A big brother sacrifice

Lately, Kellen and Lydia have been getting along well. It is refreshing. Now Lydia and Nolan, that is another story, but today for Pass the Torch, we are focusing on the good. This story is about a big brother taking care of his little sister.

Yesterday, Kellen and Lydia went for a big walk. Holler climbing for you that have been following our adventures. It is the first time they have gone in a long while. They walked a big circle down to the creek and back. Our creek is not exactly just in the back yard, it is about 1/2 a mile away. I happened to be outside when they returned. I saw them standing at the edge of the stone driveway and Kellen was trying to pick up Lydia. Lydia was barefoot. I went over to ask what was going on and this is the story.

While they were at the creek Lydia stepped in water too deep and got one boot full of water. Her boots are lined, so it was soaked. Kellen picked her up and carried her out of the water. He then helped her take off the boots and wet sock. He took off his own boots and let Lydia wear them. He went barefoot. . . all the way home, through the woods. When I saw them he had put his boots back on and was trying to carry Lydia across the stone driveway.

There are times he can be so mean to her. Times when he will have her hysterical in tears. Maybe those days are behind us, but probably not entirely. Yesterday, though he was kind to and protective of his little sister. I am so proud of him!

Would money change you?

Have you ever wondered if and how your life would change if suddenly you inherited a large sum of money, won the lottery or your family's income doubled? Experience tells me that when we have more money, we spend more money.

Yet, I'd like to think we have learned our lesson in that area. I'd like to think that if we had a sudden increase of cash, that we would spend it wisely; we would pay off debt, we would save, we not live paycheck to paycheck. Would we continue to be frugal?

If I were rolling in money, there is one thing that I would consider spending money on that might surprise you: a cleaning service. Yes, I hate cleaning that much. I could excuse the lack of cleanliness in my house by saying I don't have enough time or I have four kids, and while that may be partially true, the real reason is I really don't want to.

It would be a dream, if I could just keep up with the daily stuff, like I do now, and someone else would come in and do the things that I never (or rarely) get done, like walls, dusting, ceiling fans, and . . . ok I'll stop there now before I reveal how much I truly do not clean! *grin*

Oh and while I am dreaming, how about someone to do my laundry? That is a household chore that I dread. Not that doing laundry itself is all that bad, if I only had to do a few loads a week, but around here it is a two or three day project.

Oh well, I probably don't need to worry about rolling in money anytime soon. I will just dream about being able to pay someone to clean my house and do my laundry. . . .

Wait the dream is within my reach, and it gets even better, it is free. I have kids! They do help some now, but within a few years I will have four people to do some serious cleaning and laundry. YIPEE! I can get someone else to clean and still continue in my frugal ways.

P.S. If you need Carpet Cleaning in Camarillo check out the link!

Another blog in the family

Take a look at Kellen's blog, Eleven in the Woods. He actually has been blogging for a couple months, but we just made his blog public. We decided to let his blog be public so that he could interact with other homeschool students. He does some school work there and tells stories about the 100 acre wood from a 8 year old perspective. Go over and tell him, "hi."

Chocolate Cinnamon Snaps

Today I am participating in the GREAT COOKIE EXCHANGE 2006. Everything Under the Moon is hosting a blogging cookie exchange. It isn't quite as tasty as a real world cookie exchange, but I think it will still be fun!~ Check out the site for details. Here is my recipe.

Chocolate Cinnamon Snaps

2 C all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
dash salt
1/3 C unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp cloves
1/2 C softened butter
1/2 C sugar
1/4 C molasses
1 egg
Cinnamon-sugar

1. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, cinnamon and cloves.
2. In another bowl, cream the butter until soft. Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy.
3. Beat in the molasses and egg. Add flour mixture. Blend until a stiff dough forms.
   
4. Roll dough (half or a quarter of the dough is easier to work with) on a lightly floured board to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thickness.
5. Cut into favorite shapes. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.
6. Bake at 350 F for 10-12 minutes depending on thickness. Cool a minute on the sheet before removing to a rack to complete cool.
   
7. Repeat with remaining batches. Store in a tin when completely cooled.
   

These are a great holiday cookie. I hope you enjoy them and I look forward to trying your recipes!

Did you know?

A friend of mine sent me this tag via email a couple of weeks ago. I blog more than I email, so I thought I'd use it here. Hope you don't mind, Amy! So, here are a few things about me.

FOUR JOBS I'VE HAD IN MY LIFE:

1. Eighth Grade History Teacher
2. House Parent

3. Insurance Agent
4. Waitress

FOUR MOVIES I WATCH OVER AND OVER

1. Jay Jay the Jet Plane

2. Magic School Bus
3. Chronicles of Narnia

4. whatever the kids have gotten at the library

Hey, it asked what I do watch over and over, not what I want too!

FOUR PLACES I HAVE LIVED

1. 100 Acre Wood, West Virginia
2. Akron, Ohio
3. Fredericksburg, Ohio

4. Tiffin, Ohio

FOUR TV SHOWS I LOVE TO WATCH

1. Law and Order

2. The Amazing Race
3. CSI
4. Deal or no Deal (in moderation!)

FOUR PLACES I HAVE BEEN ON VACATION

1. Outer Banks, North Carolina

2. Alaska (sort of a vacation/mission trip)
3. Caribbean Cruise
4. Russia (again, mission trip)

FOUR WEBSITES I VISIT DAILY

See my side bar

FOUR OF MY FAVORITE FOODS

1. Cheesecake

2. Lasagna
3. Ice Cream
4. Homemade Bread

FOUR PLACES I'D RATHER BE RIGHT NOW

1. In our new underground house

2. On a cruise ship
3. Somewhere warm
4. in bed sleeping!

I won't officially tag anyone, but if you'd like to play just copy and paste this post then delete my answers and add your own. If you play, please let us all know in the comments and we can learn a few things about you!

A new bloggin' family member. . .

Another family member joins us in the blogosphere. Welcome Heather! She is Tim (my husbands) cousin. Her blog is called It's all for the best. Stop by and say "Hi!"

Getting a Good Parking Space

First off let me say to me a good parking space is not always the closest space. When you have little kids in tow, there are other things to consider, like not letting the kids run in front of traffic. For a long time I would always look for a parking spot beside or very near the cart corral. I would take my cart from the corral. This way I could transport the two youngest through the parking lot in the cart. Then when we were finished I could take them back to the car and then put the cart away. Now I've found a new trick. (No old dog jokes please!)

Now I skip the out front parking lot and look for parking along the side of the building. Most mega-retailers (Wal-Mart, Target ect) and grocery stores have a row of parking along the side of the building. I can almost always find an empty spot there.The spot I find is not necessarily closer than the ones out front. Sometimes it is closer, but remember closer is not always better when you have kids with you.

The biggest advantage to parking here is that there is only a sidewalk between you and the building, not a traffic lane. As I am getting kids unloaded, they can wait next to the building, away from any traffic. I do not have to worry about Nolan wandering off into the next row of cars. (I am embarrassed to say it has happened, and if you know Nolan I am sure you can understand how.) I can load them into the cart in front of my van and not have to worry about cars backing out, or someone zooming through. It is so much easier. Simple, yes, but it works for me!

More Pumpkins than I've ever seen

Our camera doesn't take the best pictures, especially at night. The words you see there say, "Welcome to Kenova, West Virginia. Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture." It is carved into pumpkins. Below that is an orchestra of pumpkins.
There is a conductor and a pumpkin audience. The pumpkin instruments light up when their section is playing. And this is only a small section of the over 3000 pumpkins displayed.

Last Thursday we went with some families from our homeschool co-op, to the Pumpkin House. They were just beginning the carving. What a production. The pumpkins are all drawn on, then scraped and carved. This isn't a commercial operation. The owner of the house supplies everything and volunteers help with the carving. There are pumpkins carved with all kinds of designs. Habitat for Humanity comes and helps drill the bottom holes and uses them to make pumpkin butter to sell. After the display, a farmer comes to take the pumpkins for feed for his cows and pigs.

Sunday night we went back to see the display. What a difference. There were still many pumpkins to go, but just with what was there, it was incredible. Besides the orchestra there was Noah's Ark, a section of birds, a patriotic section, a chorus of cats and much more. Here are some more pictures.

Carnival of Family Life

Family life offers us many life experiences. This carnival is a great place to share them. As it is written in Ecclasiastes Chapter 3:

There's an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:
A right time for birth and another for death,

What to do with dead wildlife? Panic? See Black Belt Mama's reaction in Just My Luck or RIP Little Chipmunk.

Peter Kua shares a question and answer about the passing of a yoga guru in Is yoga a myth? posted at RadicalHop.com.

The American family seems to be growing. Lisa Mitchell asks about The Growing Family posted at Let's Talk Babies.

A right time to plant and another to reap

Kim gives us something to think about concerning our work ethic in Are You A Hard Worker? posted at Blogfabulous.

Nina Smith asks Dana Rudolph about money in Ten Money Questions for Dana Rudolph posted at Queercents.

Kerri Aldrich is enjoying the harvest in The Pumpkin Patch at Fulton Farms posted at Play Library.

Batya shares how shopping has changed in Israel in Oh, my things have changed here.

A right time to kill and another to heal,

Dr Kavokin offers us a health quiz at Hypertension-silent killer posted at RDoctor Medical Portal.

A right time to destroy and another to construct,

Kelly at Pass the Torch completes her first week as a homeschooler. She shares insights gained by her chaotic week in her post, Starting with a Frazzle.

Janice is remembering fondly her childhood and constructing memories with her son in her post I’ll give you a hint – it starts with a ‘D’ posted at 5 Minutes For Mom.

A right time to cry and another to laugh,

Erica Douglas gives us some ideas of how to pass the time in Baby Games posted at Littlemummy.Com.

Liz shares a story of homework, fear and exhaustion in Shh! I?m hiding. Be quiet everyone. That includes me. Shh! Who?s making that noise? Oh, it?s me again? posted at This Full House.

A search for the perfect pair of underwear is related by Madeleine Begun Kane in Secret Shopper posted at Mad Kane's Humor Blog.

Mary shares the comic relief provided by her daughters. Almost Somewhat Positive: My kids is posted at Almost Somewhat Positive.

A right time to lament and another to cheer,

Brad Montgomery is proud of his little girl. Need a Colorado Magician? Book my Kid! posted at Motivational Keynote Speaker & Humorist Brad Montgomery.

Three cheers for grandparents, especially when they live next door. David presents The benefit of Grandparents. posted at Bruggie Tales.

Carnival founder, Kailani presents the good and the bad about where she lives in, Lucky You Live Hawaii? posted at pinkdiary808.com.

A right time to make love and another to abstain,
A right time to embrace and another to part,

Romance and a hot water heater?! Matt shares Romantic Tips for Married Couples: I'm in hot water today posted at Romantic Tips for Married Couples.

Do you and your spouse speak in a secret code? Maybe you should. Linda Freedman presents Speaking in Code: Marital Secret Language posted at Everyone needs therapy? Lessons from a family therapist.

A right time to search and another to count your losses,

Jack Yoest may have to count his lap top as a loss. The Bloggin' Boy. . . is posted at Reasoned Audacity.

DeputyHeadmistress presents The Common Room: I KNEW That Was the Reason posted at The Common Room.

A right time to hold on and another to let go,

If you are holding onto some of these attitudes, it is time to move on. Patricia presents 15 Signs An Adult Is Stuck Thinking Or Acting Like A 3-Year-Old posted at A Better You Blog.

Chris Dolley shows us some "holding on" shots in chrisdolley: Too Fast to be Perfect. posted at Author Chris Dolley's Page.

Mike gives us some ideas of how to establish Work schedule regularity posted at Career and Kids.

Hueina Su encourages us to let go of the ghosts of our past. Is Your Life Haunted? is posted at Intensive Care for the Nurturer's Soul.

Jennifer Miner is trying to hold onto being cool while being a mom in Minivan Accessories: A tricked-out family car makes travel with children easier, and possibly fun. posted at Minivan Accessories.

Want a seatbelt for your child on the bus? Lisa shares about Portable Seatbelts For Children posted at Ask Patty - Automotive Advice for Women.

Michelle lets her son go on an grand adventure in Watch Out for Worms posted at scribbit.

A right time to rip out and another to mend,
A right time to shut up and another to speak up,

Do you have any Secrets? Jenny Ryan's husband does. Posted at Using My Powers for Good by Jenny Ryan.

Holly shows us some simple truths that need to be said in Teaching Truths at Holly's Corner.

If you hear this question, "where do babies come from?" it might be best to let a sibling answer, like Sam did.

You might just want to shut up if your wife is Miss Morning Grumpiness presented by ZenKitty at Echoes of Cold Moon.

Who is to blame for your cold feet at night? It's a WE thing: More on BLAME or You Stole the Covers posted at Everyone needs therapy? Lessons from a family therapist.

A right time to love and another to hate,
A right time to wage war and another to make peace.

There often may be war between brothers, but here Heather tells us a story of brotherly love. My Pass The Torch Tuesday is posted at Everything Under the Moon.

Ecclasiastes 3:1-8, The Message

Thank you to all the contributers this week for sharing with us part of your life. I did not put one of my own posts in, but if you haven't visited before, please look around. Enjoy this week's entries. We all love to interact with visitors, so please leave your comments!

This week's winner of chocolate or coffee is Mike at Career and Kids. Please email Kailani for details. Next week the carnival goes back home to The Pink Diary.

Carnival Reminder

Don't forget to get your Carnival Entries in. Deadline is midnight Saturday (Hawaii time.) Submit entries at Blog Carnival. For more details at The Pink Diary.

Quick Updates on the Family

There are a few things I've posted on that I thought could use some updating. I figured while I was at it I might as well give updates on the whole family. So here goes.

Kellen (8) has his spreader in and will go back to the orthadontist the week of Thanksgiving to get the top braces on. Great timimg huh? Poor guy I might have to puree his turkey! ;)

Lydia (4 1/2) is just growing up too fast. Tim is getting worried. I think he remembers too well about tennage boys! The other day, she painted her own toenails. She did a better job than I do! She loves jewelery and dresses, though we are still learning about sitting like a lady in a dress!

After talking about potty training here and here, I am happy to announce that Nolan (2 1/2) has finally got it! He still has issues with going away from home, but it is minor. No more tears and screaming, and rarely any accidents! WHEW just one more to go through that with.

Vivian (7 mos) is sitting up, has two teeth and is starting to eat table food. She really doesn't crawl, but she does do a military type crawl and gets about wherever she wants to go, Still not much hair, at least compared to our other babies.

Last week, I posted about a "limbo" we were in and my reaction to it. What was in limbo was Tim's job. He posted a little about it here. Basically, his boss is a mover. Movers often shoot then aim. He closed the store Tim was based at, but didn't really have a plan for servicing the customers that are here, and wasn't really sure if Tim would have a job. I am a Shaper and I need a plan. See the dilemma?

I did feel more at peace about the whole situation last week after I posted. Today, Tim met with him, and Tim still has a job. Keeping Tim though, is partially based on an opportuntity for some Internet sales. If that opportunity doesn't develop, I would be surprised if he kept Tim. So, we are still keeping our options open. We are going to check into a few other things and see if anything else is worth making a job change for.

There is your quick update of the family. I will keep you posted.

Only a mom. . . .

Only a mom can

bake bread,
wash dishes,
fold laundry,
and feed the baby . . .


All at the same time!


We are masters of multi-tasking. You go moms!

Admittedly, I had help from the bread machine and the dishwasher! ;)

Carnival of Family Life

This week's Carnival is hosted at Everything Under the Moon. With over thirty entries, there is a lot of reading material to choose from . There are funny stories, reviews, advice and information, all relating to the family.

Next week the carnival is hosted by yours truly. If you aren't familiar with carnivals, it is easy to play. Just pick a entry from your blog that fits the carnival. In this case, anything having to do with the family works. It can be a new entry or an oldie, but goody, like I picked this week. Submit your post at Blog Carnival or at the carnival's home The Pink Diary. You can also visit The Pink Diary for more information. Entries are due by Midnight (Hawaii time) Saturday, October 28th. Then on Monday the 30th I will post the carnival.

Head over to Everything Under the Moon to check today's carnival and submit those posts to play next week!

I am a Homesteader?

Recently, Phelan listed me as a fellow homesteader. I was flattered to be listed in her Saturday BlogRoll call, but I wondered am I really a homesteader?

Until we moved here, if you would have asked me what a homesteader was I probably would have given an answer having something to do with a covered wagon, the Oregon Trail or the land races of the 1800's. I guess my definition is a bit outdated.

After moving here I joined a Yahoo group called Homeschool_Homestead. I was really looking more for homeschool support. I didn't really understand what the Homesteading was all about. What I found were a group of people who were living simply, gardening, preserving, and raising animals while homeschooling. There was much more information about things I remembered from my grandparents farm, than about homeschooling. These were all things we were doing or interested in, but I still didn't label myself a homesteader. I just considered it part of being frugal.

Then I entered the world of blogs. I mostly hung out in the frugal and mommy blogs. Then Get Rich Slowly had Phelan as a guest, posting about homesteading. I checked out her blog and found that they were also planning to build an underground home. Of course, I was thrilled by this and have been reading since.

Before I know it she has me listed as a "fellow homesteader." I wasn't offended, but I had to think does this really apply to me? I looked up some definitions in Dictionary.com. Homesteading - establishing a homestead. Homestead - a house especially, a farmhouse with adjoining buildings, or settling land under the Homestead Act (See like I thought the 1800's!) Modern Homesteading - no entry. Urban Homesteading - refers you back to homesteading.
Ok, that was really no help!

Daycreek.com (BTW this is a site where you can learn about cordwood building. A technique we are considering using) offers three definitions. I think I like this one the best:

"Homesteading has more than one meaning. It used to mean qualifying for free government land because you lived on it, built a house on it, and so on. Now it means living on the land and trying for at least some degree of home production of your needs, especially food. When people who were raised in cities try to accomplish that, I believe it can be every bit as much of a challenge for them as crossing the plains was for our pioneer ancestors. People go to all kinds of places to do their homesteading: the suburbs of their city, the mountains of Appalachia or the western United States, the northeastern United States, the Midwest, northern California, Alaska, Canada, Mexico. No matter where you are or go -- if you can grow a garden and raise some animals, you're a homesteader. And a fortunate human being!" --- Carla Emery, The Encyclopedia of Country Living

By that definition, we are definitely homesteaders! I've also been reading some other blogs by people who are homesteaders. There is a huge variety of people out there who are trying to be more self sufficient for a lot of different reasons. There is a lot that I could find to disagree with. We don't all see the world through the same lenses, but we all can learn from each other on this journey to become more self sufficient. So, with all that said, I am a homesteader.

A Fall View of Our Road

My Foundations Exposed

We toss around a lot of phrases so easily. Such as "Christ is my strength, joy, and peace. He is my foundation. He is everything." Those things are true. In our heads we know they are. We read it in the Bible and we repeat it, but is it our reality? Do we really believe, to the core of our being? Do we "see it" with our hearts?

Sometimes I don't think we know until we are rocked out of our comfort zone. It could be a death, a betrayal, an accident, a sickness, or a lost job. Something that throws us for a loop and exposes where we really place our trust.

I've been in such a place recently. Don't worry, nothing major has happened, but something we thought we could count on has been placed in a state of limbo. How foolish I was to think that anything, outside of Christ, could be counted on. The only thing we have here is Christ and him crucified and our new life in Him.

I've been angry, depressed, scared and just generally distracted by the whole situation. This "limbo" has exposed my foundation. It is not entirely in Christ. I still stand on, take comfort in and depend on the things of this world.

We do have all things in Christ, but "seeing" them is a process. It does not happen all at once. Five years ago in a similar situation I would have been in a panic. I'd be looking for how I could fix things and get back to my comfort zone. I am not doing that now. I am waiting, somewhat patiently. I am praying, "Lord, open my eyes, that I might see you." Ephesians 1:17-19.

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of Him, the eyes of our mind having been enlightened, for you to know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us, the ones believing according to the working of the might of His strength.

For more on finding our foundations in Christ, I highly recommend The Right Foundations Series, from the Akron Vineyard. This is excellent teaching whether you are a new Christian or have been a Christian for decades. I will be revisiting it soon!

Tea anyone?

On Friday we did not have a tea party.

For school this year Kellen is doing a series of unit studies centered on the Chronicles of Narnia. The study is called Further Up and Further In if you are curious. One of the suggested activities for Friday was to have tea.

Kellen did a little research about tea in England. He made a menu and helped prepare it. The menu was ham sandwiches cut in small circles, crackers with cream cheese and salmon, grapes and coffee cake. We got out some fancy little glass plates and cups my Great Aunt Hazel gave me. We invited Ashley and Miles (they were off school.) But please do not call it a tea party!


According to my son, a tea party is a girly thing requiring pink dishes and flowers. He could participate in no such event and was quick to correct anyone who would dare to call it a tea party. It was Afternoon Tea.

We also had a "teachable moment" about milk and lemon when the girls put cream into their lemon tea. They were all quite amazed and it was quick on the spot cooking/science lesson.

Call it what you may, we all enjoyed our tea, and it was a fun lesson for a Friday afternoon.

Remember Drivers Ed. . .

Talk about boring! I took it outside of school so I could get my license sooner. Many of my friends took it in school. I remember taking drivers ed in this over stuffed, hot room with an instructor who spoke in monotone. We were all bored out of our minds.

I don't think there were any options besides school or in a private classroom. Times have changed. A sponsor has asked me to look at this site. Now you can do the class portion of drivers ed via correspondence or online courses at your own pace. I wish I would have had that option!

Got a driver coming up? This may be an option to look at!

Coalwood Pictures

Coalwood, WV

On Saturday, we travelled to coal country. I had never been in this part of WV. It is beautiful. It is sad. We were headed to Coalwood, home of the rocket boys.

Do remember the movie, October Sky? In case you haven't seen it, it is the true story of Homer Hickam, a boy from coal country. He and some friends overcome many obstacles to build a rocket, and win the national science fair. Homer went on to work for NASA and has authored several books, one of which is Rocket Boys, on which October Sky was based.
Coalwood has a festival every year. Homer comes as do many of the rocket boys. Miles, Ashley (my nephew and niece), and Kellen were interested, so we decided to make the trip.

And a trip it was. Coalwood is, according to Mapquest, about 3 1/2 hours from us. We got up at 5:00 AM, because we wanted to make it for the parade. The six of us were going as were Mamaw, Papaw, Eric and his kids. We were in two vans.

Have a mentioned that there are almost no straight or flat roads where we live? It is worse in coal country. Have I also mentioned that Miles (my nephew) has a very weak stomach? Glad he was not in my vechicle! Mamaw gave him motion sickness medicine and they still had to stop three times on the way there for Miles to . . . well lose his breakfast.

We were following mapquest directions. There was a road we were supposed to turn on, that didn't exist. We ended up making a big loop to get where we were supposed to be. As you might guess, we missed the parade.

Coalwood was interesting. It was easy to imagine what it would have been like when it was a company town. The are two roads lined with houses. There are only a few styles of modest homes. A few of the homes are very well kept, but most show their age. There are large buildings that are falling apart. They were the Olga "club," company store, offices, maintenance and multifamily buildings. (I have pictures, but I can't find the camera right now. I will post them seperately.)

The festival is small, but we saw license plates there from at least six states. There was a parade (which we missed,) vendor boothes, and music. Homer's alma mater, Virginia Tech, had free activities for the kids. There was a trolley that took you to a rocket launch site. We also missed the rockets because we waited too long. The main attraction was Homer. He stood on the church porch all day long signing books or shirts and meeting people.

He seemed so genuine. He took his time and talked with each person. He had a smile. Mamaw asked if he ever got tired of meeting and signing. His answer, "Never." It seemed sincere. All proceeds from the day went to the local restoration group.

What a story his life is. It is a true American story of rags to riches, an inspiration to us all to reach and work hard for your dreams. It is also a picture of something that seems to be increasingly rare, someone who has succeeded, but remains humble and real. It was worth the drive!

There is no Potty like Home

Nolan is doing really well with the potty training at home. At home he mostly goes by himself. Sometimes he needs a reminder. When I remind him he goes without a fuss. No major accidents.

Perfect right? Wrong! He will not go on any other potty, but those at home. He won't even use Mamaw's potty. He goes outside when he is at her house. This week he had two major accidents. He waits until he can't stand it. He gets very grumpy and impossible. I try to get him to go, but he refuses to. Out and out throwing a fit refusing. Nothing seems to work. Then he goes in his pants. Last Sunday at church, I took him outside to go. Going outside is not a problem. He will pee anywhere if we are outside.

A friend of mine used to carry her sons potty seat with her everywhere. He used one of those that sits on the big toilet. She would wrap it up in a plastic bag and stick it in a big duffel bag and take it everywhere. I used to think she was nuts. I may have even thought those forbidden words, "I will never do that for my child." What I wouldn't give right now to be able to carry Nolan's potty seat with me. I would do it in a heartbeat! Unfortunately, Nolan refuses to sit on a potty seat. He goes on the big potty, at home. I can't carry our toilet with me!

Deep down I know this is a phase he will outgrow. He will learn to go to the bathroom when he isn't home. Right now though it is infuriating. Have any of you had this problem? Any ideas how to solve it? Besides never leaving the house or letting him pee outside everywhere?

Stress Breaker

The last few days I have been feeling very stressed. OK well, maybe the last few weeks. September is a hard month for us. Tim is off most of June and part of July. His schedule picks up about mid August, peaking mid September and coming back to normal anytime soon! :)

It is good. This is where the bulk of his commission is generated for the whole year. It is bad. At peak, he is working three 12+ hour days a week, 2 eight hour days and every other Saturday for 4 hours. He is exhausted and never home.

I also feel like I am working overtime. I am exhausted too. This week it has hit me pretty hard. I think because it is October and the busy time is supposed to be over and it is not. (good and bad again!) Also, the last few weeks have been busier than normal with doctor appointments and the like. It throws us off schedule and makes homeschooling and normal daily stuff like laundry that much harder to accomplish.

I have had little patience with the kids and yelling much more than I'd like. I spent the better part of this afternoon feeling frustrated, overwhelmed and sorry for myself. Then I sat outside for a bit holding the baby and watching the other kids play.

It was a beautiful evening. I was enjoying doing nothing. We came in and had a quick and easy dinner and I sat down and ate with the kids instead of trying to do laundry or dishes. As a family, we almost always sit down for dinner, but I find when Tim is not home I tend to serve the kids while I am completing some task. I enjoyed my time sitting with the kids even with the dishes piled and bags of apples calling my name.

I realized that I had been focusing on all these tasks. I was stressing over apples, black walnuts, dishes, laundry and even blogging. Yes, all those tasks need to be completed. OK, so blogging doesn't need to be done, but that is what I want to be doing. There are always tasks to complete and usually more than I could ever get done, but those tasks are not my primary purpose. Tasks are not what we are here for. We have been created for relationships. Firstly, our relationship to the Lord through Christ and then relationships with people.

Spending time with the kids this evening, instead of spending time doing things, was just what they (and I) needed. No, the rest of the night was not perfect. I still had to remind them to do this and that. I still had to threaten to spank Nolan to get him to do just about anything. (He is the most stubborn two year old!) But underlying, the frustration, the feeling of being overwhelmed and the self pity were gone. There was a peace.

Can you see it?

Can you see what I've been tackling? Really what I've been tackling is laundry, apples, and black walnuts, but those projects are not complete. In fact, laundry around here is never complete.

Well, I guess, to be honest, the project I want to share today is an ongoing process too. I've been tweaking my template. I have added graphics, and lists and played with the colors a bit. I have been doing that here and at Stop the Ride. I am not sure I am entirely happy with the changes I made, but it is a start. I guess my blog template is kind of like laundry around here: never complete.

Want to play Tackle It Tuesday head over to Five Minutes for Mom.

Holiday Recipe Exchange - Manhattan Style Seafood Stew

Time to share all those yummy recipes! The recipe I am sharing originated with a friend of the family. I know it is not your typical holiday recipe. It is a family favorite on my side and a little pricey to make, so it has become the meal we have when the family gets together for Christmas. An added bonus to this is that it can mostly be made the day before, so we don't spend the whole day in the kitchen. We usually serve this with homemade bread, salad and very decadent desserts. Cheesecake and Amish date pudding are usually among the choices.

Manhattan Style Seafood Stew

5 bacon slices, chopped 1 1/2 large onion, chopped
5 green onions, chopped 3- 28oz cans Italian plum tomatoes, drained
3-8oz bottles clam juice 3/4 c dry white wine
3 bay leaves 1/4 tsp red pepper
1 lb. small white potatoes, peeled, quartered and sliced
24 clams well scrubbed (or use canned minced clams)
1/2 pound sea scallops, halved crosswise
1/2 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and de-veined
30 fresh basil leaves
1 TB lemon peel

Cook bacon in heavy large pot for about 5 minutes. Add onions and saute about 8 minutes. Chop tomatoes and add along with clam juice, wine, bay leaves and red pepper. Simmer 20 minutes.

Add potatoes to stew and simmer about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (This can be made 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Return to simmer before continuing.)

Add clams. Cover & simmer until clams begin to open- about 5 minutes. Add scallops and shrimp. Cover and simmer until clams open and scallops and shrimp are cooked. (about 3 minutes) Discard any clams that do not open. Mix in 1/2 basil. Transfer to large serving bowl and sprinkle with remaining basil and lemon peel.

Category: Soup or Main Dish

Head over to Overwhelmed with Joy to add your favorite recipe or to check out others' favorites!

Holiday Recipe Exchange

Overwhelmed with Joy is hosting a Holiday Recipe Exchange on October 2nd. That is this Monday. Post your favorite holiday recipe and then on Monday add your name to Mr. Linky at Overwhelmed with Joy. For more details, check the post here.

Is this an Intervention?

I enjoy my morning coffee. I make it half regular and half decaf, so, that really isn't addiction is it? Or is that kind of like someone saying they only smoke light cigarettes? Anyway, I think maybe Nolan is worried about me and trying to tell me something.



Thankfully, the pot was almost empty, so he did not get burned. He did, however, get two small cuts on his foot from the glass. Now, what am I supposed to do tomorrow morning? I feel the headache coming already! LOL

A Big Helper

Live Bookmarks

When going to check my daily reads, my bookmark says "Live bookmark feed failed to load." I thought, "Well that is annoying," and chalked up to a glitch with our computer or internet service. After a couple days of this, annoying was no longer an accurate description of how I felt about it. Then, I noticed it was always for the same blogs. (I am quick you know!) Upon further pondering, I noticed too that these were all blogs that had switched to beta blogger. Blogs still using the original version or those that started on Beta, like Stop the Ride or Kellen's (sorry his isn't public!) still were getting live feed. So, my solution I am resubscribing to all those that are not feeding! Maybe you have already figured this out and have a different solution.

Lydia's Room

This Tackle has been a long time coming. Almost a month ago, I tackled Lydia's closet with the intention doing her room the next week. Obviously, that did not happen. I am happy to say that the closet still looks good, and that this weekend we finally got to the rest of the room.
Before, it was truly a disaster area. Lydia and I spent quite a bit of time in this room. I even made her crawl under the bed and get everything out.


Kellen even helped out. It was worth it! It now looks like this. Notice it didn't get all done on the same day. (Lydia has different clothes on) I was hoping to do more de-cluttering (code for get rid of toys), but settled for just having things put away.

To see what everyone else is tackling or to add your own stop by 5 Minutes for Mom.

So embarrassing

Tuesday was our first story hour of the season. (the library does something different in the summer) I packed up the kids, (including a diaper less Nolan!) and headed to town. The librarian had the conference room all set up. A U of situpons (small rugs) and behind it a U of chairs for the parents. These were kid sized chairs, but they were intended for us.

We are going on a different day this year, because the day we used to go on conflicts with our homeschoolco-op. So there are a few familiar faces, but mostly new ones. Nolan was being unusually shy and stuck pretty close to me. Eventually, he ended up laying under my chair. I had Vivian on my lap. Nolan had taken his one shoe and sock off. About half way through the story, I leaned forward to retrieve it. It was a bit out of my reach so I had to come off the chair a bit. After retrieving the shoe and sock I went to sit back down and the chair was gone! The chair had fallen back when I leaned forward.

I do not have the balance, strength or grace to stabilize myself from that position. I went plop, not on the floor, but on Nolan who was under where the chair had been. Vivian was cradled in my arm so luckily she didn't hit the floor, but my arm hit the floor and the force of that caused her do asomersault out of my arm onto the floor. Nolan is screaming, Vivian is screaming and all I can do is laugh. You know you either laugh with everyone or die of embarrassment.

The kids weren't hurt only scared. Another mom took Vivian and she settled down quickly. I tried to comfort Nolan, but he was pretty upset. I eventually took him out of the room and he settled down.

After story hour one mom said to me, "Where is the video camera when you need it? You would have won big on America's Funniest Home Videos."

The librarian related Lydia's reaction to me. Lydia was initially very concerned that Nolan and Vivian had been hurt. The librarian reassured her that even though they were crying, they really were just scared, not hurt. Lydia looks at the librarian and politely says, "Oh good, why can't mommy take Nolan to a different room now?" Apparently, she wanted to hear the end of the story!

Potty Training: Round Two

After a false start, and missing my goal, it seems we may be on our way to a potty trained little boy. I think the first time we started this process Nolan figured out that I really wanted him to go in the potty, so he decided not to. Yes, he is that uh....independent would be the nice word for it! To push it at that point would have been like banging my head on a brick wall. If I even mentioned the potty I got a very firm, "No!" You pick your battles and although I really wanted him to be trained I let it go.

A few weeks ago he started getting diaper rash. He had diarrhea and his little bottom was getting pretty red. It was a major battle just to change his diaper and get some cream on him. (One, I unfortunately, had to tackle!) During the battles, I would tell him that if he would go on the potty I wouldn't have to change his diaper, or that his bottom wouldn't be ouchy in the first place. It worked. Suddenly, he was not so objectionable to the word potty.

Friday I was letting him run around with out a diaper and he took himself to the potty and went poop and pee before I knew he was even in there. When we were home this weekend he went with no diaper, just shorts. (He has trouble getting underwear down) He had a few accidents, but overall did really well. Of course it is on his terms.

1. No potty seat. He goes on the big toilet.
2. He does not want my help or reminders.
3. Shorts, no underwear, no diaper (he goes in the diaper if he has it on)
4. He must flush before he wipes. He wipes for pee or poop, then flushes again after wiping.
5. He says, "bye, bye" every time he flushes.

We are tackling potty training again. Well, I guess Nolan is doing most of the work, I am just around for cleaning up the accidents!

My first tag

I have been tagged for the very first time. (I have this awful Madonna song from my youth going through my head right now.) Heidi has tagged me for a meme. Actually, she is such a sweetie she posted two and said that I could pick which one. Since the kids are in bed, and I am waiting for Tim to get home (and I don't want to do the work I really should be) I decided to do both.

For the first word association
1. rock:Christ 2. bicycle:Kellen 3. green:spring 4. tomato:Bob (veggie tales you know!) 5. smile: Vivian

Now I get to pick five words for my yet to be named taggies
1. purple 2. home 3. cowboy 4. winter 5. computer

For the second
Here are the instructions: Grab the book closest to you Open to page 123 Scroll down to the 5th sentence Post the text of next 3 sentences on your blog Name of the book and the author Tag 3 people. (I copied and pasted that from Heidi's page. Yes, I am that lazy!)

The book that is on the desk next to me. . .page 123 wouldn't you know it is the glossary, well here goes

cap The portion of the mushroom bearing the gills and the tubes.
convex A surface that is curved or rounded outwards.
decurrent Running down the stem.
fibrous Composed of fine fibres or threads

This is from Mushroom Picker's Foolproof Field Guide by Peter Jordan. We had it out this weekend when we found some Oyster and Giant Puffball mushrooms.

I tag my darling Applehead, sister- in- law Delilah and her friend who lives near me, but I have never met isunshine. And continuing Heidi's generosity pick the one that you would like to do.

West virginia, New jersey, South carolina, Rhode island. . .

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!

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.

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.

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!

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"

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.

Wordless Wednesday

The Farm Girl

See more Wordless Wednesdays or post your own at Five Minutes for Mom

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!

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!

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?

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!