomfortable, much more so than with any of the others. If you had asked me then if we would have more kids, the answer would have been, "I seriously doubt it, but there is a slight chance."
Then she was born. She was difficult. Check my March archives. Again it could have been worse, but I was stressed! More kids? "Are you out of your mind?" And she got easier and the maybes started to creep back in.
Vivian was six months old about a week ago. I am really torn. There are plenty of practical reasons to stop with four. There are times where I feel like I am barely treading water with four. Times where I am ready to pick up the phone and make Tim a doctor's appointment for a little snip snip.
I do enjoy the kids though, most of the time. I love to watch them grow and figure everything out. I love how they are all so different and similar at the same time. I love the lessons they are learning from having siblings to deal with. (I do have to remind myself of that when they are screaming at each other!) I love kids. It is not your typical kindergarten teacher, warm fuzzy type of love for kids, but I do love them.
If I was younger I think we'd have more. Yes, there are plenty of women older than I still having babies, but as I said this last one was physically draining. And I am at the age where pregnancy starts to become more risky. Tim also always looks to the other end. How old will we be when the kids are gone? Right now I will already be my parents’ age. Their kids have been adults for awhile. I think, "If I was them, would I still want kids at home?"
I think I do know deep down that Vivian will be our last, but I am having a hard time making that a permanent decision. I have friends who did the snip snip and now want another child. How many people do I know who thought they were done and *surprise*. The surprise was such a blessing. I guess there is no rush to make a permanent decision. I am surprised that this is such a hard decision to make. I would love to hear your perspective.
The last trimester of my pregnancy was hard. I know it could have been much worse. I didn't have health problems. I wasn't on bed rest. I was just very tired, grumpy and uncomfortable, much more so than with any of the others. If you had asked me then if we would have more kids, the answer would have been, "I seriously doubt it, but there is a slight chance."
Then she was born. She was difficult. Check my March archives. Again it could have been worse, but I was stressed! More kids? "Are you out of your mind?" And she got easier and the maybes started to creep back in.
Vivian was six months old about a week ago. I am really torn. There are plenty of practical reasons to stop with four. There are times where I feel like I am barely treading water with four. Times where I am ready to pick up the phone and make Tim a doctor's appointment for a little snip snip.
I do enjoy the kids though, most of the time. I love to watch them grow and figure everything out. I love how they are all so different and similar at the same time. I love the lessons they are learning from having siblings to deal with. (I do have to remind myself of that when they are screaming at each other!) I love kids. It is not your typical kindergarten teacher, warm fuzzy type of love for kids, but I do love them.
If I was younger I think we'd have more. Yes, there are plenty of women older than I still having babies, but as I said this last one was physically draining. And I am at the age where pregnancy starts to become more risky. Tim also always looks to the other end. How old will we be when the kids are gone? Right now I will already be my parents’ age. Their kids have been adults for awhile. I think, "If I was them, would I still want kids at home?"
I think I do know deep down that Vivian will be our last, but I am having a hard time making that a permanent decision. I have friends who did the snip snip and now want another child. How many people do I know who thought they were done and *surprise*. The surprise was such a blessing. I guess there is no rush to make a permanent decision. I am surprised that this is such a hard decision to make. I would love to hear your perspective.
Carnival of Family Life
Today's Carnival is hosted at Snapshot. There are lots of good reads and I love Snapshots layout. Check out today's entries.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Remembering September 11, 2001
I was about halfway through my pregnancy with Lydia. I was teaching eighth grade history at a rural middle school. It was early in the school year and we were still getting settled in.I don't remember what we were actually studying, maybe Civil War. While teaching you are in your own little world. I had no clue what was going on in the world outside my classroom, until lunch.
The eighth grade team had one of the early lunch periods. We all ate together. One of the teachers pulled me aside and said that we were all meeting in the library. The library? That is odd. I went about my normal, which at that time included a trip to the restroom and grabbing my lunch from the fridge.
Entering the library I see the team glued to the TV. Whats up? Then I saw replay after replay of the plane, the fires, the collapse, the pentagon, and a possibly related crash in Pennsylvania. How did the world fall apart during my morning classes?
Stunned and shocked, I don't think any of us really talked. Initially we asked the librarian (who was able to watch most of the morning) if anyone knew what had happened. Of course no one did and after that there wasn't much to do or say.
Our lunch period was short and students would be back in a few minutes. How do we handle this? What should we say? My initial reaction was this is history happening. Let's tell them, let's watch the news, let's talk about it. The rest of the team was older and wiser and suggested that we say nothing unless they brought it up. That their parents should be the first to discuss this with them. That is what we did.
The rest of the afternoon was spent trying to go through the "normal" while sneaking to the library for a quick update and trying to process the events that occurred. None of the students ever seemed to know that something terrible had happened.
The next days and weeks were spent talking about it. We mourned and reacted with the rest of the country. I laminated the newspapers. (Wishing now I had saved them but I left them at the school when I quit) We talked about the latest findings. We watched news reports. Occasionaly, we studied what was on my lesson plans.
We did a special project. They were supposed to make a poster to tribute what America is. I wanted to emphasize the good. (Looking back now I see this was probably part of the swell of patriotism that occurred. ) I wanted to move the focus from the images burned in our brains of the towers on fire and falling, of the people running, covered in soot and debris of the rubble and those missing. I emphasized over and over again that it was not to be about 9/11, but apparently the students couldn't let those images go. About 1/4 of the posters had the towers as the central image.
It is amazing to me, five years later, how fresh some of those memories are, yet some things are blurry I wish I would have been blogging then. I wish I would have written it all down.
Shannon has shared her memories and is giving us the opportunity to share with her and her readers also. In reading others memories, I was surprised at how quickly the emotions from that day rose to the surface. It is a deep wound that is still healing.
If you would like to share your memories or read the memories of others please do so here.
I've been interviewed.
I've been interviewed by "5 Minutes for Mom".Have you seen 5 Minutes for Mom? They have a mom blogs and mom-owned webstores directory where you can have your site listed with a detailed, full page writeup. It's owned by twin sisters who run a couple of toy stores with pedal planes and wooden toys. They're on a mission to encourage moms to read more mom blogs and shop more at mom-owned stores. We moms need to stick together and we might as well spoil our kids together!
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Sophie the Sofa??!
So as the story goes. Mamaw and Papaw are looking for a sofa. They currently have no living room furniture. Papaw buys the ad bulletins to search for a good deal. He comes home with this.
Not a sofa, but they named her Sophie!
Sophie is pretty, but not broken. The previous owner did not work with her. She is starting to warm up to us. She is bred and we expect her to foal in May.
We don't have pasture. We are a 100 acre wood. The neighbor (JS) has pasture and a barn that was not being used. So Sophie is there. Another neighbor has three miniature ponies who kept getting out. So JS said to put them in his pasture. The ponies are mostly gentle, but had not been well taken care of. The other neighbor gave us permission to care for and use them. We had to cut their manes and tails because we were unable to get the tangles and burrs out. The kids have ridden some. (Papaw leads them) Kellen is almost too big for the ponies already. Maybe we will have to get a full sized one for him. The kids really enjoy going to see them and brushing them and of course feeding them treats.
Oh the memories. When I was in grade school we had two ponies. A friend (TW) and I rode those ponies everywhere. We had no clue what we were doing. We started riding bare back with only a lead halter and baler twine reins. (They were gentle ponies!) I ran into TW at the homecoming. We reminisced about those days. Turns out she just bought a pony for her daughters too!
Papaw also brought back three hens as part of the deal. Here he and the kids are building a coop.
Kellen "milks" (family joke) the chickens and so far there has been just one egg a day. We are trying to get the dog and chickens used to each other and are hoping to let them free range. So there are the happenings around the wood.
The next animal addition we are thinking of is a doe rabbit. We have had a buck for awhile (thanks to Delilah) but we would like him to, well as we tell the kids, get married and have babies. The babies will be sold or eaten. So far the kids think that is a good idea, but I am wondering how Lydia will be when it really happens. I remember as a kid when our rabbits were butchered. Traumatic!
Oh and also a rooster so the hens can hatch chicks in the spring. And who knows what else may show up on our "farm"
We don't have pasture. We are a 100 acre wood. The neighbor (JS) has pasture and a barn that was not being used. So Sophie is there. Another neighbor has three miniature ponies who kept getting out. So JS said to put them in his pasture. The ponies are mostly gentle, but had not been well taken care of. The other neighbor gave us permission to care for and use them. We had to cut their manes and tails because we were unable to get the tangles and burrs out. The kids have ridden some. (Papaw leads them) Kellen is almost too big for the ponies already. Maybe we will have to get a full sized one for him. The kids really enjoy going to see them and brushing them and of course feeding them treats.
Oh the memories. When I was in grade school we had two ponies. A friend (TW) and I rode those ponies everywhere. We had no clue what we were doing. We started riding bare back with only a lead halter and baler twine reins. (They were gentle ponies!) I ran into TW at the homecoming. We reminisced about those days. Turns out she just bought a pony for her daughters too!
Papaw also brought back three hens as part of the deal. Here he and the kids are building a coop.
Kellen "milks" (family joke) the chickens and so far there has been just one egg a day. We are trying to get the dog and chickens used to each other and are hoping to let them free range. So there are the happenings around the wood.
The next animal addition we are thinking of is a doe rabbit. We have had a buck for awhile (thanks to Delilah) but we would like him to, well as we tell the kids, get married and have babies. The babies will be sold or eaten. So far the kids think that is a good idea, but I am wondering how Lydia will be when it really happens. I remember as a kid when our rabbits were butchered. Traumatic!
Oh and also a rooster so the hens can hatch chicks in the spring. And who knows what else may show up on our "farm"
Beta update
I really do like this Blogger Beta. It makes working with your template so much easier. (not that I have everything done I'd like to!) I do have one frustration though. I can't log in to leave comments on blogs that still use classic blogger. You would think it wouldn't be that big a deal, but it is really bugging me! I have to post anonymously. Then I add my name to the comment and because there are several Stephanies out there I add 100 Acre Wood. It is just that much more to type. Then on top of that other bloggers can't get to my profile and blog from my comments! UGH! So come on y'all . . . switch! It would be so much easier for me! And of course that is what it is all about! (You know I am joking right?)
update!
Add to this that I can't get pictures to load today. It worked for me before! What is the deal! I have a post ready to go except the pictures! Hopefully I will get it up later today.
update!
Add to this that I can't get pictures to load today. It worked for me before! What is the deal! I have a post ready to go except the pictures! Hopefully I will get it up later today.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Wordless Wednesday
The Farm GirlSee more Wordless Wednesdays or post your own at Five Minutes for Mom
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
The newest cousin
This weekend we visited Tim's family in Fredericksburg. It was a busy weekend. We all had a lot of fun. We got to meet the kids newest (and only on that side of the family) cousin, Gage. Here they all are.
We went to the annual homecoming. Fredericksburg is a small town. Many residents have lived there their entire lives as did their parents and grandparents. Tim and I both grew up there.
The homecoming is very "small town" I mean that in a good way. It is a fundraiser for the local fire department. It is a volunteer fire department that has no tax levy support. Volunteers do all the work for the event from making creamed chicken and homemade desserts to washing the trays and working the games. The local high school band plays and there are carnival type games.
But most of the "entertainment" is just sitting around talking with friends and family you haven't seen for awhile and the ones you see all the time. I saw several old friends from school. And no, I don't just mean high school. These are people I went to school with from first grade on. It was nice to touch base again.
Another high light from the weekend; Kellen learned to play poker. (no money, just fun!) Tim and I played the last time we were there, and of course Kellen wanted to learn too. And learn he did. I figured he might get the hands but not really how to play it. I was dead wrong. He knew what he was doing. One hand in particular stands out. He had a good hand, but he never let on. He bet slow, lured us all in and took all our chips. He plays better than I do. (ok that isn't saying much, but still!)
We came home Sunday night and spent Monday doing stuff around the house. I bought groceries at an auction. This is the second time I've gone there it is kind of fun and there are good deals. Maybe I will blog about it sometime, but for now I will leave it at that. Hope you had a relaxing long weekend!
We went to the annual homecoming. Fredericksburg is a small town. Many residents have lived there their entire lives as did their parents and grandparents. Tim and I both grew up there.The homecoming is very "small town" I mean that in a good way. It is a fundraiser for the local fire department. It is a volunteer fire department that has no tax levy support. Volunteers do all the work for the event from making creamed chicken and homemade desserts to washing the trays and working the games. The local high school band plays and there are carnival type games.
But most of the "entertainment" is just sitting around talking with friends and family you haven't seen for awhile and the ones you see all the time. I saw several old friends from school. And no, I don't just mean high school. These are people I went to school with from first grade on. It was nice to touch base again.
Another high light from the weekend; Kellen learned to play poker. (no money, just fun!) Tim and I played the last time we were there, and of course Kellen wanted to learn too. And learn he did. I figured he might get the hands but not really how to play it. I was dead wrong. He knew what he was doing. One hand in particular stands out. He had a good hand, but he never let on. He bet slow, lured us all in and took all our chips. He plays better than I do. (ok that isn't saying much, but still!)
We came home Sunday night and spent Monday doing stuff around the house. I bought groceries at an auction. This is the second time I've gone there it is kind of fun and there are good deals. Maybe I will blog about it sometime, but for now I will leave it at that. Hope you had a relaxing long weekend!
Friday, September 01, 2006
Frugal Fridays
Today's Frugal Fridays topic is about eating out cheap with the kids. You can find it at Stop the Ride!
Hope you have a great and relaxing long weekend and that the weather is better there than here. We have had rain for days and looks like for the weekend too. Enjoy your time with your family!
Hope you have a great and relaxing long weekend and that the weather is better there than here. We have had rain for days and looks like for the weekend too. Enjoy your time with your family!
Window Treatments
We have been in our house for almost a year now and I still don't have any window treatments up. The kids bedrooms have mini blinds that were there when we bought the house and the living room has vertical blinds with many blinds missing. Decorating is not at the top of my list as you can tell! :) Part of me just doesn't want anything on the windows. It isn't like the neighbors can see in, and I like to see the outside. But along with the organizing I have been doing, I have been thinking about window treatments for a couple of reasons.
When the moon is bright it has actually woken me up. At about 3 AM on a clear night the moon shines right in the window on my side of the bed. The way the windows are put in it is very difficult to paint around them, so many of the frames have paint on them. It would be nice to cover that up a bit. I have also thought something on the windows would help with the heat and A/C costs.
So what to get? Any suggestions? We have always just had the cheap mini blinds, maybe it is time for something else. I like these bamboo shades. These real wood blinds are pretty and on sale! These light filtering ones look good too, but I wonder if they would stop the moon.
I hate to spend a bunch of money on this place though. Hopefully we will start building, and I won't need window treatments in the new house! :) Ok well I may need some, but not a lot. Maybe I should just make something for here or just buy the cheap ones for the windows that really need something. (like the one the moon shines in!) What do you think?
When the moon is bright it has actually woken me up. At about 3 AM on a clear night the moon shines right in the window on my side of the bed. The way the windows are put in it is very difficult to paint around them, so many of the frames have paint on them. It would be nice to cover that up a bit. I have also thought something on the windows would help with the heat and A/C costs.
So what to get? Any suggestions? We have always just had the cheap mini blinds, maybe it is time for something else. I like these bamboo shades. These real wood blinds are pretty and on sale! These light filtering ones look good too, but I wonder if they would stop the moon.
I hate to spend a bunch of money on this place though. Hopefully we will start building, and I won't need window treatments in the new house! :) Ok well I may need some, but not a lot. Maybe I should just make something for here or just buy the cheap ones for the windows that really need something. (like the one the moon shines in!) What do you think?
Thursday, August 31, 2006
What is it about four year olds?
Why are four year olds so funny? It isn't just my four year old either. I have seen several posts in the last few weeks about the funny things they say. Here are the latest from my four year old.
The other day Mamaw was running some errands with the kids and I. I was telling her about a local restaurant Tim's coworker recommended. It is called Cajun Kitchen. We were close to it so we thought we drive by for a look. When we pull up Lydia says, "But mommy where is the cage?" (cage-in-kitchen)
Last night Mamaw was telling the kids how excited she was about the new horse and that she had waited her whole life to have a horse. Lydia's response, "I have waited my whole life too Mamaw."
And today, she went to get a pair of socks. When she brought them to me, I commented that those socks looked too small. Proudly she says, "I know I am just growing up too fast!"
She keeps me laughing!
The other day Mamaw was running some errands with the kids and I. I was telling her about a local restaurant Tim's coworker recommended. It is called Cajun Kitchen. We were close to it so we thought we drive by for a look. When we pull up Lydia says, "But mommy where is the cage?" (cage-in-kitchen)
Last night Mamaw was telling the kids how excited she was about the new horse and that she had waited her whole life to have a horse. Lydia's response, "I have waited my whole life too Mamaw."
And today, she went to get a pair of socks. When she brought them to me, I commented that those socks looked too small. Proudly she says, "I know I am just growing up too fast!"
She keeps me laughing!
Introducing. . .
I decided to start another blog. In looking over my posts here. I realized that my posting habits have changed. I started this blog to keep out of state family and friends up to date on our family adventures. I love that I have made new friends here too!
I noticed that I am not posting our stories as much. I haven't told you about how much Nolan is talking or how Vivian is starting to move around, or the latest funny things Lydia has said or how Kellen has fallen in love with some neglected ponies. I haven't even told you about the horse Mamaw and Papaw purchased or the chickens we may be getting and the pen Papaw and the kids built.
I enjoy Frugal Fridays and I would like to try some making money on the Internet things. Yet they seem to be crowding out the family stories. Adventures in the 100 Acre Wood is about the family stories. So I am going to move the more frugal, get out of debt, money type things I want to write about over to Stop the Ride!
It is still a work in progress, (actually there are a bunch of changes I want to make to both blogs after switching them to beta. ) but check it out. Frugal Fridays will be there tomorrow. And now back to the stories of the Adventures in the 100 Acre Wood.
I noticed that I am not posting our stories as much. I haven't told you about how much Nolan is talking or how Vivian is starting to move around, or the latest funny things Lydia has said or how Kellen has fallen in love with some neglected ponies. I haven't even told you about the horse Mamaw and Papaw purchased or the chickens we may be getting and the pen Papaw and the kids built.
I enjoy Frugal Fridays and I would like to try some making money on the Internet things. Yet they seem to be crowding out the family stories. Adventures in the 100 Acre Wood is about the family stories. So I am going to move the more frugal, get out of debt, money type things I want to write about over to Stop the Ride!
It is still a work in progress, (actually there are a bunch of changes I want to make to both blogs after switching them to beta. ) but check it out. Frugal Fridays will be there tomorrow. And now back to the stories of the Adventures in the 100 Acre Wood.
Blogger Beta
Have you seen bloggers new program? Check on your dashboard. I know they are making it available a little at a time so it may not be there, but if it is, have you switched over yet? I did last night, (I also started a new blog, still setting it up, but more on that later.) and it is awesome. You can manage your links and add elements without html language. You can make labels for your posts. It is all so much easier. I am still messing with stuff so you may see some changes here soon. FYI to access the new tools you have to update your template. It took me awhile to figure that out.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Festival of Frugality #37
Yesterday's festival was hosted at Blogging Away Debt. Here is what I liked.
Get Cheap Food at the Farmers Market. I don't agree that farmers markets are necessarily cheaper. I don't find that to be true here, but I do like what they suggest about going at the end of the day to get your produce cheaper. As a matter of fact a friend at church showed up with a box of bananas on Sunday and told everyone to help themselves. They had gone to the flea market and at the end of the day and purchased a whole case of bananas for $4.
Young and Broke shares some good tips she recently read about frugal cooking. I especially like the one about spices. In fact I was considering posting on that subject this Friday.
No Credit Needed tells you how you can get free shipping boxes from eBay and the post office.
Hope you find some good frugal information!
Get Cheap Food at the Farmers Market. I don't agree that farmers markets are necessarily cheaper. I don't find that to be true here, but I do like what they suggest about going at the end of the day to get your produce cheaper. As a matter of fact a friend at church showed up with a box of bananas on Sunday and told everyone to help themselves. They had gone to the flea market and at the end of the day and purchased a whole case of bananas for $4.
Young and Broke shares some good tips she recently read about frugal cooking. I especially like the one about spices. In fact I was considering posting on that subject this Friday.
No Credit Needed tells you how you can get free shipping boxes from eBay and the post office.
Hope you find some good frugal information!
Moving to NJ?
Since moving here about a year ago, I have met many people who have moved here from NJ. It is kind of funny to hear that Jersey accent mixed in with the WV accent. Of course, being from the Midwest, I have no accent! :) People have asked us, and I am sure our New Jersey friends also, "Why would you move to WV?" Well if I was from Jersey I would be answering, "Have you seen the price of our real estate?"
Today I was looking at Jersey Shore Real Estate web site and wow is it expensive there. One property I saw was a two acre lot. Ok just two acres of land, no buildings and the price. . . Take a guess. . . how about almost $5 million???!!!!!! Granted this does look like a beautiful and unique piece of land on a river, but $5 million!? I'll take my 100 acres in the woods that cost pocket change compared to that, thank you very much.
Besides oogling at houses that I will never buy, (the lowest price I saw was $295,000 for a two bedroom home) I did find some helpful and interesting information. I thought Ten Tips for Selecting a Realtor was pretty helpful. We have only purchased one home (and are trying to sell one!) and used a friend of ours, but I really wouldn't know how to find a realtor if I needed one. These tips are specific and detailed, down to some interview questions to use.
I also found Eatontown History interesting. It is short and sweet, but I am a sucker for history. The town was started in 1670.
The area and the homes look very nice, but I won't be moving there anytime soon! :) No offense to anyone who is from Jersey! It was fun to look though.
Today I was looking at Jersey Shore Real Estate web site and wow is it expensive there. One property I saw was a two acre lot. Ok just two acres of land, no buildings and the price. . . Take a guess. . . how about almost $5 million???!!!!!! Granted this does look like a beautiful and unique piece of land on a river, but $5 million!? I'll take my 100 acres in the woods that cost pocket change compared to that, thank you very much.
Besides oogling at houses that I will never buy, (the lowest price I saw was $295,000 for a two bedroom home) I did find some helpful and interesting information. I thought Ten Tips for Selecting a Realtor was pretty helpful. We have only purchased one home (and are trying to sell one!) and used a friend of ours, but I really wouldn't know how to find a realtor if I needed one. These tips are specific and detailed, down to some interview questions to use.
I also found Eatontown History interesting. It is short and sweet, but I am a sucker for history. The town was started in 1670.
The area and the homes look very nice, but I won't be moving there anytime soon! :) No offense to anyone who is from Jersey! It was fun to look though.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Tackle it Tuesday - Lydia's closet
This weekend I tackled Lydia's closet. The kids rooms are fairly small, but they have these huge walk in closets. Great right? Well mostly. The downside is the closets become play areas. Lydia (4) loves to play house in her closet. The result. . .
It was a big mess. I also had a lot of off season clothes in there that I hadn't worn for a long time. We sorted clothes. Picked up piles and organized. Took things to the consignment store. Threw things away. And the best part officially moved Vivian's things in. She is out of our room and now the girls are together.We finished on Saturday, and this is when I took the pictures below. So far the closet looks pretty much the same. The rest of the room, well we haven't touched it and uh. . . I will let you have a peek in another Tackle it Tuesday! Check out some more at 5 Minutes for Mom.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Carnival of Family Life #16
Check out the Carnival of Family at Everything Under the Moon. Lots of good family type stuff there. Stories and thoughts to be shared, tips and advice and reviews and news. Good reading!
100 posts later . . .
This is my 100th post. It has been fun. I am really surprised at how much I enjoy this whole blogging thing. The other day I went back and skimmed through some of the old posts. I thought it would be fun to go back and look at some favorites. I would love to know which other ones you thought were memorable too. I decide to pick one post from each month I have been blogging.
My first post was February 6, 2006. Remember the story about the mama mouse? I have to admit I almost teared up again, so I guess it wasn't just pregnancy hormones!
In March, I shared with you my first trip to the grocery store with four kids. Honestly, I think it was easier to go then than it is now.
How could I not pick Hillbilly Scouts from my April posts? Classic!
I had a hard time picking a May favorite, but in the end this post about Kellen won out. I couldn't resist the cute picture of him and Vivian.
In June, I wrote about a Momma Bird that got me thinking about momma me. :)
In July we played a little guessing game about a mystery object. The mystery was solved in a Story about My Grandpa.
Kellen picked the post for August. He picked Quotes from a Four Year Old. I guess he thinks his little sister is pretty funny too!
Thanks for reading it has been fun sharing with those I know in the real world and making new friends here in the "virtual world." Looking forward to another 100!
My first post was February 6, 2006. Remember the story about the mama mouse? I have to admit I almost teared up again, so I guess it wasn't just pregnancy hormones!
In March, I shared with you my first trip to the grocery store with four kids. Honestly, I think it was easier to go then than it is now.
How could I not pick Hillbilly Scouts from my April posts? Classic!
I had a hard time picking a May favorite, but in the end this post about Kellen won out. I couldn't resist the cute picture of him and Vivian.
In June, I wrote about a Momma Bird that got me thinking about momma me. :)
In July we played a little guessing game about a mystery object. The mystery was solved in a Story about My Grandpa.
Kellen picked the post for August. He picked Quotes from a Four Year Old. I guess he thinks his little sister is pretty funny too!
Thanks for reading it has been fun sharing with those I know in the real world and making new friends here in the "virtual world." Looking forward to another 100!
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Applehead is married to a Potato head
Preface
When Tim was in college there were two Tims in a musical he was in. So they started calling my Tim, Applehead. If you don't know us, Applehead fits because the word apple is in our last name.
Today I took a quiz here about what kind of homeschooler I am. The results. I am Mr. (Mrs.) Potato Head. The description is as follows
Mr. Potato Head You have your ideal of how things should look, but you're flexible enough to allow for change. You are not bothered by changing methods, mid-course if necessary. You use an eclectic combination of curriculum sources.
It is a pretty accurate description of how we homeschool.
So I am a potato head who is married to an applehead.
When Tim was in college there were two Tims in a musical he was in. So they started calling my Tim, Applehead. If you don't know us, Applehead fits because the word apple is in our last name.
Today I took a quiz here about what kind of homeschooler I am. The results. I am Mr. (Mrs.) Potato Head. The description is as follows
Mr. Potato Head You have your ideal of how things should look, but you're flexible enough to allow for change. You are not bothered by changing methods, mid-course if necessary. You use an eclectic combination of curriculum sources.
It is a pretty accurate description of how we homeschool.
So I am a potato head who is married to an applehead.
Getting Paid to Blog
I spend a lot of time blogging. Probably too much, but I really do enjoy it. Could I actually make money while doing it? I knew you could make some by using those google ads that pop up all over the place on some blogs. I wasn't really interested in those. Supermom over at Getting Out of Debt. has talked several time about different ways to make money with your blog and I never really was interested until this week when she posted about Blogvertise. Now this one has me interested. This post is actually my entry post for their approval process.
Here is how it works. After you are approved they will send you a site to visit. You check it out and you write about it. You can write about it any way you like. You can write a review of the site. You can incorporate into a story. You can even be negative about the site. You just have to write at least 50-60 words and link to the site three times in your post.
You submit your post for approval and if it is approved and still posted in 30 days Blogvertise pays you $10 to your paypal account. Sounds good to me, so I am going to try it. Just think I could actually say I get paid to write! :)
Thanks Amanda. I fixed the links!
Here is how it works. After you are approved they will send you a site to visit. You check it out and you write about it. You can write about it any way you like. You can write a review of the site. You can incorporate into a story. You can even be negative about the site. You just have to write at least 50-60 words and link to the site three times in your post.
You submit your post for approval and if it is approved and still posted in 30 days Blogvertise pays you $10 to your paypal account. Sounds good to me, so I am going to try it. Just think I could actually say I get paid to write! :)
Thanks Amanda. I fixed the links!
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
I thought I'd never . . .
I had this parenting thing down. I knew what I would do and what I wouldn't. I rolled my eyes at parents whose kids were throwing tantrums in Wal Mart. I snubbed those whose kids talked back. I couldn't understand how their children could be so out of control. That was
Now I find myself often thinking, "I thought I would never,"
Let my kids sleep in our bed
I don't think that even lasted the first night home from the hospital
Have the need to say, 'Do not stand/sit/ lay on your baby sister.'
Get excited about poop
You know, the baby pooped she must be eating well and later, yeah you pooped in the potty.
Use my saliva to clean a face
Use a babysitter named TV
Bribe uh. . . I mean reward my child with candy
Lock my child in his room for his nap
I know it sounds awful. I almost didn't put that one down. Let me explain. It was the only way Nolan would stay in his room and take a nap. Don't worry I am no longer doing this. He learned to unlock the door! Now I have to stand there and hold it shut!
Allow the kids to eat in the vehicle
I have traded a clean vehicle for sanity and speed while driving
Be a stay at home, home schooling mom
Want to live beside my parents in the middle of nowhere
Oh how your life (and perspective) changes after you have kids. There are my top ten things that I thought I'd never do as a parent. Oh and yes, my children have been out of control at restaurants and stores and they frequently talk back, in case you were wondering. Fortunately none of those are regular events, but they do happen.
How about you? What do you do now as a parent (or wife or adult) that you never thought you would? Please share in the comments or on your blog! I didn't get Mr. Linky going so if you are posting in your blog leave a link in the comments and I will add it on here.
Check out Delilah's post here. And JSunshine's. And Jake.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Tackle It Tuesday
We have been here over a year now. The move was kind of chaotic. Tim was here before we were. I did as much packing as I could with three kids and being pregnant. The move was jammed into a weekend. Our house was not ready so we crammed in with Mamaw and Papaw for a while. We painted most of the rooms in the house. Then finally moved to our house and stayed without electric for about two weeks. And of course this all happened in the height of rental season when Tim works very long hours.
I normally am fairly organized. I like things to have a place and be there. But with all the chaos (and exhaustion), I wasn't up to my norm. I just wanted to get stuff out of boxes and out of my way. So . . . things were (and still are) jammed in to cupboards and closets. Of course we have also accumulated more stuff in this year that needs a place to go.
So why am I telling you all this now? I am ready to start reorganizing and decluttering.
5 minutes for Mom hosts a meme called Tackle It Tuesday. I think participating in this will help me keep motivated. So here goes. My first Tackle It Tuesday.
This is our homeschool cupboard before.
We have been doing some school all summer, but I thought before we kick it back in for fall (and add another student) that I should give this thing a clean out. While cleaning out I also made a list of supplies and things we need to restock.And the completed project.
The first time Kellen got in the cupboard he found a couple of books he forgot (aka were buried under the clutter) we had. He has been reading them since.Next weeks project. Lydia's closet.
Festival of Frugality #36
Today's Festival is hosted by Amy at Motherload. As always there are lots of great entries to help us save money. Some of my favorites.
The host offers a menu planner and price sheet from my favorite grocery store; Aldi.
Ever been dumpster diving or curb shopping? HollyRhea shares her experiences.
*Ladies Only*
Tired but happy talks about reusable feminine products. I don't have a need for these right now, (yet another perk of breastfeeding!) but I have seen cloth items discussed several places on the web. The "keeper" is new to me though. I am not sure I am ready to make this frugal step. I do cloth for diapers, yet somehow this is different. The lifetime money savings has to be huge. Something to think about in the next few months.
And since I love curry I had to add The Common Room's recipe for Curried Lentils. She also had a recipe for curry powder a while back, but I wasn't able to find it quickly today.
So check them out for yourself.
The host offers a menu planner and price sheet from my favorite grocery store; Aldi.
Ever been dumpster diving or curb shopping? HollyRhea shares her experiences.
*Ladies Only*
Tired but happy talks about reusable feminine products. I don't have a need for these right now, (yet another perk of breastfeeding!) but I have seen cloth items discussed several places on the web. The "keeper" is new to me though. I am not sure I am ready to make this frugal step. I do cloth for diapers, yet somehow this is different. The lifetime money savings has to be huge. Something to think about in the next few months.
And since I love curry I had to add The Common Room's recipe for Curried Lentils. She also had a recipe for curry powder a while back, but I wasn't able to find it quickly today.
So check them out for yourself.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Before Kids . . . .
Think back to a time before you had kids. C'mon you can do it. Remember when there were no poopy diapers or runny noses. A time when you didn't trip over toys at three A.M. while trying to settle the crying baby. When half your errand time didn't involve buckling and unbuckling car seats.
Remember the time you were out to eat with your friends or future husband and the table next to you had a screaming three year old and a baby throwing food and parents who seemed to have no control. And you opened your mouth and uttered those famous words, "When I have kids they will never act like that." Now you find yourself the parent who seems to have no control! Please tell me I am not the only one! :)
Isn't funny to hear the things people say they will never do until the reality of a situation hits them? Lately, I have been thinking about the things I now do that I thought I would never do as a parent. I thought it would be fun if we would all share. I will give you until Thursday to think up a list of things or a story that illustrates this. Then I will post my list and you can leave yours in comments or blog about it and leave the link. (I have never used Mister Linky, but I may give it a try)
I realize that not all of you have kids at home, but feel free to be creative and participate with another list. Does this happen to grandparents too? Or maybe other things as an adult or wife you do that you never thought you would.
Think about and share it with us on Thursday. I can't wait to see what you have to say!
Remember the time you were out to eat with your friends or future husband and the table next to you had a screaming three year old and a baby throwing food and parents who seemed to have no control. And you opened your mouth and uttered those famous words, "When I have kids they will never act like that." Now you find yourself the parent who seems to have no control! Please tell me I am not the only one! :)
Isn't funny to hear the things people say they will never do until the reality of a situation hits them? Lately, I have been thinking about the things I now do that I thought I would never do as a parent. I thought it would be fun if we would all share. I will give you until Thursday to think up a list of things or a story that illustrates this. Then I will post my list and you can leave yours in comments or blog about it and leave the link. (I have never used Mister Linky, but I may give it a try)
I realize that not all of you have kids at home, but feel free to be creative and participate with another list. Does this happen to grandparents too? Or maybe other things as an adult or wife you do that you never thought you would.
Think about and share it with us on Thursday. I can't wait to see what you have to say!
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Jumping off a Cliff
On day two of our trip to Monongahela National Forest Tim and Papaw led the group from church through the cave at Fernow Forest, I was happy I didn't need to go again! :) Mamaw and I took the kids and two other non-cavers from the group to play in the river. Tim posted a couple of pictures from this on his blog. I had to take them with his phone b/c he took the camera in the cave.
The next day the whole group went to Table Rock for rappelling. Rappelling is not much work it is pure rush, fun! The first time is mental work to step off the edge and there is a little physical work to climb back up, but compared to the cave it is nothing! The most work was keeping track of the kids. We literally tied Nolan to an adult the whole day. We really had not planned to stay out all day with the little kids, but that was how it worked.
Here is a good one of Miles. (My nephew)
Lydia went tandem with Tim.
The next day the whole group went to Table Rock for rappelling. Rappelling is not much work it is pure rush, fun! The first time is mental work to step off the edge and there is a little physical work to climb back up, but compared to the cave it is nothing! The most work was keeping track of the kids. We literally tied Nolan to an adult the whole day. We really had not planned to stay out all day with the little kids, but that was how it worked.
Here is a picture of us watching the rappelling.
Kellen did not go down. I can't really explain why. He has rappelled before. The only thing I can say is I think he was exhausted and he shut down everytime he got to the edge. Oh well maybe next time. He did do some rock climbing at the end of the day.
Here is a good one of Miles. (My nephew)
Lydia went tandem with Tim.
We never did take Nolan down. I think he would have been ok going down, but we were concerned about getting him back up. We have some very small rock faces on our property. I think we are going to let the kids "practice" there (with us of course.)
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
A Journey to the Center of the Earth
Alright so we didn't go to the center of the earth. I am not sure how far down we went, but I am pretty sure we were really nowhere near the center of the earth. It just felt like it. When you are in the cave you feel so far away.
We had a great time. I was hesitant to go in the cave this year. It is hard work and it has been 3 years, 2 babies and about 20 (+) pounds since I last went caving. I decided to go in for the kids. It was Lydia's first time in the cave and I wanted to be there. (well I guess with that logic I will have to go two more times) We took the kids (mine and my brothers) in before the larger group of teens and adults came from our church. Here the kids are preparing to go to the cave.
I had not been in this cave before. It is a lot different than the other one we go to. I liked it better. There was running water in it. We had to do a lot of crawling and even military crawling, but it wasn't the tight squeezes I remembered from the other cave. The wet makes it very dirty, but at least you are not breathing in dust.
Here we are eating lunch.
It was very hard work. My knees were sore and I have the bruises to prove it. (Though most of the scratches came the day we went rappelling. More on that later.) I found muscles that I forgot were there. I am still a little stiff. But I really enjoyed it. There is that sense of accomplishment in pushing yourself and doing it! I was glad I was there with the kids too. Here are the pictures when we got out of the cave.
Kellen wrote you a poem about it . . .
We had a great time. I was hesitant to go in the cave this year. It is hard work and it has been 3 years, 2 babies and about 20 (+) pounds since I last went caving. I decided to go in for the kids. It was Lydia's first time in the cave and I wanted to be there. (well I guess with that logic I will have to go two more times) We took the kids (mine and my brothers) in before the larger group of teens and adults came from our church. Here the kids are preparing to go to the cave.
I had not been in this cave before. It is a lot different than the other one we go to. I liked it better. There was running water in it. We had to do a lot of crawling and even military crawling, but it wasn't the tight squeezes I remembered from the other cave. The wet makes it very dirty, but at least you are not breathing in dust.
Here we are eating lunch.
It was very hard work. My knees were sore and I have the bruises to prove it. (Though most of the scratches came the day we went rappelling. More on that later.) I found muscles that I forgot were there. I am still a little stiff. But I really enjoyed it. There is that sense of accomplishment in pushing yourself and doing it! I was glad I was there with the kids too. Here are the pictures when we got out of the cave.
Kellen wrote you a poem about it . . .
Dirty in a Cave
Very dirty in a cave.
Crawling through the dirt,
Water dripping on my head.
Dirty in a cave.
Very dirty in a cave.
Crawling through the dirt,
Water dripping on my head.
Dirty in a cave.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Festival of Frugality #35
Check out the Festival of Frugality over at Punny Money I haven't got a chance to look to closely yet as I am still battling piles of laundry and what not from our trip. Do you ever wonder if going away is really worth it? But there are always lots of interesting entries. Hope you find some good tips! I would love to hear which were your favorites.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Quotes from a Four Year Old
We are back from our trip. We got back late Saturday. Sunday we went to church and spent the afternoon relaxing at a friends house. I really should be tackling the mountain of mail, or the unpacked suitcases, but the laundry is going and the kitchen is back to decent so, I am having a cup of coffee and I can no longer resist the urge to blog! But I will make it short and sweet and share with you some words spoken by Lydia this weekend.
The two oldest kids rode there with their cousins and my parents. A conversation began about what the kids wanted to be when they grew up. Lydia's response,
The two oldest kids rode there with their cousins and my parents. A conversation began about what the kids wanted to be when they grew up. Lydia's response,
"When I grow up, I am going to be an adult."
At camp she was heading for the cabin. I was trying to keep the kids from playing in there so I asked her what she was doing. . .
At camp she was heading for the cabin. I was trying to keep the kids from playing in there so I asked her what she was doing. . .
"I forget . . . but I am going to go do it anyway!"
She was really cute in the cave too. I will tell you more about that later. I am thinking there were some other cute things she said, but I can't remember right now. (I need to write things down!) I will add them later if I think of them. For now I have fed my addictions (blogging and coffee) :) and should return to tackling the piles.
She was really cute in the cave too. I will tell you more about that later. I am thinking there were some other cute things she said, but I can't remember right now. (I need to write things down!) I will add them later if I think of them. For now I have fed my addictions (blogging and coffee) :) and should return to tackling the piles.
Monday, August 07, 2006
Why am I sitting here?
We met Tim's parents at a half way point (about 2 hours away) on Saturday so the two oldest could go for a visit and to Geauga Lake. So right now two of my kids are out of state (probably on some sort of roller coaster) and two are sleeping. And I am on the computer. I really should be doing other things. And thank you to all who are saying "oh but Steph no kids (for all practical purposes) enjoy yourself, relax, do something for you." Well normally I would be all about that and apparently I am since I am still sitting here.. .
But you don't understand. I pick the kids up at the half way point tomorrow and we leave for a caving, rapelling, camping trip on Wendesday. There is laundry and shopping to do, food to prepare and pack, clothing and toiletries to gather and a house to pick up. (I can't stand to come home to a wreck after a trip.) So why am I sitting here? I think I am addicted! :)
I may try to squeeze another post in yet this week, but I will be gone Wendesday to Saturday so I will catch up with you next week! And my story about how Tim and I have lived in some free and cheap places will have to continue next week. Well back to the TO DO list.
But you don't understand. I pick the kids up at the half way point tomorrow and we leave for a caving, rapelling, camping trip on Wendesday. There is laundry and shopping to do, food to prepare and pack, clothing and toiletries to gather and a house to pick up. (I can't stand to come home to a wreck after a trip.) So why am I sitting here? I think I am addicted! :)
I may try to squeeze another post in yet this week, but I will be gone Wendesday to Saturday so I will catch up with you next week! And my story about how Tim and I have lived in some free and cheap places will have to continue next week. Well back to the TO DO list.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
The Joys and Frustrations of Breastfeeding
An invitation has gone out at 5 Minutes for Mom to share our breastfeeding experiences. I have four children, 8, 4, 2, and 5 months. I nursed the three oldest for right around a year and plan to do the same this time.
I am not sure exactly why I decided to breastfeed Kellen. At that time it was becoming the thing to do, not that I am necessarily a follow the crowd kind of person, but I did like the health aspects of it. Honestly, though, I would probably have to say that the financial aspect was the big seller (I am practical at my core!) I couldn't see buying formula when I could produce something better for free!
Why doesn't anyone tell you nursing is work? Women have been nursing babies for. . . well, forever. I just assumed you put the baby to the breast and they get fed. Easy right? Yeah right! Nursing is work especially in the beginning, and Kellen and I had a rough beginning. I don't want to tell the whole story now or this post will become a book, but the pertinent facts for this discussion are we were in different hospitals for three days and although I was given a pump I wasn't really told how I should be using it and did very little pumping. All this equals a horrible start.
When we came home I was clueless. None of the family had nursed. They didn't know how to help and I didn't have another mentor. We were figuring this out on our own. I had to go back to school and start my student teaching. I didn't want to supplement, so I was pumping too. There were other things going on in our lives that were difficult. It was awful. Looking back now I see it in a different light, but at the time I felt like all he did was nurse and cry. I was tired and completely frustrated physically and mentally.
Now, I wonder why I stuck with it. I guess people who know me would say I am just that hard headed. I prefer the term determined! It did get better. We did get the hang of it. I actually enjoyed it.
What is my favorite part? Ok well besides that it is free :) I think God designed us to breastfeed so that we would stop, rest, think, enjoy and bond. I am not saying you can't do that if you bottle feed, but with breastfeeding you have to. I know me. I am a doer. I like to get things done. I like to be busy. It is hard for me to sit and rest. If I was using bottles I probably would have propped that bottle or let the baby hold it so I could finish the dishes or cook dinner or do whatever I felt had to get done. I also love that I can bring the baby to bed with me and sleep while they eat. (Something I said I'd never do before I had kids!)
Weaning was only hard for the first one. It was hard because we had used nursing as his comfort to go to sleep at night. So, I was the only one who could put him down, and he took a long time to go to sleep. At a year we were only nursing at bed time, and I had had enough. We let him cry it out. We had three long nights, but then he learned to put himself to sleep.
The next three I would not allow to fall asleep while nursing (after the first few months) and we taught them to put themselves to sleep much earlier. It was much easier with a lot less screaming than the first time around. I actually planned to nurse Lydia and Nolan a bit longer
but they weaned themselves when they were a little more than a year old. We have yet to see what Vivian does! :)
I'd like to say everything was perfect with the next three, but that would be a bit of an exaggeration. But it was soooooo much easier! I knew what to expect. My milk supply was better. I asked for help when there was a problem. I wasn't so uptight. It was just all around better.
As for advice . . .
If you are just starting and have a hard time ask for help and stick with it. Set yourself a goal that you will try to nurse for X amount of time and then re-evaluate. The first months are hard work; it does get better.
For later, if you hit a rough spot ask for help. Most moms are more than happy to help!
I am not sure exactly why I decided to breastfeed Kellen. At that time it was becoming the thing to do, not that I am necessarily a follow the crowd kind of person, but I did like the health aspects of it. Honestly, though, I would probably have to say that the financial aspect was the big seller (I am practical at my core!) I couldn't see buying formula when I could produce something better for free!
Why doesn't anyone tell you nursing is work? Women have been nursing babies for. . . well, forever. I just assumed you put the baby to the breast and they get fed. Easy right? Yeah right! Nursing is work especially in the beginning, and Kellen and I had a rough beginning. I don't want to tell the whole story now or this post will become a book, but the pertinent facts for this discussion are we were in different hospitals for three days and although I was given a pump I wasn't really told how I should be using it and did very little pumping. All this equals a horrible start.
When we came home I was clueless. None of the family had nursed. They didn't know how to help and I didn't have another mentor. We were figuring this out on our own. I had to go back to school and start my student teaching. I didn't want to supplement, so I was pumping too. There were other things going on in our lives that were difficult. It was awful. Looking back now I see it in a different light, but at the time I felt like all he did was nurse and cry. I was tired and completely frustrated physically and mentally.
Now, I wonder why I stuck with it. I guess people who know me would say I am just that hard headed. I prefer the term determined! It did get better. We did get the hang of it. I actually enjoyed it.
What is my favorite part? Ok well besides that it is free :) I think God designed us to breastfeed so that we would stop, rest, think, enjoy and bond. I am not saying you can't do that if you bottle feed, but with breastfeeding you have to. I know me. I am a doer. I like to get things done. I like to be busy. It is hard for me to sit and rest. If I was using bottles I probably would have propped that bottle or let the baby hold it so I could finish the dishes or cook dinner or do whatever I felt had to get done. I also love that I can bring the baby to bed with me and sleep while they eat. (Something I said I'd never do before I had kids!)
Weaning was only hard for the first one. It was hard because we had used nursing as his comfort to go to sleep at night. So, I was the only one who could put him down, and he took a long time to go to sleep. At a year we were only nursing at bed time, and I had had enough. We let him cry it out. We had three long nights, but then he learned to put himself to sleep.
The next three I would not allow to fall asleep while nursing (after the first few months) and we taught them to put themselves to sleep much earlier. It was much easier with a lot less screaming than the first time around. I actually planned to nurse Lydia and Nolan a bit longer
but they weaned themselves when they were a little more than a year old. We have yet to see what Vivian does! :)
I'd like to say everything was perfect with the next three, but that would be a bit of an exaggeration. But it was soooooo much easier! I knew what to expect. My milk supply was better. I asked for help when there was a problem. I wasn't so uptight. It was just all around better.
As for advice . . .
If you are just starting and have a hard time ask for help and stick with it. Set yourself a goal that you will try to nurse for X amount of time and then re-evaluate. The first months are hard work; it does get better.
For later, if you hit a rough spot ask for help. Most moms are more than happy to help!
Sumac Pie
I made the pie for the church carry in. It was a hit! I wouldn't tell anyone what it was until they tasted it. I eavesdropped on comments. I heard "What are those berries?" (I used some of the berries for garnish.) "This tastes like pink lemonade." "It reminds me of a sweet tart."
After telling people what it was I got a lot of raised eyebrows. I explained that it is different than poison sumac. I took a couple ladies out to the parking lot where there is some staghorn sumac growing. I still got some of the "it is good, but you are weird" looks, but hey I never said I was trying to be normal! :)
After telling people what it was I got a lot of raised eyebrows. I explained that it is different than poison sumac. I took a couple ladies out to the parking lot where there is some staghorn sumac growing. I still got some of the "it is good, but you are weird" looks, but hey I never said I was trying to be normal! :)
Saturday, August 05, 2006
The Original Pink Lemonade
We have been foraging wild foods again. This time it is sumac. No, no not poison sumac, but Staghorn Sumac.
This a picture of it.
There are several species of sumac with similar berries. (Poison sumac has white berries that hang down between the leaves) The berries are fuzzy and very tart. If you touch the berries and then lick your finger it tastes like your finger was in lemon juice. You don't eat the berries. They are mostly seed, but you can use them to make things. Apparently, Native American used the berries to make a lemonade like drink.
I put the berries from two flower heads in the blender with water to cover, blended briefly and allowed it to sit for 30 minutes. Strained this through a cloth into a pitcher added water to make a gallon and about 1 3/4 C sugar. It looked like pink lemonade when it was done.
It tastes similar to pink lemonade also. My husband likes it and says it tastes more green. I know that sounds like a strange description, but I have to agree with it. I am not sure how else to describe it. The cook book Bootstraps and Biscuits by Anna Lee Robe-Terry lists several recipes for sumac. They all start with the sumac ade. (What I made in the blender before adding sugar and more water) I tried Sumac Jelly and Sumac Syrup. My jelly turned out a bit runny, but I really like the flavor. The syrup is great. We had it on French Toast. It is a very different kind of syrup because it has a little tang to it, but Tim and I really liked it.
We have a carry in dinner at church this Sunday and I think I am going to try a pie from that cook book. It is thickened and sweetened ade folded with whipped cream in a graham cracker crust. I will let you know if I make it and how it turns out. I am also thinking about freezing some of the ade in ice cube trays to use instead of lemon juice.
If you are new to this blog and want to know some more about what we have been foraging do a search of this blog from the top of the page for "weeds" to see some of my previous posts on the subject.
This a picture of it.
There are several species of sumac with similar berries. (Poison sumac has white berries that hang down between the leaves) The berries are fuzzy and very tart. If you touch the berries and then lick your finger it tastes like your finger was in lemon juice. You don't eat the berries. They are mostly seed, but you can use them to make things. Apparently, Native American used the berries to make a lemonade like drink.I put the berries from two flower heads in the blender with water to cover, blended briefly and allowed it to sit for 30 minutes. Strained this through a cloth into a pitcher added water to make a gallon and about 1 3/4 C sugar. It looked like pink lemonade when it was done.
It tastes similar to pink lemonade also. My husband likes it and says it tastes more green. I know that sounds like a strange description, but I have to agree with it. I am not sure how else to describe it. The cook book Bootstraps and Biscuits by Anna Lee Robe-Terry lists several recipes for sumac. They all start with the sumac ade. (What I made in the blender before adding sugar and more water) I tried Sumac Jelly and Sumac Syrup. My jelly turned out a bit runny, but I really like the flavor. The syrup is great. We had it on French Toast. It is a very different kind of syrup because it has a little tang to it, but Tim and I really liked it.
We have a carry in dinner at church this Sunday and I think I am going to try a pie from that cook book. It is thickened and sweetened ade folded with whipped cream in a graham cracker crust. I will let you know if I make it and how it turns out. I am also thinking about freezing some of the ade in ice cube trays to use instead of lemon juice.
If you are new to this blog and want to know some more about what we have been foraging do a search of this blog from the top of the page for "weeds" to see some of my previous posts on the subject.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
What's for dinner?
Need some new ideas for what to serve for dinner? Check out the Carnival of the Recipes #102
at Men in Aprons There are recipes for every course of your meal. I am intrigued by Smoky Citrus Shrimp with Parsley and Cream cheese Fruit Clouds not only looks fantanstic I could use blackberries! I always looking for more uses for those! Enjoy!
at Men in Aprons There are recipes for every course of your meal. I am intrigued by Smoky Citrus Shrimp with Parsley and Cream cheese Fruit Clouds not only looks fantanstic I could use blackberries! I always looking for more uses for those! Enjoy!
It is so hot that . . .
Can you believe this heat? It is pushing 100 here and then add in the heat index for the humidity WHEW!
You know how your glass of ice water "sweats"? Well I went grocery shopping today and while loading the groceries in the car the non refrigerated items were sweating. IE my jar of salsa was wet on the outside. (Good science lesson for why this happens!)
I hung up a load of laundry yesterday I was dripping with sweat by the time I came in. And I don't know why I bother because it is so stinkin' humid it takes the laundry all day to dry.
Our air is set at 78 and after spending 5 minutes outside it feels cold coming in the house.
Thank the Lord for A/C! We haven't always had it, but I sure do appreciate it now!
You know how your glass of ice water "sweats"? Well I went grocery shopping today and while loading the groceries in the car the non refrigerated items were sweating. IE my jar of salsa was wet on the outside. (Good science lesson for why this happens!)
I hung up a load of laundry yesterday I was dripping with sweat by the time I came in. And I don't know why I bother because it is so stinkin' humid it takes the laundry all day to dry.
Our air is set at 78 and after spending 5 minutes outside it feels cold coming in the house.
Thank the Lord for A/C! We haven't always had it, but I sure do appreciate it now!
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Enter the champions!
The training was intense. The competition fierce. The battle difficult. Yet the Royal Book Knights persevered and emerged victorious!
Kellen, Ashley and Miles were members of the Royal Book Knights. This is part of a summer library program in our county called Battle of the Books. The Knights read 10 books and met for practice once a week in June and July. The battle included 12 teams from all over the county. Ten questions to each team. The Knights were the only ones to achieve a perfect score.
I wish I could have gotten more close up pictures of their faces when the questions were asked, but we were pretty far away and our camera is cheap. Their body language told the whole story. Even when the other teams were asked questions you could see on our team's faces if they knew it or not. And honestly there were only a few questions through the whole competition that they had to think about. When it was their turn the knights would have a quick huddle and the spokesperson (the blond boy in the middle) would give a confident answer. They were all so excited and proud of course so were mom and dad!
Kellen, Ashley and Miles were members of the Royal Book Knights. This is part of a summer library program in our county called Battle of the Books. The Knights read 10 books and met for practice once a week in June and July. The battle included 12 teams from all over the county. Ten questions to each team. The Knights were the only ones to achieve a perfect score.
I wish I could have gotten more close up pictures of their faces when the questions were asked, but we were pretty far away and our camera is cheap. Their body language told the whole story. Even when the other teams were asked questions you could see on our team's faces if they knew it or not. And honestly there were only a few questions through the whole competition that they had to think about. When it was their turn the knights would have a quick huddle and the spokesperson (the blond boy in the middle) would give a confident answer. They were all so excited and proud of course so were mom and dad!
Monday, July 31, 2006
High Maintenance???
Who would ever use this term to describe sweet Vivian? I can't believe I did several times, right here on this blog! She will be 5 months this week and oh what a sweet sweet baby she has become!
She loves to lay on the floor and play with her toys and roll and scoot in circles. She will also sit in her bouncy or swing, but she prefers to be able to move around. We started her on cereal and she eats like a pro! Ok eating like a pro, I think that is a prerequisite to be a member of this family.
She is putting herself to sleep in the crib (out of the bassinet in our room. YES!) and she has even slept the whole night for three straight nights now! It is amazing how much I have missed a full nights rest!
Well that is just a quick update on my high maintenance girl turned sweet angel!
She loves to lay on the floor and play with her toys and roll and scoot in circles. She will also sit in her bouncy or swing, but she prefers to be able to move around. We started her on cereal and she eats like a pro! Ok eating like a pro, I think that is a prerequisite to be a member of this family.
She is putting herself to sleep in the crib (out of the bassinet in our room. YES!) and she has even slept the whole night for three straight nights now! It is amazing how much I have missed a full nights rest!
Well that is just a quick update on my high maintenance girl turned sweet angel!
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Need a good laugh?
Check out these family friendly kids funny stories at Life in a Shoe. Good for lots of laughs. I submitted the story of Uncle Eric buying birthday cards with his kids.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Frugal Fridays - Our Frugal home (Tour of Homes)
Today is BooMama's Tour of Homes. Thanks so much to her for hosting this. And if you have never been here before please feel free to look around. I normally talk about something frugal on Fridays, but today I will be showing it to you.
A little background; we live on 100 wooded acres with my parents. We moved here about a year ago. We live in a double wide now with hopes to build our "realistic dream home." We (well mostly my dad) have done most everything around here ourselves. It has been a slow process, but has saved us a ton of money. For example we bought this home used and with all we have in it (moving it, foundation ect) we have spent about $15,000. Not bad for a three bedroom, 2 bath home. It even has a fireplace. It is the first time we have had one and we love it. Of course we also have all the free firewood we could ever use! Ok now on to the tour.
I know BooMama asked for a picture of the front door first, but this is really the beginning of our home. This is our driveway. It actually isn't our property here, only a right away to our property that is about 3/4 of a mile from here.
This is the front door. Yes, we do have a sidewalk and porch now, no still no grass. I think the plan now is to wait until fall to plant grass so we don't have to water so much!
Here is me in the office working on this blog. Actually, this is supposed to be the dining room, but we use it as an office. It is pretty small. We could probably get our family into it, but wouldn't be able to open up our table when we have guests, so we opted to put the table in the family room.
The family room is a large room. Nolan is in the living area of the room. Sorry the pictures of this room are dark. We tried to get as much light as possible, but without much success. I doesn't really show the room well either, but I couldn't resist the picture of Nolan. The fireplace is pretty much behind where Nolan is in the far corner. There is a sliding glass door on the back wall with a nice view into the woods. Eventually there will be a deck there too.
And yes, I did pick up this morning, but with four kids, ok never mind the four kids, just with Nolan "picked up" lasts for about ten seconds! I wasn't quick enough! So as BooMama said this is the "real deal"
Here is a shot from the other side of the room, showing our dining area.
I really enjoy my kitchen. There really isn't enough counter or cupboard space, (now is there ever enough ladies?) but it is spacious. I love the two windows by the sink. The view isn't too pretty there right now, but I can see the kids and watch the birds. This spring I could watch a momma bird and her babies from these windows. We also have a small table and my great grandmothers dry sink on the other side of this room.Well for the last picture I couldn't decide what to use. My bedroom... not a chance that is always the last room to get cleaned and the doors are usually shut when people are over. There really isn't anything else I'd like to show in the house. I have lots of favorite spots outside, but it is difficult to go on a hike alone with Vivian and Nolan, so I didn't get to those spots today. I decided to show you where I have spent the most time outside recently.
At the blackberry bushes. I guess it is a favorite spot because I love getting all the free berries. Yes, I get sweaty and scratched up, but there is a certain satisfaction in doing the work and getting the reward. We try to go first thing in the morning when it is cooler. The kids go with me. Vivian sleeps in the stroller, Nolan steals berries from everyone's basket and Kellen and Lydia find their own spots to pick. It is generally a quiet time for me. I can do a lot of thinking while picking berries. That doesn't happen many other places.So this is our frugal living space on the 100 Acre Wood. Next Friday I plan to share some of the other frugal shelters Tim and I have had over the years. Thanks for stopping by, come again soon!
Thursday, July 27, 2006
They will eat Zucchini
Have too much zucchini? Well we don't due to some fertilizer issues. I will let my mom explain if she wishes. But I know now is the time of year when you often have zucchini coming out your ears and if you don't have any of your own every friend is trying to pawn them off on you.
So a friend of mine gave me this great recipe along with a big bag of zucchini. It is Zucchini Strudel. It looks and tastes like apple you don't even have to tell the kids or hubby that it is really zucchini.
6-8 C pared, diced zucchini
2/3 C lemon juice
1 C sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
4 C flour
2 C sugar
3 sticks margarine
Cut zucchini lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Peel and slice crosswise into 1/4 inch thick slices. Cook with lemon juice until tender.
In a separate bowl, blend four, sugar and butter with a pastry blender until crumbly. Pat half of mixture into a 9X13 pan. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.
While crust is baking, add remaining ingredients to filling and let cool. When crust is finished spread zucchini mixture over the crust and top with remaining crust mixture. Bake for 30 minutes at 375.
This is her recipe. When I made it I used more nutmeg and cinnamon. About 2 tsp nutmeg and 2 TB cinnamon. I also added blackberries (about a cup or two) since I have blackberries in abundance. It made a nice combination.
So a friend of mine gave me this great recipe along with a big bag of zucchini. It is Zucchini Strudel. It looks and tastes like apple you don't even have to tell the kids or hubby that it is really zucchini.
Zucchini Strudel
Filling
6-8 C pared, diced zucchini
2/3 C lemon juice
1 C sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Crust
4 C flour
2 C sugar
3 sticks margarine
Cut zucchini lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Peel and slice crosswise into 1/4 inch thick slices. Cook with lemon juice until tender.
In a separate bowl, blend four, sugar and butter with a pastry blender until crumbly. Pat half of mixture into a 9X13 pan. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.
While crust is baking, add remaining ingredients to filling and let cool. When crust is finished spread zucchini mixture over the crust and top with remaining crust mixture. Bake for 30 minutes at 375.
This is her recipe. When I made it I used more nutmeg and cinnamon. About 2 tsp nutmeg and 2 TB cinnamon. I also added blackberries (about a cup or two) since I have blackberries in abundance. It made a nice combination.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Tour of Homes
BooMama is hosting a tour of blogger homes. Basically she has said that she can't read a blog without imagining what the persons house looks like. So after some friends suggestions she decide to host a tour of homes.
I think it sounds like fun and will give you a glimse of the 100 Acre Wood if you haven't been here. And it also gives me a little motivation to pick up the house! It is like having company. The tour is on Friday and yes I intend to tie in Frugal Fridays with the tour.
Interested? Check it out here
and join in the fun.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Festival of Frugality in Limericks
Today's festival is hosted by Penny Nickel at Money and Values Even if you don't want to check out the entries you have to go check out how she wrote it all in limericks. It is great. Hopefully you will find some good frugal tips too!
Monday, July 24, 2006
Thit List
Yesterday we celebrated Kellen's 8th birthday. His actual birthday was Friday, but we waited until today to go out to eat and have cake and presents. It was interesting as always.
To preface this story please understand that my brother Eric is deaf. His first language is American Sign Language. English is a second language to him. One he is not very fluent in.
He took the kids to the store to each pick out a card and gift for Kellen. The gifts were good ones, the cards . . . well this is where the language becomes an issue.
Kellen opened Ashley's first. The card has a caricature of a chiuawau on the outside. The inside says "It's your birthday and I couldn't be more excited - well, not without wetting myself!" Ok elementary potty humor, funny no biggie!
Miles' pick; the outside has a picture of a duck wrapped up in toilet paper, "I couldn't forget to thend you a birthday card." Inside of the card "I don't want to end up on your thit list" As Kellen is reading this card all the adults, except Eric, are choking on their ice cream cake. Kellen is stumbling over the word "thit" because it looks like a nonsense word to him. The other kids are looking at us like "what I don't get it?"
My dad tries to explain it to them without actually saying what "thit" is. You know the "s" word. We are all rolling and then Miles pipes up, "Oh I just thought it meant to be on your birthday list."
To preface this story please understand that my brother Eric is deaf. His first language is American Sign Language. English is a second language to him. One he is not very fluent in.
He took the kids to the store to each pick out a card and gift for Kellen. The gifts were good ones, the cards . . . well this is where the language becomes an issue.
Kellen opened Ashley's first. The card has a caricature of a chiuawau on the outside. The inside says "It's your birthday and I couldn't be more excited - well, not without wetting myself!" Ok elementary potty humor, funny no biggie!
Miles' pick; the outside has a picture of a duck wrapped up in toilet paper, "I couldn't forget to thend you a birthday card." Inside of the card "I don't want to end up on your thit list" As Kellen is reading this card all the adults, except Eric, are choking on their ice cream cake. Kellen is stumbling over the word "thit" because it looks like a nonsense word to him. The other kids are looking at us like "what I don't get it?"
My dad tries to explain it to them without actually saying what "thit" is. You know the "s" word. We are all rolling and then Miles pipes up, "Oh I just thought it meant to be on your birthday list."
Saturday, July 22, 2006
A story about my grandpa
My maternal grandparents died when I was fairly young. I do remember them, but not well. Last fall my mom told me this story about grandpa. He was a farmer in Wayne County, Ohio. As a farmer he worked very hard, but had down time in the winter. To fill this time grandpa would gather hickory nuts in the fall. Then all winter he would shell them and when there were enough grandma would bake a cake.
In my head I imagined grandpa doing this and all the cakes they must have eaten. (Do you see where this is going?) So my mom took the kids out and gathered hickory nuts. Then I took the kids out later and gathered more. Now at this time I was very pregnant with Vivian so the whole bending over thing to gather wasn't working well. I pretty much sat down and scooted around to gather nuts. All in all we got quite a few nuts.
The outer husk of the hickory nut comes off fairly easy, but then comes the cracking. Hickory nuts are hard, very hard. When cracking with a hammer the break into lots of little pieces. And they are not one nice piece like a walnut. There is nut meat in lots of little crevices. I am thinking this must be why hickory nuts are not available commercially. No wonder it took grandpa all winter. He probably only ate a cake or two! We ate none.
So our trip to Lehmans to purchase our mystery object a nutcracker. It cracks those hickories like they are nothing. You still have to pick to get all the nutmeat out, but it doesn't shatter the shell and is much easier.
I haven't gotten a chance to use it much yet. I am elbow deep in blackberries now. I have big plans for it in the fall and winter. We still have some hickory nuts. They stay good indefinitely in their shell. I want to gather walnuts too. I am hoping to not have to buy any nuts for baking.
So Aunt D it is a crusher of sorts. And of course Delilah and jsunshine already knew what the item was. Thanks for guessing!
In my head I imagined grandpa doing this and all the cakes they must have eaten. (Do you see where this is going?) So my mom took the kids out and gathered hickory nuts. Then I took the kids out later and gathered more. Now at this time I was very pregnant with Vivian so the whole bending over thing to gather wasn't working well. I pretty much sat down and scooted around to gather nuts. All in all we got quite a few nuts.
The outer husk of the hickory nut comes off fairly easy, but then comes the cracking. Hickory nuts are hard, very hard. When cracking with a hammer the break into lots of little pieces. And they are not one nice piece like a walnut. There is nut meat in lots of little crevices. I am thinking this must be why hickory nuts are not available commercially. No wonder it took grandpa all winter. He probably only ate a cake or two! We ate none.
So our trip to Lehmans to purchase our mystery object a nutcracker. It cracks those hickories like they are nothing. You still have to pick to get all the nutmeat out, but it doesn't shatter the shell and is much easier.
I haven't gotten a chance to use it much yet. I am elbow deep in blackberries now. I have big plans for it in the fall and winter. We still have some hickory nuts. They stay good indefinitely in their shell. I want to gather walnuts too. I am hoping to not have to buy any nuts for baking.
So Aunt D it is a crusher of sorts. And of course Delilah and jsunshine already knew what the item was. Thanks for guessing!
Friday, July 21, 2006
Frugal Fridays - Teaching our Kids to be Frugal
Today is Kellen's birthday. His eighth. One thing that Kellen has asked for his birthday is to eat at Longhorn Steakhouse. How do you teach an eight year old that prefers steakhouses to McDonald's (we created that monster I am afraid) to be frugal?
Frugal is a hard concept to learn when you are a kid. The line between wants and needs is very blurry when your eight. Wants vs. needs has been the topic of discussion at Larger Families this past week. I recommend you check out some of the entries. Kids are bombarded with media trying to create needs from wants. There are peers who seem to have so much more than you. There is family who wants to make you happy by giving you what you want.
I hope that our kids learn to be frugal from watching and listening to us. I do try to distinguish wants/needs with them. We try hard to limit "stuff." I think though, that they need experience with money in order to really get this concept. Kellen has asked for an allowance. It is something we have discussed here and there for awhile. We think it is time.
We won't be giving him much. Three dollars a week. That amount was determined because it makes it easy to use his bank. We got this bank a few years back. Basically it is divided into three parts to help kids budget their money. The church part for giving, the store for spending and the bank for saving.
He has told me he wants to save his money for the Lego Star Wars Death Star This particular Lego set costs $300! Oh, he has a lot to learn about frugalness. I mentioned to him that he would have to save a long time for something like that. (He doesn't know what his allowance is yet) He told me that he would not only use his bank money, but his store money too. At $2 a week the Death Star is a long way away. I think reality will set in. I am hoping that having his own money to spend will help to instill some frugalness in the form of careful selection and patience. Maybe I can show him how to shop around for the objects he wants. How do you teach these concepts to the children in your life?
Frugal is a hard concept to learn when you are a kid. The line between wants and needs is very blurry when your eight. Wants vs. needs has been the topic of discussion at Larger Families this past week. I recommend you check out some of the entries. Kids are bombarded with media trying to create needs from wants. There are peers who seem to have so much more than you. There is family who wants to make you happy by giving you what you want.
I hope that our kids learn to be frugal from watching and listening to us. I do try to distinguish wants/needs with them. We try hard to limit "stuff." I think though, that they need experience with money in order to really get this concept. Kellen has asked for an allowance. It is something we have discussed here and there for awhile. We think it is time.
We won't be giving him much. Three dollars a week. That amount was determined because it makes it easy to use his bank. We got this bank a few years back. Basically it is divided into three parts to help kids budget their money. The church part for giving, the store for spending and the bank for saving.
He has told me he wants to save his money for the Lego Star Wars Death Star This particular Lego set costs $300! Oh, he has a lot to learn about frugalness. I mentioned to him that he would have to save a long time for something like that. (He doesn't know what his allowance is yet) He told me that he would not only use his bank money, but his store money too. At $2 a week the Death Star is a long way away. I think reality will set in. I am hoping that having his own money to spend will help to instill some frugalness in the form of careful selection and patience. Maybe I can show him how to shop around for the objects he wants. How do you teach these concepts to the children in your life?
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Do you know what this is?
While we were in Ohio we visited Lehmans We grew up in Amish country near Kidron where Lehmans hardware is. If you are not familiar with Lehmans it is a hardware store. It has lots of non-electric items. They are right next to one of the largest livestock auctions in the area. From what I understand they did a huge amount of internet business around Y2K. They also get a lot of tourist traffic.
We have lived in several areas in Ohio and now we are in West Virginia. It always amazes me how in awe of the Amish people are. I used to try to correct them and point out all the things that bug me about the Amish. Don't get me wrong there are lots of great things. My family tree is mostly Amish so I it is part of my history and culture, but hey Amish are people. There are good ones, bad ones and a lot in between. Now I don't try to educate people unless they ask I just nod and say yes Amish country is beautiful. (It is!) Anyhow that is not what I meant to blog about! :)
Ok back to the topic sorry about the vent. While at Lehman's we purchased the item pictured above. Actually we went there specifically to purchase this. I saw it online and figured we would save the shipping and just stop in. Do you know what this is? Maybe this is too easy, but I will give you a hint anyway. It will help me with foraged food.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Spoke too soon!
Ok so it was quiet. Mom goes to work and all the kids are here and the house is chaos. I even sent them outside to play in the sprinkler and there is still fighting and tattling! UGH! I guess enjoy the quiet while you can!
The house is so quiet.
Yes, you read that right. It is like Vivian is an only child. The oldest cousins are here. (Just missing jude and Elise are they ready for a visit?) You would think that would make the house even louder. Well, it may have made mom's house louder, but it is quiet here!:)Nolan was out the door as soon as he could manage. Lydia and Kellen had things to take care of, but followed shortly. Ashley, Lydia and Nolan have been outside some and at mom's. Kellen and Miles are holed up in Kellen's room reading Guinness Book of World Records. I probably should kick them outside to play, but they are very quiet and it has been very hot and humid here (now it is 88 with 57% humidity) so I am letting them enjoy the air. So all the kids are occupied except Viv who of course still sleeps a lot. Oh blessed peace and quiet! It makes tackling my Monday mountain of laundry a bit more bearable!
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Oops missed again
Well I missed Frugal Fridays again! I am slackin'! I was on vacation the first week I missed and I had every intention of posting this Friday, but . . .
The week was crazy, catching up from vacation and also trying to get ready for a kids church camp out we were hosting Friday and Saturday. Then the rain started. My dad was trying his best to get stone down to help with the mud. And it kept on raining. Thursday morning I woke up with a stomach ache, but I still needed to get the food for the camp out. So Vivian and I headed to Wal Mart first thing. My stomach was not feeling well, but we made it through.
When we got home I had a message to call the pastor's wife (Linda). She is the one who was coordinating the camp out. It was still raining and the forecast was for rain. We decided to move the camp out to a park with shelters for the day and overnight at the church. Thankfully, she did all the phone calls and scrambling. I just had to rethink the food and sort it for what went to the park and what went to the church and had to think about packing our stuff.
I was still feeling bad so I thought I would take a nap and try to do the stuff later. It takes a lot to keep me down, but 103 temperature will do it. I was in bed the rest of the day. I slept in between updates on the camp out, trips to the bathroom, trying to let Tim know how to pack up the stuff and feeding the baby. I asked my mom if she could go do the cooking bit for the camp out.
My fever broke sometime early Friday morning. I still ached a bit, but at 7:00 I decided I would go and packed up the Tylenol. The camp went well. It was interesting, but good. I may blog some more about it later. For a little taste there was a boy there whose name was Rowdy. No that is not his nickname that is his actual name. Mom still came and helped and I felt ok but a little wiped out. It was nice to have help. Today I feel tired, but just a lack of sleep tired, not aching sick tired.
So please forgive me for not living up to my promised Friday post. I will get one done this week. Nothing big happening this week, just a trip to the library, the cousins are here, Vivian's Dr. appointment, Kellen's birthday . . . . Oh you know just the normal busy! :)
The week was crazy, catching up from vacation and also trying to get ready for a kids church camp out we were hosting Friday and Saturday. Then the rain started. My dad was trying his best to get stone down to help with the mud. And it kept on raining. Thursday morning I woke up with a stomach ache, but I still needed to get the food for the camp out. So Vivian and I headed to Wal Mart first thing. My stomach was not feeling well, but we made it through.
When we got home I had a message to call the pastor's wife (Linda). She is the one who was coordinating the camp out. It was still raining and the forecast was for rain. We decided to move the camp out to a park with shelters for the day and overnight at the church. Thankfully, she did all the phone calls and scrambling. I just had to rethink the food and sort it for what went to the park and what went to the church and had to think about packing our stuff.
I was still feeling bad so I thought I would take a nap and try to do the stuff later. It takes a lot to keep me down, but 103 temperature will do it. I was in bed the rest of the day. I slept in between updates on the camp out, trips to the bathroom, trying to let Tim know how to pack up the stuff and feeding the baby. I asked my mom if she could go do the cooking bit for the camp out.
My fever broke sometime early Friday morning. I still ached a bit, but at 7:00 I decided I would go and packed up the Tylenol. The camp went well. It was interesting, but good. I may blog some more about it later. For a little taste there was a boy there whose name was Rowdy. No that is not his nickname that is his actual name. Mom still came and helped and I felt ok but a little wiped out. It was nice to have help. Today I feel tired, but just a lack of sleep tired, not aching sick tired.
So please forgive me for not living up to my promised Friday post. I will get one done this week. Nothing big happening this week, just a trip to the library, the cousins are here, Vivian's Dr. appointment, Kellen's birthday . . . . Oh you know just the normal busy! :)
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Audience Participation Please!
Lately I have had several people ask me how I have time to blog. I don't know I just make time I guess. I have said it before, but I do believe we all make time (and find money) for what is truly important to us. How we spend our time (and money) shows what is important to us. I do spend some time almost everyday writing or reading blogs so they must be important to me. I had to think it through though. There are lots of other things I could be (or maybe should be) doing yet I choose to spend time here. Why?
Well I started blogging as a means of communication, to keep up with family and friends. Tim started this and then other family members and friends joined in. I started blogging when Tim got too busy with work.
Since then blogging has become more of hobby or entertainment for me. I don't scrapbook or cross stitch or knit. I do like to read, but honestly reading or writing blogs is easier with four kids than reading a novel. We don't watch a lot of TV. We do sit in front of the computer a lot! :)
Blogging is a quick escape or break. It is some me time between kids needing me. It is adult talk! It is a chance to have contact with the outside, to see how loved ones are, to learn some frugal ideas, to laugh at the funny stories, to know that there are others going through the same stuff and interact with each other. I recently read on someone's blog (sorry I don't remember which one) that blogging was community to her and I guess it is to me also. It isn't the same as face to face community, but there is a sense of community none the less.
Finding time isn't all that hard. Time is found in the mornings when (if) I get up before the kids, in the afternoon when two are asleep and the other two are playing or at night after they go to bed (well all but nightowl Vivian.) Sometimes I will read blogs while Vivian nurses. It is a bit difficult to type then, but I have done it! Often though I will think through a subject I want to write about during feeding times, or dishes or cooking or picking raspberries!
So I am wondering why do you blog? Whether you read, write or both why do you choose to use your valuable time to be here? When do you find the time to blog? This is an audience participation blog! Please share with us!
Well I started blogging as a means of communication, to keep up with family and friends. Tim started this and then other family members and friends joined in. I started blogging when Tim got too busy with work.
Since then blogging has become more of hobby or entertainment for me. I don't scrapbook or cross stitch or knit. I do like to read, but honestly reading or writing blogs is easier with four kids than reading a novel. We don't watch a lot of TV. We do sit in front of the computer a lot! :)
Blogging is a quick escape or break. It is some me time between kids needing me. It is adult talk! It is a chance to have contact with the outside, to see how loved ones are, to learn some frugal ideas, to laugh at the funny stories, to know that there are others going through the same stuff and interact with each other. I recently read on someone's blog (sorry I don't remember which one) that blogging was community to her and I guess it is to me also. It isn't the same as face to face community, but there is a sense of community none the less.
Finding time isn't all that hard. Time is found in the mornings when (if) I get up before the kids, in the afternoon when two are asleep and the other two are playing or at night after they go to bed (well all but nightowl Vivian.) Sometimes I will read blogs while Vivian nurses. It is a bit difficult to type then, but I have done it! Often though I will think through a subject I want to write about during feeding times, or dishes or cooking or picking raspberries!
So I am wondering why do you blog? Whether you read, write or both why do you choose to use your valuable time to be here? When do you find the time to blog? This is an audience participation blog! Please share with us!
Monday, July 10, 2006
It's Good to be Home - Rambling!
It is always nice to get away. To get out of the routine. To do different things. But I am always ready to come home. We had a great week in Ohio. It was extremely busy. See Tim's blog for more details.
It is funny how quickly your perspective changes. Before we moved to WV, we lived in Akron, a small city in Ohio. We lived near downtown on a very busy street. Lots of traffic, lots of close neighbors. It never bothered me. Now we live in the woods. (hence Adventures in the 100 acre wood!) Our closest neighbor is about 3/4 of a mile away. (except my parents) In the summer no other houses are visible. We go to visit
Tim's family who live in rural Ohio and one of our first comments were how much traffic noise they have! And yes they live near a fairly busy road, but it has maybe 1/4 of the traffic we were used to in Akron less than one year ago!
Now we are back to our 100 acre wood and it feels good. This week is also busy. We are having a camp out here for the kids at church this Friday and a church picnic on Saturday. Lots to clean up and get ready outside. We left the house in good shape, (I can't stand to come back from a long trip to a mess.) but there is of course a mountain of laundry to do and mail, bills and blogs to catch up on. It will get done. I am not going to stress over it.
I decided while we were gone that when we got back, we needed to start letting Vivian cry it out to go to sleep. She does well going to sleep during the day, but at night we were having a rough time. While we were gone I learned to play poker. (just fun no money) We would try to play at night after the kids (except Vivian) went to sleep. She was such a stinker. She would go to sleep and after I put her down she would wake up within ten minutes. It was so aggravating. I tried every trick I know!! Three nights I just gave up (this was around 11:30 or later) and went to bed with her while the rest of the adults played cards. Of course she slept just fine then! UGH! And we moved her to the crib when Tim came to bed.
So today for her first nap I did the routine with her and put her down. She never even broke into a full cry and was asleep within 20 minutes. Her second nap we were running around so she slept in the car. This evening I did the routine and put her down. In about five minutes she was crying. I cleaned up the kitchen, folded laundry (it is easier for me to let her cry if I am busy), she was quiet. I went in to check on her (dumb move) and she wasn't quite asleep. She started crying again. I started blogging. Within a few minutes she was quiet again. I didn't check on her this time. Keep typing! After a few more minutes still quiet. I check the monitor to be sure, still quiet. Very gently open the bedroom door and SHE IS ASLEEP! Ok now the kick yourself in the rear time. Why didn't we do this months ago???!!! You would think on the fourth child I would know to try this sooner.
The other thing I really want to accomplish before Tim goes back to work full time (mid August) is potty training Nolan. We got a start on this awhile back, but haven't really been consistent with it. Part of the problem is he now thinks it is funny to poop in his diaper. I think because we have made too big a deal of it. You know "Oh yucky. You went poop in your diaper!" The other problem is I really need three or four days (in a row) to work with him. Days where we don't have to run anywhere and I am not hard pressed to get a bunch of stuff done at home. Ok I rarely have one day like that let alone three or four in a row! I think I need to just mark out three days on the calendar and just do it! Or maybe he will just wake up tomorrow and just decide to be potty trained! Oh wow I just drifted to lala land there I think! :)
Ok so now Vivian is asleep and I am still rambling on. It is good to be home. Good to be back with you all and good to get back to the normal. Even if normal means mountains of laundry, an empty refrigerator, and two in diapers!
It is funny how quickly your perspective changes. Before we moved to WV, we lived in Akron, a small city in Ohio. We lived near downtown on a very busy street. Lots of traffic, lots of close neighbors. It never bothered me. Now we live in the woods. (hence Adventures in the 100 acre wood!) Our closest neighbor is about 3/4 of a mile away. (except my parents) In the summer no other houses are visible. We go to visit
Tim's family who live in rural Ohio and one of our first comments were how much traffic noise they have! And yes they live near a fairly busy road, but it has maybe 1/4 of the traffic we were used to in Akron less than one year ago!
Now we are back to our 100 acre wood and it feels good. This week is also busy. We are having a camp out here for the kids at church this Friday and a church picnic on Saturday. Lots to clean up and get ready outside. We left the house in good shape, (I can't stand to come back from a long trip to a mess.) but there is of course a mountain of laundry to do and mail, bills and blogs to catch up on. It will get done. I am not going to stress over it.
I decided while we were gone that when we got back, we needed to start letting Vivian cry it out to go to sleep. She does well going to sleep during the day, but at night we were having a rough time. While we were gone I learned to play poker. (just fun no money) We would try to play at night after the kids (except Vivian) went to sleep. She was such a stinker. She would go to sleep and after I put her down she would wake up within ten minutes. It was so aggravating. I tried every trick I know!! Three nights I just gave up (this was around 11:30 or later) and went to bed with her while the rest of the adults played cards. Of course she slept just fine then! UGH! And we moved her to the crib when Tim came to bed.
So today for her first nap I did the routine with her and put her down. She never even broke into a full cry and was asleep within 20 minutes. Her second nap we were running around so she slept in the car. This evening I did the routine and put her down. In about five minutes she was crying. I cleaned up the kitchen, folded laundry (it is easier for me to let her cry if I am busy), she was quiet. I went in to check on her (dumb move) and she wasn't quite asleep. She started crying again. I started blogging. Within a few minutes she was quiet again. I didn't check on her this time. Keep typing! After a few more minutes still quiet. I check the monitor to be sure, still quiet. Very gently open the bedroom door and SHE IS ASLEEP! Ok now the kick yourself in the rear time. Why didn't we do this months ago???!!! You would think on the fourth child I would know to try this sooner.
The other thing I really want to accomplish before Tim goes back to work full time (mid August) is potty training Nolan. We got a start on this awhile back, but haven't really been consistent with it. Part of the problem is he now thinks it is funny to poop in his diaper. I think because we have made too big a deal of it. You know "Oh yucky. You went poop in your diaper!" The other problem is I really need three or four days (in a row) to work with him. Days where we don't have to run anywhere and I am not hard pressed to get a bunch of stuff done at home. Ok I rarely have one day like that let alone three or four in a row! I think I need to just mark out three days on the calendar and just do it! Or maybe he will just wake up tomorrow and just decide to be potty trained! Oh wow I just drifted to lala land there I think! :)
Ok so now Vivian is asleep and I am still rambling on. It is good to be home. Good to be back with you all and good to get back to the normal. Even if normal means mountains of laundry, an empty refrigerator, and two in diapers!
Sunday, July 09, 2006
I'm Back!
Sorry to drop off the face of the earth like that! We went on vacation July 2 and lost internet service two days before we left. Well we are back and so is the internet. Not much time now. I will post later!
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