Just another day in paradise...sort of

more snow

2011-02-07T18:54:00.000-08:00

Guess what. More snow is on the way as well temperatures in the mid teens and down to single digits at night. Yay......I already said I am getting tired of the cold. I don't do really well in the real cold temps. My knees hurt like crazy and so does my back, I have arthritis in both and very little cartilage. Ah well, it wont last much longer, spring always finds it way back. I do have to say tonight when I came home from work (Its my late night so didn't get home until 7pm) we have had snow most of the day, and its getting really cold, the trees were absolutely beautiful. The dark silhouettes with that frosty coating on them were just breathtaking. I actually stopped a few minutes and admired them. I do love the way things look in the winter, the snow hides a multitude of flaws.

Chris called the mortgage company and talked to them today. They are sending us paper work out and we will fill it out with my wages and what not and see if we qualify for whats referred to as a "hardship case". Then I guess they lower the payments and the interest. Of course you pay for a longer period of time, but what choice do we have? So hopefully things will go through and we will be able to afford the house for awhile longer. Keep your fingers crossed.

My son and his girlfriend are coming over thursday for dinner. I think I am going to make a homemade chicken pot pie. I will cook a chicken in the crock pot on wednesday for us and use the left overs for thursday. I found a recipe for a whole chicken in the crock pot that is amazing! The skin gets crispy and everything, it absolutely falls off the bone. His girlfriend asked if I would make peanut butter fudge too, lol.

I found a really cute 3 dimensional heart I would like to make for Valentines day for my office, maybe a whole string of them. I need to find some thicker paper though. Will have to see what I can come up with. Will try to post a pic if I get them done. Wallpaper remnants would work well too! Hmmm I bet I could find those for a dollar or less. May have to look around for some.

Well I am heading to bed, gotta work tomorrow. I hope its warmer where you are!!

short but much needed update

2011-02-05T16:15:00.000-08:00

It's snowing again. We are supposed to get another 3 to 5 inches. This has been the longest we have had snow on the ground for years. I can remember the snow hanging on this long when I was a kid, but it hasnt done this in years. We had an ice storm too and everything was coated, so under this snow is a nice layer of ice. Its been so cold too, down in the teens or lower. Now I know we need to have winter, and cold to kill off weed seeds, and bugs and all those other reasons but to be honest, I could really do with some warm sun right now. Of course I know when it does warm up my yard is going to become the biggest mud bog ever, but I think I am willing to live with that.

Been going through the seed catalogs, pitching the ones that are owned or buy from Monsanto. Going through some websites and looking for seeds we need. Hopefully I will have people want to get into a CSA again and that way I can afford to put the garden in. With Chris still not working and no unemployment now we are getting by on a lick and promise. So hopefully we will still be here at the house and able to put the garden out.

Luckily kids still need their teeth straightened and I am still working steady. Yay for crooked teeth!! lol Been trying to get my etsy shop up and running http://www.etsy.com/shop/AlchemyAmongUs Check out my stuff, I have other things almost ready to post too. Appreciate any and all purchases!!

Well thats all for now, just wanted to drop in and let you all know we are still alive and kicking and hanging in there. Hope everyone stays warm and I'll try to post more often.

take care!!

getting colder

2010-11-05T11:29:00.001-07:00

The cold weather has finally come. It actually snowed a little bit today. Not enough to even stick but just a few flakes. We need to get the last of the brussel sprouts in, and the beets. There are still some carrots out there too. The rest of the plants will be pulled and put in with the chickens. They were so happy when they got one of the jack o'lanterns to pick apart. lol

Halloween is over, we had a wonderful party and everyone enjoyed themselves. Now its on to Thanksgiving. I finally found myself a free range turkey that I could actually afford. Pretty excited. I will make a store bought one for the kids to take home but for our dinner it will be the free range one. Along with corn, stuffing, brussel sprouts, cranberry sauce, homemade rolls, pumpkin pies, mashed potatos and gravy. The basics. Then onto the marathon cookie baking. I am going to have to start stocking up on butter, sugar, brown sugar and flour. My girls have really slowed down on the laying. I hope I dont have to buy eggs for cookies. :(

I have been making soups on the weekend, but we never get to can them. Usually someone stops by and helps eat it lol. I am heading home from work today to make a big pot of something. Then I usually take it to work for the week, or like I said, we get help eating it. I miss cooking. I miss being home. There is so much I want to do but work takes up the majority of my day, and then i get home there really isnt time to get a whole lot done.

I am about done here at work for the day and I have the weekend off. Hopefully I can get a few things accomplished, but I am torn...cause a nap sure sounds wonderful too. lol

ok not really the end of the garden...

2010-10-03T07:25:00.000-07:00

I guess my last post was a tad premature. We are still getting a few things from the garden, like green peppers, brussel sprouts, a few more squash and zuchini and the last of the tomatos. There are still beets and carrots to pull too. I have to say, the brussel sprouts this year were amazing. So delicious and still coming on like crazy. Chris still has some hot peppers out there too. We have canned a lot but I still have quite a bit of frozen berries to use up. I will be making Jams again before too long. Especially if Chris continues to eat them up like he is lol.

I did get some zuchini stew canned, although i need to do more. I want to get some meatloaf canned and some different soups. I may try to get to that today, since its rainy and cold. I love soups!! and on a day like this they are the best. I am wanting to make cheeseburger soup, lasagna soup and maybe just some simple vegetable. I cooked down some beef bones for broth yesterday so I am all set to start.

Halloween preparations have started! I have a front yard full of monsters and tombstones. We'll be starting on inside the house pretty soon. Only 3 weeks until the big party! Now if I could just figure out a costume. lol

end of the garden

2010-09-01T17:27:00.000-07:00

The garden is winding down now. We got more green beans which I want to "dill",brussel sprouts, tomatos, squash and zuchini. We went to a friends house and picked peaches which I am turning into peach butter. Filled a few small jars to put in goodie baskets for christmas, along with the little jars of strawberry jam and the blackberry when I get to it. I am thinking about baking some small loaves of bread to go in the baskets with the jam, along with a few assorted cookies.

The weather got cooler but now has shot back up to the low 90's, with some humidity. So not exactly the kind of weather you want to can in. lol The vacuum sealer has been getting a work out and things are going into the freezer. Chris butchered 7 roosters and they are in the freezer too. I want to cook two of them for broth and then can some chicken noodle soup. Luckily I have a three day weekend coming up. My plans are to bust out as much as I can in two days and on the third day just lay around and be lazy. Thats the plan as of now anyway. :)

We need to get to the wholesale store and get big bags of sugar, brown sugar, vinegar and what not to get all this done. I hope my checkbook agrees with me on this. We are starting to think about this years Halloween/Samhein party. I want to make a big paper mache tree with a face on it, and a few other ideas that I have rolling around in my head. I absolutely love Halloween, its actually the end of the year for me, and I am hoping next year is better than this one was. Still havent decided on a costume yet. Waiting for inspiration to hit. Not to mention motivation lol.

I am off to finish the peach butter so I can get to bed, gotta work tomorrow.

this and that

2010-08-16T17:43:00.001-07:00

It has been so ridiculously hot and humid here its unbelievable. Just rolling your eyes made you sweat. What rain we did get has been sporadic and nothing to right home over. Luckily things are doing pretty well other than the cukes that died on me. Looks like from a combination of no rain and maybe squash beetles. But we are getting enough to supply everyone with goodies and still put some up. So far we have frozen brocolli, zuchini, squash, brussel sprouts, and green beans. I have used up some strawberries and grape juice that we had and made 2 batches of each. One of the strawberry batches I put into little jelly jars to be given in goodie baskets at christmas. I still have the blackberrys to use, and we are getting more and more everyday. I have made 3 or 4 cobblers already too. The beets need pulled and canned and salsa needs done. I wish I didnt need sleep, cause there isnt enough hours in my day to get everything done I need to.

With christmas/Yule coming I have things I want to make for that too. The money is gonna be really short so i am leaning even heavier on homemade. (of course this all boils down to how much time i have lol)Looks like one of my banty hens, isnt. She sure looking like the roosters. If so, I will sell her...err....him and probably the other rooster too. Just keep one rooster and two hens. I sure dont need 3 roosters. If I cant sell them I guess they can go in the freezer, but I swear they so small they would just be a mcnugget.

Well its apparently supper time for the boys because I have 5 sets of eyes staring holes through me. So I should probably pick up on their subtle hint and go feed them. Hope everyone has a great day.

the weekend

2010-08-03T15:46:00.000-07:00

Things are slow but steady around here. We have stuff coming in from the garden, but not at a rate that is overwhelming. It also helps that some of it goes to the people in the CSA. So far that has worked really well for us, although I totally undercharged. Ah well, there's always next year.
We have frozen alot of berries and I am hoping I can get to them this weekend and get some jam done. I want to put some up for us to use and some to put in christmas goodie baskets. I have strawberrys, blackberries, and grape juice to use up.
The girls are back to laying well, but the little bantys still havent figured out the hen house. dorks. Chris still has about 7 birds to butcher. We used two this past weekend when I made chicken and dumplings in my cast iron dutch oven outside. We had friends over and cooked out there, it was really good.
I made some zuchini stew over the weekend as well, gotta use up some of those monster ones. You know the ones that seem to hide from you everytime your out picking until they are as big as your leg. Yeah those. I also made oatmeal honey bread, that was killer. I have made 3 blackberry cobblers so far this summer, and not one of them lasted longer than a day. With or without company here, and I usually get one piece out of them before they apparently evaporate. Because you know Chris wouldnt eat a whole blackberry cobbler himself, right?
The kids got home safe and had a good time on vacation. They brought us back some goodies and my daughter was very happy I cleaned her house for her. Now to do mine...
So even though I worked part of the weekend, it still turned out to be pretty good.

just an update

2010-07-25T06:01:00.000-07:00

Finally a break in the humidity. It was between 95 and 100 degrees yesterday, and the humidity was so heavy.The huge thunderstorm we have been hearing about rolled in, and it consisted of a couple flashes of lightening, a rumble or two and rain. We need the rain so bad, the past few days we have gotten a few showers but nothing like the good soaking rain we need. The ground is baked so hard that the water just stood on or ran off like a creek. Its over cast and cloudy today and whole lot cooler, so I am gonna get green beans in the freezer (still not cool enough to be running the pressure canner-we dont have air conditioning) and the yellow squash too. We picked a good 20 or more yellow squash on friday and about 14 pounds of green beans.

It's been so hot the hens have really slowed down on their laying. We went from almost a dozen a day to about 4. Hopefully today they will feel like laying, I have orders to fill lol. Also gonna try our hand at homemade peanut butter, and if I get really motivated I may get some more bread made and in the freezer. But lets not get crazy ;) The blackberries are coming on really well, we have some of those in the freezer, and a whole mess out there ready to turn.

Chris still has about 7 chickens to butcher, maybe he can get a couple done today. My little banty hens still have not figured out the hen house. I dont know what to do?? They go in it to eat, but not at night and even sometimes if it rains they all huddle together in the corner of the yard rather than go in. We have made them go in the hen house at night a couple times and locked them in, thinking they would pick up on it. But apparently they havent, anyone have any ideas? They havent started laying yet, so I am hoping they will go in to do that.

I bought a couple very nice sturdy baskets at goodwill yesterday. I am thinking they will make nice baskets for goodies at christmas. Yes I am thinking about christmas already. I have to, actually should have already been thinking about it a few months ago, so I can do a little at a time and not try to do it all at once. We do several goody baskets for family and friends, and everyone enjoys them. I send the kids home with goodies and we usually just buy for the kids, and chris' niece. I am looking for a turkey or two to put in the freezer for the holidays. I dont eat store bought meat, but the free range ones I am finding are 3 dollars a pound!! I cant possibly swing 60 dollars for turkey. So, I dont know, I thought about just raising a couple myself, but we have no where to put them. I could put them at the uncles house, but I need some sort of hen house and fencing, and right now I dont have two nickles to rub together. I will figure something out. Its so hard when I see in the adds turkey for 59 cents a pound, but I just cant bring myself to eat store bought anymore. The financial savings are there, but to me the cost is still high. I dont think animals should be raised or treated like they are when they are owned by a big company. I also like to know what the animal has eaten and/or been injected with. So I will keep searching and figure it out.

Well those beans arent gonna string themselves....

An apology to Lehmans

2010-07-19T15:03:00.000-07:00

First off I would like to thank Galen Lehman for giving me the answers I needed. Sometimes its easy to see things one sided and assume things.(no I am not going to go into the "ass out of...thing" because it annoys me to no end)Anyway, he brought up a good point, if you cant find it here in the states, should you buy it from elsewhere? Are you willing to pay a little extra? I will admit, I was one of those people who said "I can get it cheaper at..." but again when you start to realize and learn things, you become wiser. Even though Chris is still unemployed, and things are incredibly tight, I would pay the extra. I dont know of many companies who try to keep things here in the states. So many are moving away or buying from somewhere else. So Galen, if your reading this, I thank you and apologize for jumping to assumptions.

The weather here has been so dry and hot. We got a little rain last night, but not much. The rain has been hitting here and there. I have always been told thats a sign of a dry summer. (At least that's what my Momma says) I think having a little bit of rain is as bad as no rain. We are getting things out of the garden, zuchini, squash, green beans, a couple peppers, but not like we should be. The garden is just too big to water by hand. If it were just us eating out of it, that would be one thing, but since we have other people who have bought in I am concerned.

We had a good time at the Midieval Fair, I got my piece of frozen chocolate covered cheese cake! I only ate half and chris finished it for me. I just cant eat like I used to, which is a good thing believe me. There wasnt much of anything I could eat at the fair, everything is deep fried lol. But the lemonade was good, and the shows entertaining and the jousting was great. Saw a whole lot of goodies I wished I could buy, but mr. check book said no. (i really hate mr. checkbook)

My kids are going to Hilton Head for a week, I am so envious. I have never seen the ocean or been on a vacation. (our honeymoon was spent in amish country at Lehmans actually lol!)I hope they have a wonderful time, and bring me back some beach treasures!

Lehmans...made in China???

2010-07-12T17:23:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went to Lehmans. They were having their 55th year anniversary or some such thing. I really figured it was gonna be wall to wall people, but surprisingly it wasnt. I usually love Lehmans, we go down and drool over stuff and make a list of what we would like to get. This time I was a little disappointed. It seems like it's gotten more "gimmicky" for lack of a better word. More little plastic silly things, made in Japan or China. All sorts of kitchen gadgets that you see in catalogs. I wanted a corn cutter (you run the corn on the cob along this blade and it slices it off the cob), first two i picked up were from China. I know businesses all have to make a profit, but it really just makes me sad that everything is about the almighty dollar. Seems like today most people would sell their own mother if it meant making a profit. But then again, if people wouldnt buy it, they wouldnt make money and maybe get the point. But most people feel like one person wont make a difference. Its a viscious circle.

We did have a nice day though, we left there and went to a lot of little dry good stores looking for local products. Got some lunch, and took the long way home. We watched two DVDs this weekend, one was called Super size me which was about a man who ate mcDonalds 3 times a day for a month and the effect it had on him physically. The other was Food Inc. which is also a book, about the meat packing industry and the food industrys effect on us. It was a good dvd and an even better book. Really brings things to your attention. Now while I understand this is just someones report on these industries, and of course is just one side of the story, it really helped me to make some decisions I have been thinking over.

Sunday we took my daughter to a farmers market, and then she took us to lunch. We came home and layed around in the pool. The water was so warm!! So it was a pretty good weekend, followed with a crappy beginning of the work week monday. lol Oh well, next weekend is the Renesaince festival, I am looking forward to it!! That should make the week a little more tolerable :)

test results

2010-07-02T16:54:00.000-07:00

Got my blood work back yesterday, and my bad cholesterol went down 22 points! only 8 more to go to where the doc wants it. No meds for me! Yay me!! But we had Chris' results too, and they werent so good. He isnt overweight, and very active and he only had the bloodwork done to shut me up lol. I am glad he did, found out his bad cholesterol is almost double what it should be!! Since he is a smoker and there is a history of heart attacks in family, the doc was pretty concerned. So he is on meds, and we are adjusting his diet. He really wants to quit smoking too so doc gave him a prescription for Chantrix (sp?) but my insurance doesnt cover it and its 120.00 a month!! But thats gonna be less than buying smokes in the long run.

Been giving our CSA people lettuce, chard, onions, and eggs. Thats all that we have right now, but it wont be long.Everything is looking really good. My little banty chickens wont go up into their hen house, and I cant figure out why? I tried sprinkling oats up the ramp, and they walk up it almost to the top and jump down. I dont want them to lay eggs just on the ground! especially if she is gonna hatch any out. I'm gonna have to figure out something.

Got the pool filled!! Of course then the weather cooled down and I couldnt get in it, but its been warm the past couple days, so tomorrow I am in it!! I would love to find one of those floaty chairs really cheap.

Having friends over tomorrow for stuffed baked potato soup made in the cast iron dutch oven outside. I already made the bread, so all thats left is maybe cookies or something for desert. This soup is sooo good, there is never any left over lol. Everyone will probably stay for a bonfire then as well. Which is nice, I love company and I love a good fire. Maybe I will just have smores for desert!! lol

A free toaster oven for acting now!!

2010-06-27T16:46:00.000-07:00

Why is it when someone doesnt agree with your way of living, thinking, or your beliefs you're the one who is wrong. You're the one who needs to change. I am not saying my way of thinking, living whatever is the "correct way" to do things. Its just correct for me. So when you ask me something and I respond, although not the way you feel I should, you feel the need to try and belittle or berate. Are you just looking for an arguement? What does it really matter to you? If you think I am wrong then give me facts to prove it. Not just your opinion of what you "think" is the truth. I am very passionate about my beliefs, my way of life, but I am trying to convert anyone. I dont get a toaster oven for making you a Pagan or a vegetarian. I love the earth and would like to take care of her, but that doesnt make me some tree huggin hippy. (no offense to anyone who is a tree hugging hippie) SO maybe you think my way of life is off the wall. That you wouldnt live like I do on a bet, or eat the way I do. super!! I am not asking you to. If you ask my opinion on something I will give it. Doesnt mean you have to abide by it. What makes this all even worse is it's coming from family. You know, those people who are supposed to love you and accept you?? Yeah well not happening. My sister and I will never see eye to eye and I am ok with that. But she feels the need to attack or try to make jokes at my expense. I keep telling myself she is just a bitter person who wants everyone to be as miserable as she is, but its tough. I try to have an intellegent conversation with her, explain my ways or beliefs and she wont even listen. Its just one wise crack and smart ass remark after another. She makes me so aggravated. I just dont understand where common curtesy has gone, with her and other people. My right to believe or live the way I choose is the same as YOUR right. I dont belittle others, I dont care what others believe in. If it makes them happy and brings them peace then it works for them, leave it alone. If you choose to eat meat, fast food, and prepackaged meals have at it. Now I will say I think its a shame that more people arent concerned with what they eat. But its your body, do what you want. I am not gonna get my soap box and preach the evils of whatever, so how about extending me the same favor? And if you are gonna get on that soapbox, at least have your facts straight, or facts in general for that matter. Sorry this has become a tangent, but she really gets on my nerves and I needed to vent!!

Looking for an answer

2010-06-16T18:08:00.000-07:00

Man I would really like to shake this feeling of apathy I have and find my motivation. I have lost and regained the same 2 pounds all month, probably longer!I havent been exercising at all. I tell myself, go do it for 15 minutes. But I just dont. I keep reading where people say "just go do it" but i just dont. I have lost 60 so far and would like to lose another 25. I want to tone up, but that would mean doing something. What is wrong with me??? I am a very determined person and definately not a quitter, but I just cant seem to find my "give a shit".

I am thinking that it has a lot to do with where my head is at lately. For some reason everything just seems pointless to me. I feel like the hampster on the wheel. Go to work, come home, little yard work, eat, go to bed. Do it again. I dont want this. I never wanted to become this person yet here I am. I feel like I am not enjoying my life but just going through the motions. I think I had the illusion that once I lost weight everything would be great. It isnt. Nothing has changed except my pant size (which I am not knocking believe me!!) and the fact that I am not in as much pain. Both of course good things, but I expected more. I dont know what I expected exactly...for the clouds to part and the angels to sing ?? I thought I would be happier, people would pay attention to me, something life altering. But I just feel like everything is pointless. Why hold on to dreams in your life that will never come to be? When do dreams stop holding promise? They become like Santa. Remember how you felt when you found out santa wasnt real? How disappointed you were? How disillusioned? Thats what I feel like. I havent been to belly dancing class in about a month. Why? well first no money, but I could have come up with it if I had wanted to. But I feel like I have spent a year in bellydance class for what?? My hopes of dancing are not gonna happen. Thats just a reality. My hopes of owning my own shop are not going to happen, again just a reality. I am not looking for pity, its just become apparent is all. So I feel like its all been a waste of time. I dont like where my life is right now, and I am not sure on what or how to change it.

This just isnt like me, I dont give up or give in, yet I have. I decided to lose weight, I did it. I decided to learn to bellydance, I did it. I decided to become a vegetarian and I did it. I stopped drinking pop cold turkey (and I loved coke!) So what gives?? Why all of a sudden have I become stagnant?? I am hoping for some big epiphany to happen. Lets just hope it comes along soon.

The cutest chickens ever!!

2010-06-14T14:36:00.000-07:00

We got more chickens!! We were just going to get roosters to put in the freezer, but when we got to the persons house I fell in love with the little bantys she had. They are Mille de Fleurs. Cute as buttons!! We just recently lost our little banty hen, and I really like these. She gave me two roosters and three hens. They are so sweet and docile, you can just carry them around and they could care less. Just beautiful little birds. She also has baby silkies, and I am going to get a couple of those too!! They are just little puff balls now. We did get about 7 roosters, and the most beautiful black americana hen. It was like a chicken christmas!!! LOL The bantys are still young and I cant wait to see how they color up. I am gonna let them hatch a clutch of eggs because you know the peeps will be absolutely the cutest things ever. I will offer them for sale for the 4H kids to show or someone like me who has a soft spot for bantys. (lets face it I have a soft spot for any chicken) Needless to say Chris has been doing nothing but building me more chicken houses and runs lol. Good thing he is creative. I know he likes them just as much as I do, he just wont admit it.

No Meat

2010-06-11T16:47:00.001-07:00

In the past couple of months I have stopped eating meat. I can not believe the reactions I am getting from some people. They get all pissy with me! Like it makes any difference. So I dont eat meat and you do, so? Do you feel guilty about it? Does it make you upset that I am losing weight and your not? Whatever the hell the reason, get over it. Everyone has the same options to eat what they want. I am choosing to not eat meat. Will I go back to eating meat? Maybe, but I am trying to lower my cholesterol and meat has quite a bit. So until I get my blood work done again I am just not eating it. I realize I need protein, and there are other things with protein besides meat. I have no intentions of preaching the evils of eating meat, so no worries. I like chicken, fish, a nice pork roast. Red meat and I never got along, so I never did eat much of it. But for right now, I am choosing to not eat it.

evil cheesy potato recipe

2010-05-26T04:53:00.000-07:00

Some of you are not interested in heeding my warning about the evils of cheesy potatos. So for those of you foolish enough to sit at the table with them, here is the recipe.

2 Cups light sour cream
1 (10oz) can reduced fat cream of mushroom soup
3/4 cup low fat milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 teaspoon chopped garlic (more or less to your taste)
2 Tablespoons butter melted (i didnt use this much, maybe only 1)
1 medium onion chopped finely
2 cups reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
2 lbs frozen hash browns thawed ( i used regular potatos, grated)
1 cup cornflakes crushed which make about a 1/2 cup crumbs

spray a 9X13 pan with nonstick spray. Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl combine the sour cream, mushroom soup, milk, salt, pepper, garlic, butter, onion and cheese.

Add the thawed (or freshly grated) potatos and combine thoroughly. Pour into prepared pan and spread smooth. Sprinkle the top with crushed cornflakes. Bake 45 minutes (a little longer if using real potatos)

makes 12 servings
each serving has 162 calories
5 grams of fat
14 milligrams of cholesterol
389 milligrams sodium
21 grams of carbohydrates
8 grams of protein
2 grams of fiber

I gave you fair warning that these are delicious and addictive. Be strong!! be brave!

The evils of Cheesy Potatos

2010-05-25T08:48:00.001-07:00

wow its been almost a month since I have blogged. What a slacker I am!! lol Not a whole lot to update though. I have lost and regained the same pound, pound and a half for the past couple weeks now.

I found a recipe for lowfat, cheese potatos. I LOVE potatos any way shape or form, and if you throw cheese in there too, I am a happy girl. Anyway I made them, they were delicious, and apparently caused my brain to kick out of gear. I could have sat and ate that entire pan myself. My brain tried to rationalize that since they were low fat I could eat more. Seriously? But oh buddy I did anyway. I ate mine and whatever was left on my husbands plate. It was almost like I couldnt stop myself, all common sense left me and I just wanted to eat them! What the hell?? I mean, its not like I was starving and this was gonna be the only meal i would have for days. What is it with some trigger foods? Why is it that certain foods just cause the brain to shut down and the mouth to open? Definately wont be making them again anytime soon, until I can build up some control. Better to not bring temptations in.

I absolutely have no desire to exercise lately either. I find every excuse I can not to. No idea why? Its not like I love exercising but I dont HATE it either. Even dance class isnt holding my interest as much. I dont know. There is still a lot of stress in my life right now (like everyone elses). Old issues and some new ones have raised their evil heads. But I suppose there is always going to be issues and stress, its just a matter of learning to deal with out eating my way through them.

60!!

2010-04-27T18:34:00.000-07:00

I hit the 60 pound lost mark!! I am so proud of myself! Only about 25 more to go, so thats over half way there. People are so surprised when they see me now. A lot of my patients at work only see me once every couple of months, and so many have complimented me on the loss. It really helps to make me want to keep it up. I cant wait until my subconscious believes them. In my head I am still a big girl, guess it will take time to adjust. :) The self confidence is slowly coming back too.
Its hard for me to wrap my head around 60 pounds, but thats the same as 3 car tires. (Sometimes I just need a visual)lol. Anyway, Yay for me!! and heres to losing the next 25, for good.

another one bites the dust

2010-04-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

Well the majority of the 3 I gained was due to it being that time of the month. I only put on about a half pound from grazing. The good news is I weighed myself this morning and I lost another pound. yay me! Total of 59 lost to date. I am actually wearing a size 14 comfortably. Thats down from a size 22. I never thought I would ever wear a 14 again. Its crazy to me.

Still just eating healthier, and watching the fat and cholesterol. Yes I still need to get off my ass and do more. I keep waiting for the time when I love to exercise. All these blogs that say how surprised they are that they love to exercise now! Yeah so far for me, no.I dont mind it, but its definately not in my top ten. Sometimes I think a little bit of the depression is trying to ooze its way back in, and that has something to do with it. Not sure. Pretty sure not sleeping well has alot to do with the low energy level as well. But! I am pumped about losing another pound! Finally seemed to have gotten past the plateau. One more pound and I am treating myself to a new bra at Victoria's Secret!!!

knees and back

2010-04-19T17:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I walked 2 miles, and the knees did pretty good. For those of you with bad knees or a bad back, do you get tired of the looks you get when you say you have bad knees?? That "yeah sure" look. Like I just say that so i wont have to do whatever it is your asking of me. If people cant see blood, or stitches well its just all in your head. Most everyone you talk to has a back issue of some sort, so its just not taken that serious. If your overweight and say you have bad knees, well of course you do with all that extra weight. Just lose it and you will be magically better. Wow seriously? well it hasnt happened yet, but maybe there is a magical amount of weight you need to lose before it happens. I will keep you posted. My very favorite thing is when I have been walking a lot and start to limp, and someone says "are your knees bothering you again??" like they are surprised. Well no, they arent bothering me 'again' since they rarely stop aching that would be more of a 'still'. My knees are in some form of aching all the time.

Ok didnt mean to get off on a tangent. Anyway, I walked yesterday and tomorrow is dance class. Tonight is my late night from work and I just dont feel up to doing anything. I am really lacking in the motivation department lately, and I wonder why I gained weight? duh...

3 pounds not just 1

2010-04-18T06:57:00.001-07:00

ok yeah, that whole gained one pound thing...more like 3. Now while thats not drastic, its still something I dont want. No its not some big number, like I gained 20 back, but its still not the way I was going. I really would like to know why the grazing is going on. I just read a blog that talked about Power eating, I need to read on that and see what its all about. I 'think' it has to do with increasing the protein and carbs so your body as fuel to use when you work out, and not lose muscle mass. But dont quote me on it, like I said, I need to read it and see.

I checked out the local Y the other day, and I gotta say, I'm not impressed. Its a very small Y and the people there were pretty pretencious. I asked if someone could give me a tour and they all kept trying to push us off on someone else to do it. That makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. They were also very expensive. So, I am still looking. I really want to take a yoga class if I can find one local. I need to tone things up. Losing 58 (well 55 now) is great! but things are a little loose. lol
The Y offered a water toning class, that I would have loved to take. But they dont offer classes to anyone but members. Buttheads. Anyway, I am gonna hit my treadmill here at home,then shower, and then with any luck at all I can sit down and work on making some earrings or bracelets or something fun!! Hope everyone has a great sunday.

grazing

2010-04-17T14:38:00.000-07:00

well I have gained a pound. Honestly I think its due to it being that time of the month, but it could also be due to the fact I have been grazing like its my job. Not actually "eating" per se, bites of things here and there. I made soup and tasted everything I put in it. Oh, here are the last 3 of those malted milk balls, i will just finish them. So I can throw the bag away of course, not because I want them.

Normally I eat oatmeal with peanutbutter in it for breakfast and that really holds me over till lunch. Except I am not eating because I am hungry at this point. I just want to graze on a bite of everything. Hmmm chocolate chips? ok just a couple. Oh hummus and crackers? just a few thanks. Want to lick the bowl that the chocolate chips bars were mixed in? oh ...ok. Honestly I dont know what's been with me. Yesterday and today I just want to eat and eat. It's crazy!!! Luckily I have some self control or I would have unhinged my jaw like a snake, in front of the fridge and swallowed everything in it.

I have been trying to keep busy, so maybe my mind wont constantly tell my mouth, "hey lets go find something to munch on.." Lets hope this is just a "hormonal thing" and I will be able to get back in the right frame of mind.

class tonight

2010-04-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

Tonight was belly dance class. I havent been there in a couple weeks due to prior engagements. But class wasnt too bad tonight. Lately though I havent been wanting to go to class, and I dont know why. I love belly dancing, and want to continue but for some reason I am avoiding it?? It really makes no sense. I am trying to search through my head and see what the hell. lol

Yesterday i walked 2 miles in 45 minutes, and the knees did pretty good. Didnt hurt much until later when they got stiff. But still not bad. So thats a total of 105 minutes this week, only 45 to YMCA tomorrow. They have a pool (i love to swim) and offer water toning classes. So we will see, maybe they will let us use their track tomorrow to walk. I just dont know about joining, with my husband still not working and all. So its something to think about.

Been eating very little in the way of fats and/or cholesterol. Keeping the number low, seriously considering a vegetarian diet. I dont eat red meat, and could probably do with out other kinds. I like the vegetarian burgers and chicken I have tried.

Well off to bed, just wanted to do a quick little update, and keep track of things. gotta work tomorrow, its my early day. Got to be up at 5am. yuck!!

A change in direction

2010-04-12T10:02:00.000-07:00

I have decided to change the subject matter of my blog to that of my weight loss journey. This is a big thing in my life right now, a huge lifestyle change. I hope those few that read will stick around, if not, its all good. Hopefully others in this same situation will find their way here.
I have fought with my weight my whole life. Even when I was younger and wasnt actually over weight I had a brother who would call me that all the time. So, you hear something enough,especially from a family member, you start believing it. It then went from there, I had kids and never really lost the weight, my ex husband took up where my brother left off. At one point I started eating fat free, and did lose quite a bit, I was accused of losing weight so I could find another man and leave him. After months of constant badgering from him, my emotional eating won out and I gained it ,plus some, back. After the divorce I lost quite a bit again, but was still over weight. It takes a long time to get over (if you ever can) mental abuse. My self esteem was in the crapper, and I didnt like me alot. I didnt have a whole lot time to think about it, since I was raising two preteen kids alone on 800 dollars a month. Dont know how we did it, but we did!
So my weight has constantly fluctuated. There came a point in my life that I thought I was ok with it,and maybe at the point I was. I felt that I was just a big girl, and was always gonna be.My husband didnt mind so if you didnt like it, dont look. I wasn't going to count every stinking calorie, I enjoy cooking and eating and life is too short to make yourself miserable by constantly worrying that what I was eating was ok. Those words would come back to me, but in a whole new aspect. I was at the time, ok with me.
Now in all honestly, there are legitimate issue wrong with my knees, but I wonder if being heavy my whole life didnt help those along. One knee has a kneecap that keeps trying to slide off to the side, and the other has only an extremly small amount of cartidge in it. The doc says it was probably that way since birth, but seriously now, you think caring an extra 50+ pounds didnt cause a problem?? Anyway...I was 44 and could barely walk. I used a cane, it killed me to have to stand in line at the store. Seriously, near tears pain. Walking through the store was just as bad. My husband and I love walking flea markets,antique stores, hikes (yes even fat i did hike on occasion) and I have kids. Granted grown ones I dont have to chase, but I still want to do things with them. I was so upset with myself,and just plain frustrated. Thats when those words, "life is too short to make yourself miserable," came back to me. I realized I had to lose weight to help myself. I found a belly dancing class, I braved up and took it. Five other girls from work came with me, I am the only one who went back (and they were all smaller than me! HA!) I stayed with it, and got a dvd and did it at home too. Pretty soon I started losing weight! I figured if your gonna do it, now is the time. I changed my eating habits, no junk, no fast food, no pop. White bread was replaced with whole wheat. More chicken and fish,veggies and fruit. I did start keeping track of calories as the weight came off.
I started this in June of 09, and as of today I have lost 58 pounds. I dont know how many inches total but I will look into that. I want to lose about another 20 to 30 pounds. Especially now that I have found out my cholestrol is high. I have altered my diet further, and try to exercise as often as I can. My knees are still painful, but not near as painful as they were. I am able to walk 2 miles so far, with minimal pain.Standing for any length of time is still a bad thing, but I keep working at it.
So I am just going to use this blog to help me mark the miles stones, and help through the glitches. Hopefully you'll hang around :)

think before you speak

2010-04-05T15:23:00.001-07:00

I spent part of yesterday at my sisters visiting. My mom and both sisters were there, as well as both nieces and their boyfriends. Chris and my daughter Holly went with me. My sisters and I are very different, but sometimes the differences amaze me.

My oldest sister is one who likes the finer things, she likes a well manicured lawn and doesnt see the point in raising a garden and canning when you can go to the store and buy it. But while she doesnt get what I do, she respects my choice. SHe doesnt tell me I am wrong, crazy maybe, but not wrong. She also understands my being Pagan, and what it is. She isnt a dog person, she doesnt go barefoot, and she accesorizes like a pro. I may not agree with her ways of doing things but I respect her and love her a lot.

While I love my next sister just as much, we hit heads. She is very negative, oppinionated,and narrow minded at times. She thinks my being Pagan is stupid, and I do it for attention. My daughter and I got tattoos for my birthday. She already had 2 and I had one, and we decided to get another together. My oldest sister has no problem with this, she has even considered getting one if she could think of what it is she would want. My other sister is not so open minded. She thinks they are trashy and ugly. Well thats fine, dont get one, but dont tell my daughter she looks trashy. If you dont like them dont comment on it, but she did. She told my daughter it looked bad (like it was poorly done-which it wasnt) and why does she do this to herself? Its so trashy. Really?? I just cant imagine telling someone you love something like that? My sister has never done anything with her life. She got out of a bad relationship and just stopped. SHe has lived in the same small little run down apartment for years,she does nothing to better herself, and has become bitter. Both my older sister and myself have tried on numerous occasions to help her, to motivate her, anything so she would be better off and happy. But she wont.

I guess I just cant understand. I have always felt and always taught my kids, if you dont like the way things are, change them. Only you can make you happy. Why some people want to be miserable I cant figure out. I guess its become a safe place for her?? I wont even pretend to understand. I just wish people would think before they speak. Words can hurt a lot worse than any physical hit.

Happy Ostara/Easter

2010-04-04T06:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Ostara, or Easter, which ever you celebrate. My kids will be here this afternoon for dinner. We eat early since my son has to work and we also go visit my Mom and sisters later. I have a turkey in the oven, and a ham in the crockpot. We will also be having mashed potatos, gravy, stuffing, corn, green beans, deviled eggs,homemade whole wheat rolls, and strawberry shortcake for desert. I love it when the kids are both home, I miss having them here. I know they are only ten minutes away, but with work schedules and what not, its hard to get together as often as I would like. My house is too quiet now, yes even with 5 dogs its too quiet lol. I understand that they need to grow up and become independant, I just dont see why they couldnt do it from next door. Even ten minutes away is too far lol.

I enjoy this time of year, as it symbolizes new starts for me. I watch as the early spring flowers start to bloom, and to me it shows me that no matter how cold and dark it gets, there is always a light at the end. It cant always stay dark and cold, the sun and warmth will come back. Just like in life, its isnt always bad news and stress, if you look for it and let it in, there is brightness.

I look forward to putting in the garden,grilling outside, and bonfires. Since I have lost weight, I may actually look forward to wearing shorts for once!! lol!

I hope everyone enjoys there holiday today. I hope it is spent with family and friends, or however you want it to be. Find faith in the thought, that spring is here and summer is on its way. Enjoy the spring flowers, birds, and by all means make sure you bite the ears of at least one chocolate bunny!!!!

just a little update

2010-03-12T19:00:00.000-08:00

This week has been a hectic one. Normally I have patients every other day at work, but this week its been everyday, so no break in between to get things ready. Had a doctor appointment on wednesday with a new doctor. I dont have a regular family doctor, and figured it was probably a good idea to get one. I had to have bloodwork done per my psychiatrist and found out my cholesterol was high,(but sugar and blood pressure were great) so there for I needed to see a doctor. So I go to the appointment totally hoping this guy isnt one of those with no sense of humor, you know the kind that tilt their head like a dog and look at you funny when you make a joke. I cant do that kind. Well luckily he seems like he can handle a joke and even a little bit of hassling, bonus for him. He wanted to put me on meds for the cholesterol but instead we made a deal. Since I dont want to take anymore meds than I have to, he agreed to give me 12 weeks to bring it down. He was even more agreeable to it when he found out I have already lost 55 (yes i lost another 2!!) pounds. So...once again the food intake gets adjusted, not necessarily the amount but more like what it is. I am also gonna have to get a little more motivated and work out more than once or twice a week. He wants a total of 150 minutes a week. Which works out to a half hour 5 days a week, or how ever I want to work it out. Since dance class is an hour, that helps.
After work today Chris and I went to Borders bookstore. There is one near us that is going out of business, and we couldnt resist. We are both book junkies. I bought my kids each a book and I bought The Spark which is the weight loss plan that goes along with the sparkpeople.com website I use. One on controlling your cholesterol, and one on the power of gem stones. Thats another fascination of mine, crystals and stones. Chris got one called "Pay Dirt-how to make 10,000 dollars a year from your garden." I have a stack of books already that i want to read and now I added these lol.
Chris will be gone for awhile tomorrow so I am figuring thats a good time to scrub the kitchen floor, and get a few things done. (Like reading lol) I just keep telling myself housework burns calories. :) There are so many things I need to do, and even more I want to do that just two days off isnt enough.I have been making frozen meals for Chris' uncle so sunday is usually spent cooking.
The snow has finally melted off here, which is a feat in itself considering how much we got. Now the yard is so soft and muddy, its awful. Its calling for rain the next few days too, so it should swamp pretty soon. I may order alligators to raise in it, I hear their meat sells well. :) Chris is getting antsy about wanting to start the garden. I keep reminding him we will have more frosts and maybe even snow again. You dont plant around here until mid to end of may. So we look through the seed catalogs and decide what we want to plant, then redecide something else the next day lol.
Not a whole lot to update, things are just kind of blah around here.But I guess I would rather have Blah than having too much to deal with!!

Plans are meant to change now and then

2010-02-13T16:56:00.000-08:00

Wow, this weekend did not go the way we expected. After I got off work on friday we splurged since it's Valentines Day weekend, and stopped and had chinese food. I am not a big fan of chinese food, but I was really wanting some for some reason, lol. We get home and some friends stop by, both are so sick with colds, I really feel bad for them. After they left Chris gets a phone call from his uncle. He wants to know that if he has to go into the hospital, will we watch his dog? Ok what?? Chris asks why he would ask such a thing and tells him of course we would. Come to find out his 74 year old uncle was on his second wheelbarrow load of fire wood(which is about 100 yards from the house)when he had a tightness/burning sensation in the chest, got dizzy, and thought he was going to pass out. Now you also have to know he was pushing this wheelbarrow stacked full of wood, AFTER he had shoveled a path to get there. Chris tells him he needs to go to ER but of course he is gonna wait to see if he feels better in the morning. Well both of us were concerned that if had another spell like he did out in the yard, he may not be able to call us. (he lives alone) I tell Chris, it sounds like he is having a heart attack, he agrees and grabs some clothes and a sleeping bag and heads to his uncles house. He stays all night with him, and he was still refusing to go to the hospital. This morning he tells chris he has a mild headache but it feels like its going away and he will call the doctor on monday. I can't believe how bullheaded some people can be. Chris' mom takes him some lunch and he tells her his chest hurts and he has pain down his left leg. She convinces him to let her drive him to the ER, where they promptly admit him because, surprise surprise, they all believe he had a heart attack. We were out getting chicken feed and had to drop off a loan payment, when we got the call and we headed to the hospital. We left the hospital and stopped and got food for Chris' dad who has been home alone all day. Talked to them a few minutes, then headed back to uncles house to feed the dog. We stayed there with him for about an hour, while I dust the living room. Typical man and doesnt think to dust. I did his dishes and just did a quick cleaning. We headed for home, but I needed a couple things for tomorrows dinner(we have friends over every sunday for dinner. They are both out of work and it helps them to get out for a bit and we love the company) Soooo we stop at the grocery store, which truth be told is where we were planning on going when we left the house this morning, but other things got in the way. I just picked up what i had to have and we once again, headed for home. Got home, Chris grabbed his sleeping bag and clothes and is headed back to Uncles house, because the dog has never been alone for this long and he is already looking for him and just wanted to lay in my lap while i was there. So a little seperation anxiety is starting to show. In our house the dogs are like our kids, and we do everything we can to keep them happy and healthy. I would like to think someone would do the same for me if I was in his position. So Chris will be home tomorrow late morning, and will go back after supper to stay again. We dont know how long he will be in the hospital, but at least he is where someone can keep an eye on him and help him. Whew! what a day this has been. Please keep Chris' uncle in your thoughts and prayers

An achievement

2010-02-09T08:47:00.000-08:00

Well I did it. I lost two more pounds and made it to the 50 pounds lost mark. **happy dance** Only 25 more to go. I dont think thats too bad for an 8 month time span. I keep telling myself when I hit my goal weight I will buy myself a belly dance costume. lol But then I remember they are anywhere from 300 on up and where would I wear it, and I think maybe I should think of something else.lol Now that I can find my belly button, I may have it pierced :) who knows, but I am gonna do something!!

We have another snow storm headed our way, its snowing now. Just a fine snow, but steady. Also calling for wind, which means drifting. Keep your fingers crossed that they close my office for tomorrow lol. I just feel bad for our Basset Hank, he has to go out and plow his way through drifts lol. The other boys are tall enough to bounce through the snow, but when your legs are only about 3 inches long, that really isn't an option, lol.

I see Chris already wrote about us getting the exercise equipment. So far so good, I am guessing there may be a time when we start hanging clothes on them (ha!) but hopefully not for some time yet. With the snow coming tonight, dance class may be cancelled, so I will be on the treadmill. The one bad thing to come out of this weight loss, is I have nothing to wear. I mean not just "I dont like whats hanging in my closet so I dont have anything to wear" sort of thing. I mean really, I got nothing!! lol We went to the thrift store on saturday and I bought 4 pairs of dress pants, and 4 shirts for less than 20 bucks! I have to have work clothes, and the pants I was wearing I had taken in so much they looked like they were pleated! lol Going through my dresser to look for work out clothes, I realized I dont really have much, but then I realized I have absolutely NO summer clothes. lol Oh well, my birthday is next month, I will ask for gift cards hehehee. Keep your fingers crossed for me, that I dont have to safety pin everything on.

modifications

2010-01-29T11:31:00.000-08:00

I attended a nutrition seminar wednesday, offered from the people I work for, it was really eye opening and informative. I dont know if everyone knows but 7 months ago i started belly dancing and changed my eating habits, I have since lost 47 pounds so far. I dont like to use the word "diet" because i am not dieting, but changing a life time of bad habits. This is the only body I have, if I want it to last, I need to take care of it. The fact that my ability to walk was becoming minimized due to bad knees a()nd being over weight wasnt helping was apparently the wake up call i needed. As i lost weight the knee pain eased up. Do they still hurt? yes on occasion, but nothing like they used to. It has been years since I have been under 200 pounds, my heaviest was 235, I am now 180 heading towards a goal of 150.

So anyway... where I was going with all this was the whole changing eating habits. More changes will be made, and Chris actually agreed to go along with them. You all know how that man can eat, and he has a sweet tooth like nobodys business!! But he needs to change, his dad had a heart attack early in life, I dont want that to happen to him. I wish I could get him to quit smoking, him and my kids. Did you know that you would have to gain over 100 pounds for it to be as detrimental to your health as smoking is? crazy huh?? So, we will replace white flour with whole wheat, as well as the pasta too. More veggies and fruit and no worries, he can still have his peanut butter lol. Just a lot less processed foods, even though we really didnt eat much of them to begin with. We are going to put out some different veggies this year, and I would like to find another blueberry bush. I stopped buying pop (more for ecological reasons, but its not the best beverage choice) I dont eat fast food at all anymore, again for ecological as well as physical reasons. So that means Chris doesnt eat it as much either.lol Amazingly he has lived to tell about it lol.

I am thinking the garden may have to extend into the front yard now, we are running out of expansion room in the back lol!! But I dont see where that will be a problem. We can put the greens and lower growing things out there, it gets plenty of sun. So once again, we are growing. We find more places to plant things on one acre than I ever thought we would!! LOL

the good and the bad(but no ugly)

2010-01-23T12:38:00.000-08:00

well today cant decide if it wants to be a good day or a bad one. First I had a nail appointment(yes i get my nails done, my nails peel and wont grow and look bad. So a friend does mine.)which was good. Then I came home to find Chris aggravated, and muttering under his breath and slamming the basement door because the furnace wasnt working. Bad. Well while he continued to slam and mutter, i worked out on the Wii fit I borrowed from someone. Its was fun! and thats good. But then Chris finally decides he cant figure out the furnace and we have to call someone. Bad Cause we have to pay him to come out. 149.00 worth of bad. But furnace works now, yay! good. Then chris caught Hank the basset pee'ing on the side of an endtable. Bad, very very bad dog. I dont know if he does it because he is old and cant hold it, if he gets confused, or just being a shit. So that leads me to right now. I am waiting on the bathroom to warm up a tad so I can shower and change. I hate taking a shower and getting out and the bathroom is freezing! thats a very bad thing. Some friends and my daughter and us are all going to a belly dance show tonight and I am very excited!! That's a really good thing. really really good. So I am just concentrating on the good things. My nails look wonderful, I am working out and tracking calories,(great website for any dieters- Sparkpeople.com- wonderful! lots of info and help tell them I sent you LISAYW )and I have heat. All good. Top that off with the show, and it ends up being very good.

Back in the saddle, so to speak...

2010-01-21T18:29:00.000-08:00

My goodness I haven't written here in months. I think its because if something goes on worth writing about Chris usually gets to it first, so I dont see the point of repeating it. lol I guess the other part is I am afraid it would just be grouching, and who wants to read that?? But, I will give it a try again.

The holidays were better than I thought they would be. Money is in very short supply around here, and with my kids too,so shopping was minimal. But I did pretty good at stretching what we had to get the kids a few things, and Chris. Chris got me the bellydancing outfit I wore when I danced at my company christmas party. They loved it. I totally shocked them all. No one knew I was going to do it until I walked out in the outfit lol. I did a good job if I do say so myself. The kids got me books that i wanted (I LOVE getting books) and some Gene Kelly dance videos, love them!! Oh and another belly dance DVD.

I have been taking the dance classes for about 6 months now, and since i started I have lost 47 pounds. Thats crazy to me. But I love the class, and am glad I lost the weight, if nothing else for my knees alone. I have so much less pain in them now. My circulation is better (I used to always be cold) I am able to walk further and longer with alot less pain. (I have a knee cap that wants to slide off to the side and the other knee has very minimal cartilidge left)I havent had the chance to go to the doctor yet and see where my cholesterol is. It was just a hair on the high side.
It hasnt been just the dancing either, I try to make better food choices and watch my portion size. I have 28 more pounds to go, although if I dont lose another pound I will be happy. I like the size I am now, I still surprise myself when I look in a mirror lol. But I know the healthier weight would be less. So we'll see :)

Luckily my job is stable,apparently kids are always gonna need braces. Which is good with Chris still not working. It's been so hard trying to make ends meet, it really weighs on a person. I juggle so well now I should join the circus. You know I never wanted to be rich, its too many demands and responsibilities. I would just like to not have to chose between groceries and the electric bill. Simple things like clothes, with me losing all this weight I got jack to wear! So I hit goodwill and thrift stores which is fine with me, but even coming up with that is almost impossible.Guess I just thought I would be a little better off at the age I am now. But you never know what the future holds, it can all change in a heartbeat. I am glad for what I have and will try like hell to keep it. Really hate that almighty dollar.

Seed catalogs have been coming in, and we want to sit down and see what we want to plant, and then what we can afford to lol. Chris keeps talking about planting different things. I am guessing since the back yard is filled,we are moving around to the front lol. A few squash plants in amongst the flower beds. Lettuce as a low border. Lots of ways to intigrate it in without the township grouching about it. Apparently where we are you cant have a garden in the front yard. But I think that was written a long time ago and I seriously doubt anyone would say two words about it.

We are up to 20 hens now (from the original 3 ha!) we are getting anywhere from 8 to 13 eggs a day. Yes we eat alot of omlets, dutch babies, fried eggs, boiled eggs...ok I am starting to sound like the guy in the Forrest Gump movie. You get the idea. I am still baking our bread, but Chris has taken to doing alot of the cooking. I still do a big sunday dinner for us and another couple who are both out of work. Just seems like there arent enough hours in the day to get everything I want to done. So I try to pick the most important and let the others wait their turn.

The weather here can't decide what it wants to do either. Its either warm, and the snow melts and the ice, and the yard turns into muddy swamp land I could raise alligators in and will suck the shoes right off your feet. Or it drops and everything freezes into a sheet of black ice. Yeah its been a hoot driving to work some mornings. But thats Ohio! We only have 3 seasons here. winter, summer, and mud.

Well I suppose its time for me to head to bed. I will give it an honest try to do better with this blog. I do enjoy it and reading everyone elses.

Until next time.

odds and ends

2009-10-20T13:09:00.000-07:00

We had our first heavy frost yesterday. When I left for work at about 7:30am, it was still heavy enough on the car I had to wait for it to defrost. Not a lot left in the garden so we only lost a few peppers, evrrything else had been brought in. Only thing that needs to come out of there is the corn stalks for along the front of the house.

We got the hen house cleaned over the weekend and all the gourds brought up. I dont remember the exact number of them, but there was a wheelbarrow load full lol. I dont know why I am so fascinated with gourds but I am!

Chris got his chili put up, but I havent gotten to the soup yet. I was hoping to this weekend, but I need to help my sister pack up my Momma so we can move her to a new apartment. Hopefully I can at least get one batch done and up over the weekend. Would also like to put up more meatloaf, it turned out really good. I was surprised! Of course a wide mouth jar would have made it easier to come out lol, but it was still good.

I am thinking since money is going to be very tight over the holidays with Chris still not working, I may just fill my kids freezer for Christmas. Make them lasagna, and casseroles, and homemade pizza's to just heat up when they get home from work. At least I would know they are eating something decent! It would help them out, and I would feel like I did something. So I am tossing that idea around. I think they would like it. Of course that would be in addition to all the cookies and fudge I make anyway.

Still would like to get a bushel of apples and put up pie filling too, but time is short and money is tight. So I play it by ear, for now.

Chris keeps adding more monsters and zombies to the house, I never who is gonna be there when I get home from work.lol! Few things left to do, of course there will be the day before fine tuning, but I think we have things pretty well handled. I am off the day before the party so I can do the majority of the cooking then, and I will have all day the day of the party, since it doesnt start until 8. So I am not worried or rushing like a chicken with its head cut off. Speaking of which, I need to remind Chris to take care of a couple of roosters soon! hehehee

Yes we're still around

2009-10-08T10:38:00.000-07:00

We have been very busy gathering the last of the garden. Its rained so much over the past couple of weeks, there wasnt much to gather. Most of it split or rotted on the vine. Luckily there wasnt a whole lot left out there. My pumpkins have been brought to the house, 7 orange and 3 white. One was a monster at 33 pounds the others are much smaller but still a decent size. We're leaving the birdhouse gourds until the vines die back a little more.

Chris has done the majority of the canning since he is home, and done very well i must say. He is still gathering up ingredients to make more of his chili. I am thinking I may do some chicken soup, and there is another soup I make that has a tomato base, with spicy sausage and zuchini in it. So thats a possibility.

Then hens are slowing down in laying and there are a couple roosters that Chris needs to take care of before they get too old. We are trying to get things cleaned up and ready for winter, but we are a little side tracked this month by the Halloween party we are gonna have. We decided we would have a party because both of us are tired of always doing with out and stressing over the lay off and money. So since we had the decorations, and the food (I am just making finger food) we decided to invite everyone over and forget things for one night. Everyone was told to bring what they wanted to drink, if it was anything other than coffee or tea, those i have. Chris has become obsessed with decorating now. The front yard has now become a graveyard. He made an amazing grave digger,grim reaper, and werewolf out of chicken wire, duct tape and old clothes. I will have him post pictures. The living room is covered in spider webs, monsters, candles, and a huge wooden coffin graces one corner. There are black lights, strobe lights, sound machines, and zombies. There's just no stopping him once he gets on a roll lol, everyday i get home from work and theres been more added. Yesterday I came home to find the back of my toilet turned into the shoulders of a Jason look-a-like. He made the head on an ocilating fan (minus the blades) so his head moves around. Hope no one has a bashful bladder!!!

We have dyed lace curtains black and replaced the drapes in the living room with them. I have black fabric for covering the couch and it will be draped with torn cheese cloth. We need something to cover the large area rug in the living room, but I havent figured out what yet. Its too big to just roll up somewhere, its almost the size of living room! lol

So, just wanted to let you all know we are still around and kickin', just distracted. I will remind him to post pictures, too. Hope everyone is doing well and finishing up the season without too much trouble.

Its gonna get mushy...

2009-09-07T18:19:00.000-07:00

Just turned off the pressure canner, until tomorrow that is. We put up 5 quarts and 6 pints of tomato juice. Five pints of hot peppers and 5 pints of jalapenos. I have a huge stock pot of tomatos cooking down to become spaghetti sauce. I would like to can a few quarts of potatos too. I think that would be helpful for those nights I am home late and we need to fix something quick. I am also going to try my hand at canning meat. I found a recipe for meatloaf that you can. So I have 2 quarts ready to go, but since they need to process for an hour and a half, that will be tomorrow. I really like the idea of canning meals so that its easier for Chris to make dinner when i am running late. Or if I should come down with something, he can still feed me lol.Chris also canned 8 quarts of saurkraut. Apparently you let it ferment in the jar for a week then clean the lids and mouths of the jars, and process it. So hopefully it will turn out.

The pumpkins are doing well, I even have a couple white ones! I know there are at least 2 watermelons that need brought in, but instead "someone" brought in a pumpkin.lol He said it looked like a watermelon back under the leaves. Guess who wont be helping to make pumpkin pies come thanksgiving. He did realize once he cut it what it was, but its just too funny not to tease him about. (besides ...how can you not SEE the difference??? lol) We are gearing up for a big Halloween party this year. We have friends who usually host it, but they needed a year off and volunteered us. So I have a list of things we need to make and or find. lol I cant wait. Halloween has always been my favorite Holiday. Its also a time to pay respects to those who have passed on. Its the end of the year for me, so I celebrate,knowing things need to die (or end) so that new can begin. It is a necessary part of life.
I thank those who have taught me something, a little bit of themselves was passed on to me. Anyway, I wont go into all this just wanted you to know I love Halloween!!!

This wednesday is our 9th wedding anniversary, we were together 2 years before we married so really 11 together. I am usually not one to get all mushy, but...I am gonna anyway. My first marriage was terrible, I spent way too long in it and way too long miserable. When I met Chris,he was something I never thought I'd find. He listened to me, took my ideas seriously, wanted my opinion, and wanted to do things for me. I was not used to that at all. He put me first. He was funny and understood my warped sense of humor (since he is just as warped). He was and still is an amazing man. He has this foolish idea that I hung the moon and no matter how many times I assure him I didnt, he continues to believe I did. He is supportive, and encourages me in anything I do.(although I am suspicious that there may be ulterior motives with his encouraging me to belly dance.lol)He is creative and talented although he will tell you he has no artistic ability. He will try new things,and even though he can sometimes be bullheaded he tries to see both sides of things. I love him with my whole heart. I cant imagine my life without him. He came into my life when my children were obnoxious teenagers, and even though i told him he could make a break for it, he stayed. (Brave brave man lol) He is a good man with a big heart, strong arms and gentle hands.(callouses and all :)I would do anything for him, he means the world to me. I love him to pieces. Sometimes it seems like time has flown by and I cant believe its been nine years since he was having a hard time getting the words straight in his vows. (ask him for that story lol) But then there are times it feels like he has always been there. I keep saying to him "hey remember when the kids were little and....." he nods and then reminds me they were 12 and 13 when he met me. lol So Happy Anniversary Chris! I love you!!

(ok here is where everyone goes Awwwwwwwww... lol)

I won't be a hypocrite...

2009-08-25T05:45:00.000-07:00

Ok I am sure we are all familiar with CAFO's (concentrated animal feeding operations). Well there is an article in the latest Time magazine, that is about CAFO's and how detremental the food we eat is. Again, we all already knew that. It compares the prices of organic and conventional food, and how most cant afford to eat organic. (we are talking those that dont raise their own.) Organic milk is almost 5 dollars or more here, while conventional milk can be bought for less than 2. Of course if you add the fact that organic has reduced pesticide exoposure and the hidden ecological cost of conventional, the prices dont seem quite as bad. But I know all of you know this and I am pretty much preaching to the choir here.

I read this article in disgust because I hate CAFO's and the treatment of the animals there. Now dont get me wrong, I like meat. I just dont see any reason that ANY animal be it pet or "food" should have to live a miserable life. It's just plain wrong, there is no other way to look at it. I went on to read about how much corn is being produced to feed these animals. Farmers are producing 153 bushels of corn per acre. But its the amount of fertilizer used that is the scariest to me. More than 10 million tons of it for corn alone. Then there is the run off from all the manure the animals produce and the pesticides. Where does all this go? Our water system. The run off from the midwest gets to the gulf of mexico and it causes a dead zone. A 6000 square mile area that contains almost no oxygen. Nothing can live there. That in turn causes their fishing industry to lose 212,000 metric tons a year. There are at least 400 of these dead zones around the world. When I read that any time you eat a fast food cheese burger, chicken nuggets or drink soda, your eating the corn that grows from these vast monocrops, I thought i would be sick. Why didnt I put this together before? When did convenience turn into complacency? I can sit and spew my opinion about all this,how wrong it is and changes are needed, then turn around and have a coke? That to me is hypocritical. I dont like hypocrites. I cant begin to tell you how I felt in that moment. I felt like a fool, for not putting two and two together. I felt angry and disgusted with myself. So from here on out I have decided I can no longer eat fast food or soda with a clear conscious. I just cant be one of those who think "out of sight out of mind" if i dont see all this going on it doesnt pertain to me. Or one who thinks it should be changed, but I dont want to be inconvenienced, and someone else should take care of it. I know I cant change the world, I cant stop an industry as big as this alone. But at least in my heart I will know I didnt just turn a blind eye. I dont want to be a part in all that, part of the reason for wanting to be self sufficient, so I know what I am getting and where it came from. It may be a small step, but its a step, and for me, one in the right direction.

Trying to play catch up

2009-08-14T20:01:00.001-07:00

The beginning of canning season. I look forward to it all winter, and then about early fall I am wishing it to be done. lol Although this year will be easier in the aspect of the pressure canner. No more hot kitchens, no more waiting forever for things to process. Its much faster and I have to say I love it. I was a little leery at first, from all the horror stories I heard about how one blew up in the kitchen and tomato shrapnel went everywhere. But things change and the pressure canners of today are not like they used to be. I would recommend it to anyone.

I did another 11 quarts of beans tonight, while Chris blanched the broccolli and put it in the freezer. I have another 5 gallon bucket of beans to do, beets, peppers, and more pickles. I am making dill this time and thought I might try my hand at making pickled green beans. I have read about them from several people, so what the hell! Lets try it. Worst that could happen is that it turns into chicken feed if they arent fit to eat. Here is a picture of one of the pantry cupboards so far.

Sorry about it being side ways!! lol We are working on getting things stocked up again.

I really should make bread this weekend, and I want to do a couple 'squash boats' to take in my lunch for work. They are delicious. You boil a whole yellow squash, and when its done you cut the neck off and dice it up and set it aside. You split the squash from top to bottom, and cut a little flat spot on the bottom of each half, so it doesnt roll. Scoop out everything leaving just a thin layer (think of making twice baked potatos). Mix squash guts, with whatever you happen to have, any kind of meat can be diced, cheese, mushrooms, anything! and put the diced squash neck in now too!.Now put the guts back into the squash sprinkle with shredded cheese and breadcrumbs and bake at 350 until cheese is melted. I am telling you they are very good!!

Need to make detergent this weekend too. There is only 2 of us here and I swear there seems to be as many clothes as when the kids were still home! I dont know, maybe Chris is trying on different clothes in the morning until he finds the perfect garden ensemble. lol Most times there just arent enough hours in the weekend to get done what we want to, let alone need to get done. I am sure I am preaching to the choir on that note lol.

My pumpkins are doing really well so far! I have a couple white ones coming on and I am excited! I even saw a couple watermelon out there. Seems like we always under estimate the vining ability of pumpkins and gourds, and they sprawl out everywhere. lol Every year Chris says he is going to make a seperate bed for me for them, but we never seem to get around to it lol. They have vined up through and are hanging on the corn stalks, run themselves through into the next row and still going. We keep redirecting them back into themselves, but they have a mind of their own. I find it a whole lot more amusing than Chris does :)

I am hoping to get out in the morning and cut some more herbs, hopefully they havent gone completely to seed. Then I can get them dried and put up. Ahh well, we just keep adding to the list of things to do!!

Well its almost midnight so I am off to bed. Rune has taken to sleeping in there with us and the boys. Which is fine until she sticks her nose in your ear and purrs like a diesel engine. Hope you

all have a good weekend!!

The power of the eyeballs...

2009-08-07T20:28:00.001-07:00

Tonight while I sat here snapping beans, I felt like I was being watched. I looked around, but didnt see anything. I kept half an eye over towards the fridge, and thats when I saw it. That one eye peaking around the corner to see who was in here. That eyeball realized I was alone in the kitchen with a large bucket of green beans, which, is the owner of the eyeball favorite food. There was no one (Chris) to make the eyeball behave and go back to whence it came. I was alone. Slowly the eyeball, and the head it lived in oozed around the fridge, inching closer and closer. Apparently the head was too focused on the beans and didnt realize that the large 120 pound frame it sat upon, did not possess those ninja skills needed to be stealthy. A wagging tail the thickness of a small tree limb beating against the side of the fridge is just a tad noticeable. I knew it was only a matter of minutes and those eyeballs would be staring at me. I tried to think...Should I grab the bucket and head outside to finish?? Knowing that the eyeballs hated to be outside longer than 3 minutes. Apparently eyeballs and the head they live in need to be properly cushioned on a couch at all times. No time! the head and its large frame had circled around so that they were between me and the door. This is ridiculous! I thought to myself, I can handle the eyeballs. The best thing to do when one comes into contact with eyeballs, is to not make eye contact, pretend they dont exist. Which I did. The eyeballs would have none of this. They caused the massive head they lived in to gently lay itself in my lap, while they tried to force me to look at them. I averted my eyes. The massive head nudged a little and laid itself down on my lap again, but a little more assertive. I fought the urge to look at those eyeballs knowing what it would mean if I did. The eyeballs are not easily foiled. They had the big head and large frame walk to the other side of me, where they had the big head jam itself up under my arm that was resting on the table. But they foolishly forgot that they would be covered by my arm and only the large nose and floppy jowels would be seen. Damn!! the eyes thought, as they came back around the other side, they were not to be underestimated. This time the large head laid itself on my other arm, where the eyeballs could stare and try to lure me in. I stayed strong. It wasnt until the large head delicately perched itself on my hand with the nose resting on the edge of the bowl. I had no choice. I looked into those eyeballs and felt my will power disappearing. No No! I thought if you give the head one bean, it will want more and more! I tried to look away, but those big brown sweet eyeballs were working their magic, even if they are a little saggy and droopy. That big head so lovingly perched on my hand with the nose just on the edge of the bowl. What manners that head had! It could have just shoved itself in there and had a bite, but no, it was waiting patiently. I looked at that big sweet face and caved in faster than Elvis after a peanutbutter and banana sandwiche. I handed the big head and those eyeballs a green bean, just one, to appease them and let me go on about my business. But no...one wasnt enough the eyeballs saw there were many more, and the big head wanted them. I had fell for the sweet innocent I am such a good boy you should feed me all the goodies I can eat until I look like a couch cushion with feet, look. I cant tell you how many beans I offered up to those eyeballs, but I am willing to bet I am a quart lower than I originally planned. If it wasnt for Chris coming in and ordering the eyeballs back to their couch who knows how many I would have fed it. Lucky for me he is immune to the sweet saggy eyed, slobbery joweled, ear dragging, nose sniffing power that is my bloodhound.

Dish liquid and A Happy Harvest to All

2009-08-01T15:34:00.000-07:00

Today for me is Lughnasadh, which is a celebration of the first harvest. In celebration, one usually makes something from wheat or corn or oats, basically from grains. We also serve whatever is ready out of the garden. I am making King Bread,also called King cake which is actually a traditional food for Mardi Gras. This is the bread that usually a tiny plastic baby is hidden inside after baking or a dried bean, the one who finds it has good luck (and generally has to bring the next king bread). It tastes like a big sweet , soft, gooey cinnamon roll. The recipe I have makes two loaves (actually you shape them into rings), one for Chris and one for the rest of us. hehehe I love baking and baking bread is something i really enjoy doing. Its a time that wants us to remember sometimes you must lose to gain. Such as in losing the wheat from the fields (harvesting) so that you can gain food for winter. It shows us that not all losses are bad, but necessary. Its a time to think of what you want to harvest within yourself. Once you know the goals you want to achieve, then its time to rid yourself of all the things in your way of achieving them. I like to write mine down and burn the list in a bonfire or candle fire. That way I am releasing those old habits.

I said i would let you know how the liquid dish soap thing went. Well good and sorta bad. First off here is what i used.

1 bar of kirks castille soap grated fine
1 cup washing soda
3/4 of a cup borax
1/2 cup lemon juice
4 to 5 quarts hot water

I grated the soap which is a hard soap, not soft like zote that I use in my laundry detergent. Added to that the rest of the stuff and 3 quarts of the water. I kept stirring until disolved and then i let it set (only stirred occasionally)for awhile to cool so i could see the consistancy it was going to be. It started to thicken so i added another quart of water. It seemed like it was going to be fine so i filled my containers and went to bed. The next morning, it was a thick paste lol you really had to work hard on squeezing it out. But i put it all back into the bucket and added another quart of hot water. Its still thick, but will dispense out of the bottle. The smell is good, it cleans really well. I had some tupperware containers and sometimes they can have a residue from whatever was in them, these didnt. It cut the grease on pans as well. The only downside is, it does NOT suds, and doesnt want to disolve well in colder water. Now if it doesnt bother you (i dont care about suds) your all good. But if you want suds, you may need to tweek this one or find another recipe. It makes quite a bit of soap, I am sure you could half the recipe or adjust it to what you need. But there you have it. My first adventure into liquid soap making.

Some random babbling, and a business venture

2009-07-29T16:37:00.000-07:00

I have 7 quarts of green beans canned, 7 quarts in my pressure canner right now, and 3 more to go. I love my pressure canner, it cuts down the time immensely. I used to use a hot water bath for the beans (yes i know they shouldnt be canned that way) and it has always worked for me. Because I canned them raw, it took so long for them to process while they heated up the kitchen to sauna like temps. It only takes 25 minutes in my pressure canner, and it doesnt heat up the kitchen.

Chris is getting the big herb bed ready, he has almost got all the sod off. My grandaddy used to saw "you can work now, or you can work later" in regards to taking off the sod. He meant you take the time and effort and remove it now, or plow it under and spend the rest of your time continuely pulling grass and weeds. I am rooting some herb cuttings in the house to see if all the plants will root. I am going to try to keeps some of the cutting planted in the house,so come spring i can recut from them, root those and not have to buy alot of new plants.

This weekend we are going to a bellydance presentation, by the studio I take my class at. I cant wait. I think bellydancing is so graceful, and beautiful I absolutely love it and love going to class. But man is it a work out! I never thought it would be, but it sure is, everyone is soaked when they leave class. Because its such a work out, I have lost 7 pounds in a month. We are also going to a renassance fair. Chris got paid for some of the work he did at my office , so we will at least have a little money to eat on. So I am happy. We are managing to keep our heads barely above water, but still its above, so spending a little bit to just relax and forget all the financial worries for a short time, to me, is worth it. It will take his mind off things too.

Chris is looking into building hen houses and chicken tractors. The prices of these are ridiculously high. Many dont have the ability or time to build their own, and apparently are willing to pay. His will be a better quality than most of what we have seen, not to mention less expensive. We need to price the materials and see how we can work out getting them. But i do believe the market is there, and if you make a quality item for a decent price, word gets around. (at least I hope so!) So wish him luck!!

I need to make dish soap tonight too, I used the last of what we had. I should probably look to see how we are fixed on detergent so can make that too, if need be. Hope you all have a great day or evening (depending on when your reading this :) )

just some updates

2009-07-22T16:37:00.000-07:00

It has done nothing but drizzle here the last 3 days. Just enough that you cant really start anything outside because it looks like its gonna pour, but yet never does. If you move the damp dirt on the top, underneath is still dry. Aggravating I tell ya. Not good to have rain like this, the veggie roots will stay shallow to get the water, instead of running deep.

Also remembered I didnt post anything about the soap a friend and I made. Here is a picture of it, the green is tangerine-grapefruit-oakmoss and the brown is chocolate scented.

You like the uniform size they were cut in? lol They both smell wonderful, but dont lather much, apparently they needed more olive oil, or so I am told. The chocolate i doubt i make again due to the fact it melts easy and leaves some what of a mess in the soap dish. Next we are going to do Patchoulli-vanilla-sandalwood, and some sort of lemony something. We are trying to coordinate schedules with one another, but so far we arent doing so well lol. Saturday Chris and I have a wedding to attend (no not the big redneck one--this one should be fairly normal) the next weekend is a belly dance production given by the studio I take classes from. Then its the midieval festival. I'm hoping to put a little bitof cash back so we can at least grab a bite there.

Hank is doing very well, still on antibiotics for few more days. No swelling, his temperature has stabilized and he is back to his old habits. So it was well worth the money that was supposed to be going to a new hot water tank lol.

Here is an updated picture of Miss Rune. She has grown quite a bit, but still a small girl.

But believe me she doesnt know she is small. There's more attitude than there is cat lol.

But isnt she just the best thing since pockets in pants?

He beat me to it again...

2009-07-21T18:24:00.000-07:00

Well I see Chris has beat me to the story again. lol Everytime I think of something good to write about he gets it in before me lol. Well at least I have the pictures!!!
These are some of the herbs after they were dried. On the tray is dried lavender, chamomile,catnip, and chocolate mint. Thats yarrow hanging on the door, the wonder plant that makes mean ole nasty hornet bites all better. (hehehe)

I have 3 kinds of mint- peppermint, spearmint, and the chocolate mint. If you have never smelled chocolate mint it smells just like a peppermint patty. I love it. Spearmint or peppermint tea does absolute wonders for an upset or nervous stomach. I have to admit I am excited about this herb project. I love herbs and there are so many options available with them. Fresh, dried, mixes, oils, crafty ideas. I read how to make a fresh lavender wand to leave in your closet or car or drawers to make it smell wonderful.

Here's a picture of some of the herbs I had just hung to dry,I put them in one of the pantry cupboards. They are Peppermint, lovage, chamomile, and lavender. I also have more catnip drying, oregano and basil and lemon verbena. We transplanted the wormwood to a seperate bed. It should only be used by someone who has experience with it, since it can be highly toxic. It does make excellent insect repellent on plants. (nothing you plan on eating, just flowers ) You just make a tea with it,and spray them. I continue to read and research herbs for culinary, medicinal, and magic properties. There is so much out there to learn it amazes me. I have barely scratched the surface.

In my heart of hearts I want this to work so I can work from home. What a dream come true that would be. So something to work for, cause i do need more lol. Well I am off to take a bath,tomorrow is an early day!!

Hank and the boys

2009-07-16T09:31:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that my Basset, Hank, came through the oral surgery without a problem. But they had to remove a second tooth on the other side because it was almost as bad. Poor old guy.This makes a total of 7 teeth we have had to remove. Dogs have a total of 42 teeth, so at least he has 35 left lol. I keep telling the doctors where i work that they need to make him a retainer with fake fangs on it (since he is missing those too). Some how they just arent buying it... heartless bunch :)

I know most people think its crazy to fuss over a dog the way I do, but those boys are my babies. What would you give to have a friend that was always happy to see you? Made you the center of their world, and the most important thing to them is to be with you? A friend that would listen, and console you when your sad? A friend that would go anywhere with you you wanted? Well I have 5 such friends, I wouldnt trade them for the world. They all have their own personalities, and I have learned something from each one.

First one we got was Copper the beagle. From him I have learned tolerance, and thats it ok to show your teeth once in awhile. Copper tolerates the other boys,since he was our first he feels they are crowding his space. He doesnt fight, but if the boys start bugging him all he does is show his teeth and they know to move on. In my case, showing your teeth is either that fake smile you wear just to keep things moving, or the times when you grit your teeth and try not to kill someone lol.

Second one we got was Austin the bloodhound. From him I learned keep it simple and enjoy the small things. Austin enjoys a good meal, a good nap, and good ear scratching. That is pretty much all he desires out of life. Isnt that what we all want? To be able to provide for ourselves, have time to relax,and get a little attention here and again?

Third was Ace the border collie mix. From him I learned its ok to speak your mind and communicate. Ace is protective of me and the house, and he has no problem speaking up about it. He will let you know without a doubt whats on his mind. He is also very obvious about what his wants are. If he wants attention he lets you know. If he is excited about dinner, he lets you know. He holds nothing back, yet he is not a overwhelming or pushy dog. A good mix to be in my opinion.

Fourth was Jack the Shiba Inu/Pom mix. From him I learned loyalty. Jack is with me constantly when I am home. That little dog would lay his life down for me. He is very afraid of Chris and doesnt like him, but he would face that fear if he thought I was being hurt. That is some kind of friend. If I sit down he is either in my lap or under my chair,always staying close in case I need him. How many people can you count on like that?

Fifth was good ole Hank the basset hound. From him I learned not to give up, things will get better. Hank was a rescue when I worked for the Humane Society.We got the owner to surrender him(we kept getting calls about his neglect from neighbors) and he came in with a huge sore type wound on his hip, he limped bad. Hank was ignored and kept outside for the most part by the previous owner. Once we got the wound healed up, I brought him home to "foster"(that and I knew Chris has always wanted a Basset)I did physical therapy with him and gave him massages. We all loved on him and he came around fast, and he never went back. He is now a healthy (although crappy teeth)energetic, loving boy. He came from an awful place and is now in a much better one.This shows me there is always an up side for every down side. Even when things are at there darkest, there is always a light.

So there you have it. I have 5 of the most wonderful friends you could ask for. I love them to pieces and wouldnt part with any of them.

Sunday morning ramblings

2009-07-12T06:10:00.000-07:00

Its sunday morning and I am sitting at my kitchen table looking out over our back yard. Well there isnt a whole lot of "yard" left what with the garden and the blackberries and strawberry beds, but you get the idea. My kitten Rune loves sitting in the window watching all the birds, we feed the birds through winter but not in the summer so they can eat the bugs from the garden. The young hens have started laying and I can hear them out there cackling about it. You know when one of them are laying the just carry on, until they are done. The older girls go in, lay their egg and are back out scratching and looking for handouts. They are still fairly small pullet eggs yet, one of them is laying a dark brown egg almost a mocha color. The eggs are too small to sell, unless i try the marketing ploy of they have "less cholesterol" since they are a smaller egg. lol The roosters days are numbered now that Chris has his chicken killin' station built. I keep telling him you really shouldnt use that term around some people, use chicken prep station lol.Let them figure it out from there, especially since we arent supposed to butcher our own.

It amazes me how much the garden has taken off. I swear one night i am looking at and it looks good, the next morning i get up and it looks like its doubled in heigth over night. Unfortunately the weeds too. But we have kept up with them pretty well, so it wont be to bad. I need to go out here shortly and gather more herbs, and get them hung to dry. I have really been trying to read alot on their medicinal uses. The lavender and some of the mint may be turned into dream pillows. Dream pillows are small sachet type things that you put inside your pillow that give off a relaxing aroma to help you sleep. I thought they would make nice gifts or to sell at the farmers market if that comes together.

Seems like there is so much to do, and so little time. We spend our lives rushing to do things, but dont really make time to enjoy it. Its nice if you actually get to work on something you enjoy doing.

Hank goes in on Monday to see about that abcesses tooth. There is no doubt in my mind now that that is what it is. I got in his mouth and looked around and that tooth looks bad. I really would like to know what this poor old guy lived on before we got him. We have had him about 5 years now and his teeth were so bad when we got him I am surprised its taken this long for it to act up. He has already had 5 other teeth removed for the same reason. Both front upper fangs(roots exposed), and one off to the side(abcessed) and two small front ones that were broken off at the gum line. So you really have to wonder what his diet consisted of. Although eating isnt a problem for him lol I feed them dry food and the vet said keep him on it. He empties his bowl and waits for another. lol He is a sweet old guy.

Been going through the pantry and cupboards and boy are we low on things. I got a bonus for hitting quota this month and was going to use it to restock a little, but Hanks teeth took priority. But i will do what i can. Need to get more bread flour and wheat flour. We are trying to find it local as we are taking the 100 mile challenge. I think I may have found local milk, its actually sold at one of the grocery stores here. So i need to check into butter and cheese and see if the same farm supplies those too. I am thinking that sugar and coffee will be tough to find local. But if I can get most everything else local that will be good.

Well off to gather the herbs before it gets too hot, you all take care and have a wonderful day.

A little clarification...

2009-07-11T05:54:00.000-07:00

Ok....let me clarify a few things here in regards to this vicious attack upon my husband by the killer SWARM of hornets.

first, there was not a SWARM, I have watched the nest being built and there was a total of maybe 8 to 10. So since he was stung 5 times, i am willing to go out on a limb and say there was 5. Now maybe in his moment of panic and sheer terror it "seemed" like a swarm, but seriously it was 5.

second as far him "calling out" to save me, yeah...no that wasnt it at all. I was already around the corner and through the gate almost into the house when i heard his squeal....I mean, "Manly calling out". So he was not calling out for my safety, he was.....in his words.....screaming like a girl. Unless of course in some language I am not aware of, "AAAAARRRRRGGGHHHH' translates into "Lisa quickly move inside the house for your safety." But yeah, i dont think so.

third, tossing the groceries as a distraction.....more like flailing his arms around like a crazed monkey. Those groceries never stood a chance. They were thrown like the clothes off a cheap stripper. Took me quite a few minutes to locate all six cans of pop. Not to mention locate his glasses. There was quite an area to search since he didnt stop running until he was almost around the corner of the fence and to the chicken house. (quite a fair distance) But i was impressed he covered that much ground in about 3 steps. If any of you remember the "keep on truckin" guy, thats what he looked like.

I did make sure he was physically ok, and did have him rub yarrow on those huge gaping flesh wounds that the killer hornets caused. He will live to tell about it, I am pretty sure. Of course I am sure he is going to have post tramatic hornet attack syndrome for awhile....

I still cant help but get the giggles.....

Tarzan and the "Attack of the killer Hornets"

2009-07-10T17:38:00.000-07:00

what an day this has been. I woke up with the beginnings of a migraine, I did manage to get ahead of it but not until later in the morning. So most of the morning was awful. Most everything was fine at work. I did get some random calls from parents who missed little Johnnys ortho appt because he had a sleep over and never called to reschedule, and now want one and I cant get them in for at least another week or more. That never goes well. All of a sudden its important to get them in, even though they were the ones who put it off. They always seem so surprised that there not the only ones needing an appointment.

A few weeks ago i noticed a hornets nest being constructed up under our front awning. I told Chris about it and he said he would take care of it. Fast forward to today. We get home and our basset Hank is barking to beat the band (as usual), well Chris yells to him to stop which he does...for at least a good second and a half. I am walking to the gate while Chris decides to go knock on the front window and correct Hank again.( you see where this is going dont you....) Keep in mind he is over 6 feet tall and the awning isnt really that high. So this is what i heard, "Hank! thats enough, knock it......AAAARRRRRGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!" and here he comes pickin' them up and laying it down like his ass was on fire. I have never seen, in my whole life, someone take such big ass steps. Now i know i shouldnt laugh over this, and I promise i did make sure he was ok (only stung 5 times-bad enough i know, but could have been a WHOLE lot worse). As he was running he threw his hat one way, the groceries he was carrying another and knocked his glasses off, which we had a hell of a time finding. The only way i can describe his yell was a cross between tarzan and shaggy from scooby doo. Once he stopped i told him to rub yarrow on the stings which immediately took the pain away and they didnt swell up. But I am sure his trama will remain for a few days. But to be honest i cant hardly talk about it with out getting the giggles.

Once i got him taken care of, and gathered up the groceries all the while keeping my composure until i could get into the house, I find Hank. My poor boy has (i believe) another abcessed tooth. He has already had 5 pulled a couple years ago due to this. Hank was a rescue from the Humane Society when i worked with them, and he had a tough life. His teeth were in awful condition, as well as a bad hip. He is doing wonderful now, other than his teeth. I am afraid too much damage was done that we cant reverse, so now his face is swollen and we cant get him in until tomorrow morning. He doesnt show any signs of pain, even though i know there is. He is still barking, eating and drinking but this cant wait. I have no problem taking my boys in when they need to go, the only issue we have now is money. With the lay off things are tight, very tight. I know this is gonna run at least 300, because of which tooth it is. (big side tooth with 3 roots) Maybe more. But i have no choice, I can not and will not sit and watch him go through this, its too risky. So considering i just made Junes house payment, I am pretty sure they wont be surprised when i make Julys in August. (ha) But we will take care of the old boy, and do what we have to.

So keep happy thoughts for ole Hank, and really... its ok if you get the giggles over the "Huge swarm of hornets," there were only about 10 in that whole nest. Ive watched it being built.

(Really... you should have heard him....aarrraahhhh tarzan has nothing on him) heheheheeee

just a quick note

2009-07-04T08:58:00.000-07:00

Wanted to wish those who read me a happy and safe Fourth of July!! Enjoy!

Could we narrow things down??

2009-07-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

ahhh the last day at work before a 3 day weekend. Only downside is I have to go back on monday. But!! i will enjoy the 3 days until then, and not sit and count down until I have to go back. I wish i didnt have to sleep, so i could use up every minute i am off. lol I have soooo many projects i want to do, let alone the ones i need to do. Its only 2 weeks until we set up at the farmers market, and i dont have squat ready. Chris' out look is "we'll worry about it when it gets here". That makes me insane. I am a planner. I need things done, i need to be prepared!! lol So trying to figure out what to take is making me nuts. We dont have a whole lot ready to pick to even take. So i think i may go along the lines of bread, or fudge, or cookies. I also have last years birdhouse gourds to paint. Most are already primed and ready to finish. My mind makes more plans than I can feasibly do!! lol But it doesnt stop me from trying. I also need to find some sort of inexpensive (yet presentable) canopy. I dont want to sit out there for 3 hours with no shade. But with money being an issue, i need to find it for a song. Have a table and chairs, need a table cover, which i am sure i have (it may be a sheet for now). I would like to figure out some sort of name for our "farm endevour". I thought about "A lick and a promise" (since that seems to be what we get by on) but that sounded like a stripper bar, or a brothel. lol Or maybe "Down to my last dime" gardens. How about "did i plant that?" gardens lmao.....or maybe "i thought that was a weed" gardens ...oh i need to stop this....lol

My latest fascination is bellydancing. I have started taking classes, and I absolutely love them!! I have always been so truly mesmerized by belly dancing, but being a big girl never had the guts to try. After watching a dance performance at a Mabon festival and seeing that most of the girls werent tiny, and what confidence and grace these women had, I was sold on it. Everyone sat mesmerized by the dancers, i never heard a word one about their age or size. I couldnt believe it, since being heavy is one of the last few things its still ok to make fun of. If you follow my other blog you know more of the story, but let me say here too, that my goal is to be one of those dancers. I even made myself a beautiful black (with opalescent lace) fringed hip scarf to wear at class. I have the supplies to make a white one too, but havent gotten that far yet. My daughter was going with me, but she severely pulled muscles in her back about a week ago and hasnt been able to walk straight let alone dance. But she assures me she will be back, till then i am going alone. I got a dvd and i practice for an hour or more every night. Chris is a willing audience, seems he has an interest in it too. LOL Watching of course not actually doing the dance, although I think i would pay to see that. If anyone out there has thought about it, i highly recommend it, but let me warn you, it is one hell of a work out. I didnt think it would be, I mean it doesnt look strenuous. Oh what a fool i was lol because everyone in that class looks like they were in the shower when they are done. No matter what size you are!

ok back to garden stuff......The garden is really looking good. We actually got our first potato yesterday. I was weeding and there it was laying on top the ground. It was about the size of a baseball, and delicious. We have gotten some turnips too, i need to get them canned. I love a good turnip soup. My momma makes the best ever, so i may need to take her some :) The cukes, squash, gourds (yes more birdhouse gourds-i have a thing for gourds too ) pumpkins, and water melons are really growing. I am crossing my fingers that my white pumpkins produce, even just a couple, pumpkins. They are so pretty lit up, they just seem to glow. I highly recommend them. I find it funny that all spring we wait and wait to be able to pick veggies, then about a week or two in, when the canning and freezing, and drying start to back up we are wishing it would slow down. LOL Not stop, but how about a week for me to catch up. Its cool now, but the rest of the week is supposed to be in the 80's, so things should really start jumping out there.

I am going to harvest my lavender tomorrow, and I am thinking about making little dream pillows to go under your bed pillow to help you sleep. (again add that to my list of things to do-ha!) The smell of lavender is very relaxing, Chris enjoys it (and i will leave it at that. I wont mention how he sprays his pillow with lavender scented spray, to help him sleep.---Like he needs help!! If that man is horizontal or even remotely leaning, he can fall asleep in a second) Anyway, i have other herbs to add to them and i may try some of those at the market too. Kind of beginning to sound like a craft show instead of a farmers market isnt it?? Also thought about herb mixes for cooking with. I need feed back here. Opinions please????? Help an over achiever out here, lets narrow down the list!!!

Unless you have some good ideas that i should try.....lol

the good-the bad-the cold and the Princess

2009-06-20T16:07:00.000-07:00

well i have good news and i have bad news. Good news is, the young hens have started laying. We have got two little pullet eggs so far from them. The Americaunas are starting to lay (since the eggs are green) so the barred rocks should start laying next month. I have people who want eggs, so I am hoping to be able to supply them. I dont expect to be able to make the house payment with the money from the eggs, but if they can keep themselves in feed I am good with that. The bad news is, the New Hampshire Red "hen" , isnt. She is a he. He is going to be a handsome rooster, but i just cant have him here. So, he will be going to the freezer soon. I also have a buff orpington, that i am thinking may be a rooster as well. Again such a beautiful bird, but roosters just wont work here. We only have one acre of land, so we are just too close to have the both of them crowing. So looks like i will need to get more hens :)
I had to work this morning (we do one saturday a month) and even though its for just 4 hours, it really takes away a chunk of the day. Honestly i would give just about anything to be able to stay home again. I hear women at work say they would get so bored at home. Really??? how is that possible?? I have so many things that need done, not to mention the things i want to do, there arent enough hours in the day. But with the way the economy is and the limited supply of available jobs, that doesnt seem like a feasible thing right now. So i just have to suck it up and do what needs done. I work for an Orthodontic office, and so far, we havent really slowed down. So even though i dont want it, I will be happy with the fact i have a job.
We planted about 18 or 20 cabbage plants, i dont remember the exact number. Chris wants to try his hand at sauerkraut this fall. I also put out pumpkins, orange and white ones and birdhouse gourds. Also some watermelon, and i may have put out cantelope....i cant remember.lol I really wanted to put out bushel basket gourds, but i couldnt find them. Couldnt find loofa seeds local either. We have had quite a bit of rain lately, so things are doing pretty well. Its all green, but we need some sunny days to get everything moving. Although the weeds dont seem to be having an issue with growing. I was weeding the onions and found several tomato plants that came up from last years tomatos lol!! Seems like the past few years we have several tomato plants come up somewhere in the garden. Just like the horseradish. Oh well, who cant use more tomatos!
I have read a couple articles recently about eating locally for a year. People who have tried it, and how they went about doing it. They only ate things grown within a 100 mile radius. They also allowed themselves 3 things a month that were outside that radius. Like coffee, olive oil or chocolates and the such. I wonder how do-able this would be?? What about sugar? I cant make my own sugar here, nor do i have access to grinding my own flour. But I am going to do some further research, I think it would be a fun experiment. Seems like it would really open your eyes to what you consume and where it comes from. Anyone else doing this? or thoughts on it?
We have taken another step towards having a simpiler lifestyle(i guess) Although this one wasnt intentional. Our hot water heater went out, and we simply cant afford another one right now. So while we dont have to hand pump or carry the water in, we do have to heat it. So far not that big of a deal. I heat some up and do the dishes, the laundry gets done in cold, and if washing up isnt good enough i can run to my daughters to shower. She is only about 10 minutes away. Honestly it hasnt been that big of an inconvenience.
Everything else is moving along. The strawberries are coming in heavy, the blackberries have fruit setting, even our new little grape plants have the beginnings of grape clusters on them. The garden is looking good, and we are getting by and doing ok for now. So I am happy with that. The new kitten, Rune, is growing like crazy. She is definately becoming a daddys girl. Since he is home with her all day ( and fusses over her-I dont care what he tells you) she has become attached to him. lol She kills the laces in his work boots every chance she gets, and loves to try and help him put tobacco in his pipe. ( I found it all over the kitchen floor) The dogs all fear for the safety of their tails and she is quite full of herself. Five BIG dogs and they all give in to her too. lol The girl has it made lol. Chris has even made her little cat scratchy posts complete with attached toys. Must be hard for him you know....to do this stuff for her, I mean being such a "tough guy" and all .... :)

catching up

2009-06-09T06:56:00.000-07:00

Well we are back from camping and i have a lot of things to do. The strawberries are really starting to come in, and they are gonna have to be worked up. I have enough now to make one batch of strawberry jam. I suppose i could just freeze them until i can do a lot at once. I hate putting things off though. Need to pick down the greens something awful, they are looking like hedges!! (ok not that big, but you know what i mean) Chris is going to have borrow a mower or work on getting our tractor running. If not we may need a baler to get the yard done. lol I did get the cucumbers and squash in and re sewed the carrots. The beans are up some, but i want to wait till they are a little bigger before i sew the next two rows. That way everything is all in at once and I am over my head in beans!! Weeded the herb beds, need to cut some to dry, and pinch some back so they fill out better. My roses are blooming beautifully, but i noticed something is chewing on the leaves, probably aphids. I amgoing to try using a tea made of wormwood, i read that was a good natural insecticide. Or i can just fall back on felsnaptha and water. The Peonys are about done blooming, the really out did themselves this year.
I really had a lot of things i wanted to do while i was off, but i dont know that i will get to them. With company staying its kind of hard to get some things done. ahh well, everything in due time.
But i really do need to do laundry and get it out. The piles are getting bigger and bigger and bigger. lol
I took home made bread, cookies, and all the side dishes for the camping trip. I only brought back a few left overs. I think i may need to bake bread again this weekend. Also thinking I may check the freezer and see what sort of meat i have in there. You know like 2 porkchops, one slab of ribs, 10 chicken wings...and just cook everything on the grill and use it up. So lets hope the rain holds out!!!

growing, blooming, and friends

2009-05-30T05:02:00.000-07:00

We have had a couple days of off and on hard rain. Between the raised beds in the garden, the water was just standing. But it doesnt look like anything was damaged, matter of fact a few new things have popped up. Little tiny starts of corn are working their way up. The potatoes have really shot up, as have all the greens. Today is definately going to be a freeze some spinach day. The chard is up, the mesculin mix of greens and the bright green leaf lettuce, are all giving the spinach a run for its money. I think i may even share some with "the girls" oh and the rabbits.
I am looking out over the back patio and i can see large round bright peony blooms opening. Mine are the darker pink, i love watching them open up. My daughter refers to them as bumble bee flowers because she says they are such big blooms she knows a big bumble bee will be in one. (odd child that one lol) We transplanted a rose bush, from the people who gave us the washer, but i am not so sure its gonna make it. I may just cut it all back so the roots can establish better, and let it start over next summer. The other rose bushes look good.
I have a friend coming to visit from Oregon this coming thursday. I am so excited to see her!!
She will be going with us camping the first weekend she is here and then spend the week here with us. A friend from work is going to stay here and "babysit" the boys for me. I realize they are dogs, but i still fuss over them like they were kids lol. I tell her what they do what they shouldnt do, here's where to reach me in case of an emergency. This one will sleep on the bed -this one wont....on and on lol. So with both of them coming I am giving the house a good going over. I really would rather they not come across a tumble weed of dog hair rolling down the hall way. Also gives me the motivation to get the carpet scrubbed. (five dogs...need i say more?) Chris has been a huge help, since he is home he has done most of the big jobs, which are usually the ones that my back doesnt want to do. I still need him to bring the futon up from his "Man Cave" and put it back in the extra bedroom. I am sure not gonna make her sleep down their with all his stuff. lol
We go camping every year and meet up with a group of people that we met online. All of us have met one another online, so we decided to all get together and meet face to face, this will be our 3rd year i believe.We have people from North carolina, oregon, arizona, Texas, we even had one come from New Zealand. The guy who owns the farm where we all meet, supplies the meat for the big cookout we have. I supply the rest. Everyone chips in money wise and i get everything and prepare it. We live the closest to him and I love to cook so it works out. This year we are having potato salad, pasta salad, baked beans, deviled eggs, 3 or 4 different kinds of cookies, and 3 different types of muffins for sunday breakfast with coffee. Of course there will be the usual chips and veggie tray too. I really enjoy cooking and watching people enjoy it, so this is something i look forward to doing. Hauling it on a 2 hour drive, not so much. But it makes it there. The only thing thats in danger is the deviled eggs. No matter how i hand them to him, or tell him to carry them flat, Chris always manages to slide all the eggs to one side of the box and I spend 10 minutes there putting things back together lol. If anyone has a different side dish idea i would love to hear it. Something a little different from the ordinary picnic food that travels well.
Well suppose i should get busy, my coffee cup is empty, and the laundry is calling my name. Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Weekend update

2009-05-25T11:35:00.000-07:00

It has been such a nice weekend. The weather was nice, and we did a few things at a very leisurely pace. Saturday a friend came over and we made two different kinds of soap, grapefruit/tangerine/oakmoss and chocolate. They seemed to have turned out well. They have to cure for a few weeks. No troubles with these batches, other than my friend dropped the bottle of oakmoss essential oil on my front porch. lol It shattered and my porch smells wonderful. But oakmoss is a very sticky, clingy oil, so there is a stain on the concrete that i will try scrubbing. Just using the garden hose didnt work. She felt so bad, I told her no worries my porch smelled wonderful, and since i wasnt expecting better homes and gardens to stop by soon, I didnt care. I am thinking I might make a batch of patchouli/sandalwood/vanilla. Chris really likes patchouli.
I also made our own deoderant, seems to have turned out pretty well. We both tried it and are happy with it. Will let you know if it works well. I need to make detergent as too, we are running low. We did get the wringer washer last friday, and it works perfectly. All we need now is a rinse tub, like a slop sink or something. I cant wait to use it. I did some laundry in the regular machine yesterday and got it out on the line. Big stuff like comfortors, rugs, dog blankets, so they didnt have to be dried in the dryer.
Yesterday we spent the majority of the day cleaning the mud room out. The mud room was the original entrance to the house, and is right off my sewing room. I use it just for sitting and watching. I have it all decorated in what i would describe as a victorian cottage. Its the only "girly" room in the house lol. But we enjoy sitting in it and watching it rain. Or at night just watching the pond and stars. When my kids moved back home, alot of stuff was shoved in there. Boxes of boxes (no idea why they didnt just throw them out) fans that didnt work, just odds and ends of junk. So out it all went and we cleaned it and its mine again. Gotta love a man who will stop what he was doing, put his plans aside and do something for you, just because it will make you happy. Thats exactly what he did. I know there was other things he wanted to get done, but he put that all on hold for me. No wonder i love him.
So that brings us to today. I made bread, cleaned the kitchen, swept, cut the soap and have it out to cure and now I am on my way to do laundry and fill the clothes lines. Think we are putting out cukes and squash and pumpkins today. Will get plants in the next day or so. I also found a recipe for butterscotch cookies, anxious to try those out. We both love oatmeal scotchies, so I am hoping these turn out to be just as good, will let you know.
I hope everyone had a great weekend, and I am trying not to think about going back to work tomorrow :(

Ok, off to enjoy the day and get a few more things done.

done, doing, and needs done

2009-05-22T10:05:00.000-07:00

Well like chris said in his blog, not much of note worthy things happening. We did get the corn and beans out. A friend came over and he wanted a row to plant in, so we helped him plant things. He used to work with me, he's in his mid twentys and is very much into homesteading. He comes from a well to do family (he is the son of one of the Orthodontists i work for) and they do not understand why he is into it. His mom actually told me she is worried about him. lol I assured her he was fine and tried to explain it to her. So i think she understands a little bit better.LOL
I also got my basil and oregano plants out. My herbs are looking kind of sad. I dont know why. I am going to fertilize them some tonight when i go home. The chives and parsley are growing, I have already cut some and have them drying. I need to pick down the spearmint as well.
We have grilled on the stove grill the past couple of evenings. Steaks one night and burgers the next. I like cooking out there, i just dont like hauling out everything i need. But the end results are worth it i guess :)
Our strawberrys are setting fruit. There are little tiny green strawberrys everywhere. I have people who want to buy strawberry plants from me, so i need to see when the best time to transplant is. I sent in our application to the farmers market. We will be selling veggies and i am making fudge, and probably homemade bread or quick breads. They have a sort of Rocking on the lake there, where local bands play. So i am thinking things people could just eat in their hand while listening to the music. Maybe cookies, muffins or small loaves of quick breads like banana and pumpkin or peanut butter. It runs from mid july to october so i can sort of experiment to see what goes at first.
A friend is coming over saturday and we will be making soap. Hopefully it goes just a little better than last time lol. Although i shouldnt complain, it did harden and works great. I am going to try out my chocolate soap recipe i think, then we'll see what else we can come up with.
I have a three day weekend coming up, and i am hoping to get alot accomplished. I did get the hen houses cleaned while chris did the bunny hutches. So one thing of the list of many lol.
We are going to get the wringer washer we were supposed to get last friday, tonight. I hope it works, kinda anxious to use it.

Well i hope everyone has a safe and wonderful holiday weekend!!!!

i almost forgot...

2009-05-19T18:50:00.000-07:00

hello again!! I forget to mention I have started a second blog. Its called Writing with Rune. (writingwithrune.blogspot.com ) It is Pagan oriented and is about my spiritual journey, learning new things, and random grouching. If you would like to join me there you are more than welcome, if its not your cup of tea, thats fine too. Who ever told me when i started this blog, that blogging was addicting....wasnt just whistling dixie!!! LOL Anyway, i hope to see some of you there!!!

a little update

2009-05-19T12:04:00.000-07:00

More days of rain and cold. The past two nights theres been a frost. Not a heavy one, but still a frost. Chris has already marked out rows for beans so i will try to get them tonight, on my way home. (I didnt get them last time i said i was...lol i must have gotten distracted) So we can put them out and the corn, squash, and cucumbers. The plants i am gonna wait another week or so. Gotta figure out how to get my pumkins planted. The bed i use also has some random iris and daffodils in it, so i dont want him to till it and cut them to pieces. Cant cut them down as they are still green (need to wait for them to brown). But we will think of something. My herbs are kind of sitting still with this cold spell, all except my chives and parsley. They came back on their own from last year, going to have to trim them and dry them.
Also going to help Chris clean out the hen houses, they need it. Pretty sure one of my young hens is a young rooster. Bummer, but he will go in the freezer. So i am still looking for a few more hens :)
We are supposed to get a second hand wringer washer this friday. I hope it runs, i would love to do laundry like that again. Used to have one when i was young, they use so much less water and i think get the clothes cleaner. I would also like to never have to use the dryer again. Thats what we are working for, one less appliance means one step closer to self sufficient. (still trying to convince him about no fridge lol) I did find something interesting, they are small soapstone cubes that you chill and use in drinks instead of ice. Apparently they hold the cold well and wont water down whatever your drinking. They were out of stock when i saw them, but i may get some to try. If they work, I can get rid of all the plastic ice cube trays. Really want to get as much plastic as i can out. If they dont work i will have some nice soapstone to display :)
I found a recipe for chocolate sented soap, going to give it a try. Keep you posted on this batch.I also need to make candles, we are running low, also going to make "treasure candles". I will make them in layers, each a different color and i will put a little trinket into each layer. Something like a polished gem stone, a charm, little things. I have a store near me that is interested in seeing what i make, so i want to get one made for showing. Hopefully she will like what i make and I can start selling and just maybe (once chris is back to work) stay home again. That would be a dream come true.

what a deal!

2009-05-15T09:57:00.000-07:00

I just had to tell about the great deal we got last night! We went to deposit my paycheck at a local grocery store that has a bank inside. This store (Acme) and one other (Giant Eagle) are the stores i shop at only for the sale items. They both run sales like 10 cans of something for $5.00, and if its something we use alot of i try to take advantage of those. Otherwise i feel they are both too expensive for normal shopping. I do that at a discount grocery store, called Save-A-Lot.
Anyway, we were at Acme and i was getting some spaghetti sauce that was on sale. Chris was concerned about our peanutbutter level . I bought 4 jars so he doesnt go through withdrawl. We came down an aisle into the meat section, where i spotted a sign that says "in store" special. They had spiral cut hams on sale, and i do mean on sale. I bought 3 hams which normally would have totalled $112.80 about 30 dollars a piece. Well I only paid $27.99 for all of them together!! Is that crazy or what!. Thats a savings of $84.81. If there were more room in my freezer i may have gotten more lol. But that leads to the other bargain i found. While waiting on prescriptions to be filled i was wandering around the store and I spotted in the cooler that milk was on sale. Around here milk runs right around 3 a gallon. This milk was going to "expire" in two days so it was only one dollar a gallon!! i bought six and they are also in my freezer. So with all that, all the chicken broth i froze, and pumpkin puree, three whole chickens and other stuff, there is minimal room lol. Just the way i like it :)

update on veggies and Rune

2009-05-14T09:19:00.001-07:00

We have had such rainy overcast weather the past week (or longer) that its hard to get out to do anything. Things are sprouting in the garden but with temps kind of low, they arent growing alot. If we could get just a couple warm days, with maybe even some sun....they would really get moving. Chris transplanted some new wild blackberry bushes, i am hoping they take. The grapes wintered well, and they are growing pretty well. We put up a trellis (sort of) for them until we can afford to build an arbor. I dont look for us to actually get grapes for awhile, but the neighbors have some they dont use and give us. Our appletrees are the smaller size trees and are full of bloom, i have no idea how many they will produce. I cant imagine many right now since they are still small. But bless their hearts they are trying!! lol Our strawberrys are out growing their beds, they are running out and over. We have thinned and transplanted but there is still more that need done. Hopefully i will be able to make alot of jam this year. (That is if i can keep Chris from eating them as they come on lol) The blackberrys that we have, have sent out runners and we extended their bed too. I really want to make jam from those!!!
I think i will stop on the way home and get green bean seed, and maybe the corn. Still looking for loofa seed, and moon and star watermelon seed. We need to move my daffodils and iris out of the front flower bed and thats going to become my pumpkin/gourd patch. Would like to pick up some chamomile, oregano, and basil as well.
We found another wringer washer, so between the two i know Chris can make one workable one. Sometimes i feel like we are making no headway at all as far as getting back to basics. I am sure you all have felt that way at one point or another. Annoying isnt it? I realize we do quite alot already, but some days it just feels like it isnt enough. But I am not known for being the most patient person either.lol
The new kitten Rune is doing very well, she has no fear of the dogs at all. But i dont want her out with them yet because she is still so small. I am afraid they will step on her when they all get into a barking frenzy and run to the door. They would squash her like a bug. Chris and my daughter have started calling her "velcro" because she is so attached to me. lol She doesnt want me to set her down, and if i do i need to stay right there where she can see me. If Chris or my daughter hold her she is fine for a few minutes and then starts crying and trying to get to me. Chris is pretty sure that due to lack of use (since i carry her a lot) her legs will just fall off and she will be a "cat-a-piller" lol He was giving her a "talking to" last night, while he was trying to hold her and she kept trying to get to me. He told her "oh i see!! i am just fine when mommys not home, but when she is here you dont even know who i am! Your just like the dogs!" LOL
We are thinking about getting into a farmers market thats starting around here. We could use the money, and it would be nice to talk to people who do what we do. Besides veggies i am thinking of maybe making peanut butter fudge, or some sort of specialty bread. Maybe pizza or cheeseburger bread, or quick breads like banana or peanut butter. Still tossing ideas around. I want something that no one else is doing, yet not so off the wall that people would be afraid to try it. lol
Well my day here at work is done, so I am off to compare green bean seed:)

Tough guys have soft hearts....

2009-05-09T19:09:00.000-07:00

Look at the sweet baby girl I got for Mothers Day. Is she not the cutest little sweet pea you have ever seen?? She is a dark gray tabby with four white feet, white chest and belly. She is only about 6 to 7 weeks old.Let me tell you how i got her, but first i need to back up and start at the begining. We went out this morning to get hay for the chicken house and bunny hutches, I found it for three dollars instead of 7 ! Once we got there and loaded a couple bales,only 3 will fit in my SUV, we stood and talked to the old gentleman who owned the place. He owns 38 acres, and was telling us about what he had, couple of cows ready to calf and he told us he had a pony. A pony!!oooh you know i had to go pet the ears off of a pony. I havent had a horse in years and I really miss it. He was a handsome little bay pony, 9 years old, the gentleman told me he doesnt really get handled much. He just feeds him and turns him out. So i stood at the stall door and talked to him, and stood and looked at me. I reached out and rubbed his nose, let him sniff around on me and he decided maybe i was ok. So i stood there and rubbed his ears and scratched up under his mane, and continued to sniff and snort on me. lol The gentleman turned around and said you know for a couple hundred you could have that pony....My neck snapped around so fast i am surprised my head didnt fall off. Chris looks at me and says, "we dont have a barn or a fence or a couple hundred dollars." damn him and his logical thinking!! So i sighed heavily smooched the pony's nose and headed outside. We went off in search of a honey comb for Chris' Momma. We dont have much extra money, and she was talking about wanting one last time we were there. So we went to find her one, and luckily we did. So off we went to visit, when we got there we went in and she had made peanut butter pie. Delicious! We were sitting there talking and we all talked about the pony and they laughed at me wanting it. Then she told us the neighbors were having a yard sale and what they had out. She mentioned several times that they had kittens that needed homes. Well Chris has never been a real big cat person. He learned to like the ones we had here, or at leasts learned to tolerate nicely. So when the kids moved out and took the cats with them, he was quite ok with that. These past 8 months has been the only time I havent had a cat. So anyway....she says "come on, lets go over, there is a box of yarn i was looking at and if she still has it i will get it." So i walk over with her and she takes me straight to the kittens to see them. There were 4 all girls, 3 calico and the little tabby. I scooped up the tabby and was fussingover her when i hear Chris saying, "No, no, no , no...." I stepped out of the shed with her and he walked over still telling me no. I winked at his Momma and told him, "Its either that pony or this kitten." We dont need either one" he said. So I held her out to him and said, " isnt she just the sweetest little thing though?" He looked around at her in my hands and i hand her to him. He has such big hands she looked even tinier lol. He held her and rubbed her chin for a minute, and handing her back he said, "Ok...but just one." LOL I was shocked!!!! "Really??" i asked. "Well dont have room for that pony!" he tells me trying to pretend his heart didnt melt just looking at her. LOL We brought her home and she is in a large dog crate, until she gets used to being around large loud dogs, I still havent decided on a name yet. Austin my bloodhound loves kittens and wants to mother her so bad He cant stand it. goofy dog. And right now as I am typing this, Chris is playing with her, talking all sweet ...But lets keep that just between you and me. He does have his reputation to think of :)

herbs and an escapee

2009-05-04T06:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my intentions were to rent a carpet scrubber and get the living room carpet cleaned. But I got up and decided i just wanted to sneak away and go have breakfast. Chris and I may both be home all weekend, but alot of the time he is doing one thing and i am doing another, so we just kinda pass each other. I thought it would be nice to be able to sit down and talk without having to let the dogs in and out a hundred times,and someone else could make breakfast and coffee. Chris had to point out that we have 3 dozen eggs in the fridge right now and we went somewhere to buy a meal of eggs lol. Such a wise ass. But its really his own fault, he wants to renew our vows next year since its our tenth anniversary, (isnt he romantic) so i naturally had to corner him and run ideas passed him. Where? outside? food? attendants? you know the normal line of stuff. He of course foolishly says "Why are you worrying about it now?? we have a year??" typical man. lol Since I dont know what are financial situation will be like, i would rather do a little bit all year, than try to throw it all together a month before. Now its not going to be a big to-do like the first one, but there are still details to work out.

Anyway, after breakfast we went to Lowes to check about the slats that run through chain link fencing, of course, they still didnt have them. But I did find in the clearance section a whole pot (like 5 or 6) of herbs. They had gotten "leggy" so all they needed was repotted and pinched back. The cost was 6 dollars, herbs are usually sold for 2.50 a piece at the garden center near me, so i got them. They were, two flat leaf parsley, lemon verbena, another spearmint plant, and two i dont know. One smells of licorice, and the other doesnt really smell like anything with a roundy leaf. I will get the old herb book out and find them. On our way home we found out that a park near our home, called Quail Hollow, was having an herb sale. So guess where we went? thats right!! the herb sale :) We ended up getting, chocolate mint, peppermint(i already have spearmint),catnip, wormwood, and the cashier threw in some jerusalem artichokes. Once we got home, Chris put a load of garden dirt in my cold frame, and we started planting. I have one herb bed next to the cold frame which are both now full of herbs, and we still had a couple extra. Chris dug me up another bed and he took large sections of an oak tree that needed split and put them at one end. He had made me a little gnome door and put that against the oak pieces. It looks like the door opens into the wood and the gnome lives in there, He also put a walk way to it. It is so stinkin' cute!! Isnt he just a sweetheart!? I will have him post a picture of it.I put the chocolate mint, spearmint, rosemary seed, and dill seed in, and I still have some room for more :) i want some oregano and basil,and soapwort if i can find it. We were laughing because we realized we have used the majority of yard in the back. I told him we were gonna have to start working our way up front. Our house sits on an acre, but the majority of yard is in the front. So with a 45X65 garden, two large strawberry beds that are getting bigger every year, the blackberries, the dog pen, the hen house and run,herb beds and bunnies, we dont have much choice. The new herb bed is in the front and so are the grapes and our two apple trees, oh and my pumpkin patch.

The friend of chris' that we got the older hens from said she wanted to get some delawares. He told her she could have the two back she gave us, so she came and got them. While we were out there getting them for her, i noticed my little banty hen had dug under the fence and was in the dog pen!!! thank god the dogs werent out. Silly little hen, thats twice she has dug under the fence and got out. He caught her and i held her until he put something in there to block the hole. So Since we gave two back and one hen died, that leaves us with 14. You know what that means?? I need more chickens!!!! So i am on the lookout. Chris just rolls his eyes and shakes his head, but i see him smile. He isnt fooling me, he loves the hens too and would like more as much as I would. Now if i can just convince him we need a duck....

Thank You

2009-05-01T07:33:00.000-07:00

Today is May Day, or for me, Beltane. It is a celebration of the upcoming summer months,the last of the fertility holidays,it marks the begining of the "light" half of the year. The meaning of Beltane is Bel-fire. Bel was a god of fire and light,so bonfires are lit in his honor and to celebrate the sun warming the land. Its also a celebration of the union of the God and Goddess, a time where life is renewing itself. Maypoles are erected and wrapped in colorful ribbons. (the pole is a male symbol and the ribbons are the female symbol). Dancing and celebrating and simply enjoying life and nature abounds. There is also a tradition of giving May Baskets. This would have been done to help those familys who didnt have quite enough food to last until the gardens came in. Their family and friends would give them what ever they could to help them out. Today we give May Baskets to those who are shut in, elderly, someone going through a rough time, or simply someone who maybe just needs a little pick me up and a smile.
Of course with the rain we have been having, i dont think a bonfire will be feasible. So i will do a candle arrangement and rewrap my Maypole. I am also planning on making a small basket for my kids. My daughter is having a rough spell financially, so i thought maybe some things she could take to lunch so she wouldnt have to spend money there, and the same with my son. Of course a goodie or two :)
It wont be much since Chris is still laid off, but it will be appreciated and help them out, and i enjoy doing it.
I look forward to the coming summer, warm days and pleasant nights to sit out and enjoy the stars. There are some amazing things to experience, if you only take the time. Simple pleasures are so often overlooked, since we have become so overly stimulated by society. Some have become like kids, needing constant stimulation and entertainment. If you just take the time to stop, and look around, there are so many small pleasures to enjoy, and this is the time to do it. Enjoy the earth for what she is, and what she gives. I dont know about anyone else, but i know i get excited and happy to see little sprouts popping up. Watching the birds help themselves to the little pieces of yarn i leave out for them to help in nest building. Finding little toads in my tiny pond by the patio, picking the first tomato and of course eating it right then and there!! All small things we can enjoy and thank the earth for.
No matter what you believe in, now is the time to say thanks for all the earth has given you. Maybe take a minute and look around. Are your fruit trees in bloom? how about your flowers? Do you see some bee's or hear the birds? Are you lucky enough to live by a creek, river, or body of water? Can you hear it, or take a minute sit and enjoy it? These are all things given to you, and i think maybe its time we appreciate all we have.

Chillin Out

2009-04-27T17:50:00.000-07:00

Today we planted 90 feet of potatoes lol. Our rows are 45 feet long and we did two. Another row of onions, and divided another row into thirds and planted turnips, beets, and parsnips. Chris already put the greens in yesterday. So we are off to a good start. I sold my rubber stamp collection, so i figured while i had a little money to work with i better get started. I also splurged and spent 2 dollars on myself and bought a stevia plant. I am very curious about how well this plant works instead of sugar. There are other herbs i would like to get providing my check book agrees lol. I want oregano, basil,dill, chamomile, and catnip to start with. I am going to have to replace my lemon balm, since Chris built the hen house on top of mine.(How do you not see large green plants that are knee high???)Lemon balm is good for keeping away mosquitos, so i may put it over by the patio, or the gate coming in. There are others, but the rest of the list escapes me just now lol. I am still searching for an elderberry bush too.

I read an article the other day about a couple who didnt use a refrigerator. My first thought was how do keep everything from spoiling?? Well they had a root cellar, so thats where they kept things. So i looked in my fridge to see if it could be done with what we buy. The only things i was iffy about was the milk and mayo. Butter, eggs, condiments all can be kept for quite awhile as long as its cool. I dont have leftovers that often, and if i do they are used up the next day. I guess it just surprised me that the thought of not having a fridge never crossed my mind. I suppose you are just so accustom to having it your whole life that the thought of not having one just seems unheard of. Then i thought, well what about the freezer?? I suppose i could can the meat as we got it. I really dont care for many veggies frozen. What couldnt be canned could be dried. So other than popsicles it seems quite do-able. There again lies another positive side...If i buy a box of popsicles, we would have to eat them right away so they dont melt. LOL (we are both popsicle-aholics)Ice tea could be kept in one of those crocks with the spigot,since we have well water, the cold water is very cold so that would work. Hmmmmm something to think about...It would sure help cut down on my electric bill.

I think i better go finish that box of popsicles in case we decide to try it :)

Out my kitchen window

2009-04-26T13:59:00.001-07:00

well i got those other two rose bushes trimmed today. They may actually come back. I finished weeding the flower bed by the gate and mulched it. I have a little table and one chair that looks like wrought iron, but its really plastic, and the table has a hole in the center for an umbrella. For the life of me i cant figure out why, its too small to sit at, and its plastic. Not really on the sturdy side. But its cute and i got it on clearance when i worked at JoAnns so i didnt pay but a few bucks for it. So in the hole i put my May Pole. Its topped with two grape vine hearts, and i wrap all different color ribbons all the way down it, and add little bells on the ends. The bright colors are so pretty and listening the bells in the wind just makes me happy, I love windchimes!! My lavender is coming back from last year so i trimmed the dead off it. Pulled some tall grass along the fence and gave it to my girls and the rabbits. CHecked to see how many lilac bushes my daughter wanted, so i could dig the suckers up from around mine and take them over to her. I think i may move some over by my big back flower bed where the patio is. My sewing room window opens there and smelling lilacs would be wonderful. I had Chris light a fire in the stone grill outside, and i did steaks and garlic butter potatos. delicious if i do say so myself. :)
I was doing the dishes while I had the ice tea brewing, and i thought of something that happened the other day at work. One of the ladies i work with offered me a dishwashing machine. I looked at her,evidentally quite puzzled looking, and she said, "oh what was i thinking, you wouldnt use a dishwasher" She said it teasingly like she was making a joke and i told her "No i wouldnt, but thanks for the offer. I honestly wouldnt even know how to load one." Now it was her turn to look puzzled and she said "You have NEVER had a dish washer???" I laughed and said "No, i also dont have a microwave, cable, or electric lights in my living room." She just shook her head at me. LOL She is a friend, and was just teasing with me, but i know i confuse the hell out of most of them. But as i was doing dishes tonight, i thought, if i had a dish washer I wouldnt be able to stand and watch out my kitchen window. I wouldnt be able to watch the garden progress from dirt, to seedlings, to plants, to their final days. I wouldnt know that there is a little house wren in the birdhouse by the fence. I couldnt admire my blackberry bushes and let Chris know when the neighbor boys are sneaking them to feed the chickens. lol I wouldnt be able to see the apple trees bloom, or the small windmill i have spin. So no thanks on a dishwasher. Thats my time to stop and watch the world, well at least my backyard. Dont get me wrong, i dont care for washing dishes, but i do enjoy the view. Especially when Chris is out working in the garden (wink wink);)

Trust Me.....

2009-04-23T12:57:00.001-07:00

Well i got all but 2 roses trimmed back. I think one may be dead, but i will cut it way back and cross my fingers. I have 5 miniature roses, a climbing rose, and 3 rose bushes. The daffodils are all up, and i found that i have one red tulip and one light purple hyacinth.lol Cleaned up the flowerbeds some, i hate to rake off too much because i know there will be one more frost. I would really like to figure out something to do with the bed out front. Its directly under the big front window that has an awning on it. So it only gets a little afternoon sun, its complete shade. It was a rock garden, but those rocks got recruited to the making of my stone cook stove out back. So I dont know yet. I noticed some little house wrens have already moved into one of my birdhouses. Chris had to repair one for me since the bottom fell out of it. Must have been heavy birds :) . I have a whole mess of bird house gourds all primed and ready to paint. I wish now i hadnt cut the holes out of them, I would have liked to make some into bowls. But i plan on growing more so i will just remember to leave them whole, not hole...tee hee.
Worked some more in my sewing room last night. Three more very large bags of fabric, and one of quilts in various stages. I was so excited that i found the christmas quilt i havent seen for two years. I also found stacks of quilt blocks, all done just not sewn together. One was all in blacks, whites, and grays. One is all different heart designs. Another is shades of blue and white, yet another stack is valentine print blocks, and one of purple blocks. The biggest stack of blocks that i found was a stack of 30 dresden plate designed blocks that were Chris' grandmothers. Both his grandmothers quilted, and so does his mother, so in my defense of having "so much stuff". Its not all my fault. Alot of these quilt blocks, and unfinished tops, and a couple old time quilt kits (do any of you remember the kits you could order out of the newspaper?) not to mention bags, and bags, and bags of "piecey parts" were handed down to me. (His grandmother not only made 30 dresden plate squares but also has 2 LARGE freezer bags of pieces to make more)You couldnt possibly expect me to not keep these family heirlooms??! I mean, you dont know how important that really weird psychodelic sort of bright yellow and orange, god knows what you would use it for, fabric was to grandma!!! I need to keep that. It sets off that piece that is the most god awful shade of green plaid i have ever seen. But!You never know when you'll be looking for just that piece...Its like my ole grandaddy used to say "its better to have it and not need it, then to need it and not have it." Grandaddy ran moonshine too, but i am sure that had no effect on his judgement. So keep it in mind...If your looking for that piece of fabric that you just cant seem to locate, let me know....Nothing finishes off a quilt better than psychodelic yellow and orange fabric.............trust me

Whats one more??

2009-04-08T05:26:00.000-07:00

Hello, my name is Lisa and I am addicted to chickens...(this is where the whole group says "hello Lisa") hehheee

Ok Chris and I have been discussing off and on about getting more hens. I have started selling eggs, basically to pay for their feed, but i am getting more people wanting them. So we have tossed the idea around, and as luck would have it Chris found someone with month old chicks to sell for 2 bucks each. They had barred rocks, buff orpingtons, red new hampshires, and auraconas. Taking the egg money i had, the plan was to go and just get two or three, hoping that we wouldnt have to make the hen yard bigger. I got 3 of the barred rocks and i asked if i could just "look" at the others. "of course" she says, probably noticing the twitch you get when needing a chicken fix. Let me tell you those little buff orpingtons were beautiful. (as beautiful as chickens can be in that awkward 'teenage' dinosaur looking stage. You know, so ugly they are cute.)Such a soft gold color, well....I had to have one! So I took one of those too. Chris has been wanting a rhode island red, but they didnt have them, so he settle on a red new hampshire. Your already getting 4 he says, whats one more...I love his logic. Thats how i ended up with my 5 dogs too lol.
So i happily gave my ten dollars of egg money for 5 new chicks.

On the way home,(notice i wait until we are to far from where we bought the chicks to turn around) I mention that he is going to have to expand the hen yard...a lot. "I know...." with sort of a trying to act like he was annoyed sigh. But he isnt kidding me, he is as addicted to our girls as I am. He certainly wasnt trying to talk me out of getting more! As a matter of fact, he has convinced his uncle to let us keep meat chickens at his house, AND he brought out the mcMurray catalog when we got home. So dont tell me he doesnt want more chickens lol HE IS AN ENABLER!!!! lol

The new babies are in the basement with their heat lamp until this snowy cold weather breaks.We are slowly trying to introduce the boys to them. I would like for them to get used to them so they arent something fun to bark at. Of course there will always be a fence between them, but less barking is still a good thing.

This brings us to a total of 17 chickens, which is sort of an odd number of hens to have dont you think?? I mean... 20 sounds so much better doesnt it?? heehee hee

white stuff, green stuff, and whats for desert??

2009-04-07T05:53:00.000-07:00

ok, i got up this morning to find 3 inches of snow. Gotta love Ohio weather lol. This is the first snow our newest hens have seen, they came down the hen house ramp,paused, looked, and went right back up to the warm hen house lol. Girls after my own heart. They wouldnt come out until they heard chris fill the feeder,and i would bet they would have prefered he brought the food into the hen house for them lol.

This is the first spring and summer my daughter has spent in her new house and she is anxious to get things out in her flower beds. She wanted to get things this past weekend, and i told her it wasnt wise, we would have another frost before the end of May. She continued on about it and i explained, well you can put them in, but when it comes a frost, you will have to go out and cover them or you will lose them. So she opted to wait. Today she text messages me with a "can you believe this?! snow!!" i responded "yep, now arent you glad you didnt put flowers out already?" to which i simply got the icon with its tongue stuck out at me LOL.

The greens i started in the house are really growing, and i need to thin them out. Are any of the rest of you like me and hate thinning things because it seems wasteful?? If you cant replant the extras i just feel like iam tossing out perfectly good plants. One year i didnt thin out my beets well enough and they grew longer instead of wider. I gave some to a friend and she wanted to know what kind they were, since she had never seen such long beets!! lol They were still delicious.

There is one corner in my flower box of greens that looks like something is sleeping in it. Honestly, the plants are pushed down in just that corner. I dont have any cats in the house, but its too small for a cat to be doing it, and the plants arent bitten off. Maybe its one of my shorter house gnomes? LOL maybe i should leave out more cheerios so he stops that LOL. Honestly i have no idea whats doing it. The box sits on my kitchen table so it isnt my dogs, and they are in the bedroom with me at night.
House gnomes or kitchen fairies I am telling ya!! :)

I got to looking through the pantries and i am not happy. Due to this lay off, we have used more than i had anticipated. I need to get the shelves back to where they were, but with very limited funding it isnt gonna be easy. This stresses me, alot. I really hate the almighty dollar. So i will check my account and see if after work i can go and at least get a couple things, to make myself feel better. I also got a website to check out to see if we qualify for lowering the housepayment. That would be a huge help.

This weekend i need to make bread again, and i am still wanting to try this recipe for home made hamburger buns. But i will also be making our Ostara (easter) dinner this weekend. A friend of ours raises and butchers his own beef and pork. He had a couple large hams and gave us one. So all i want to get is a small turkey breast, since my son isnt all that crazy about ham. The rest of the meal i already have. ALthough i havent really decided about desert yet. Any suggestions??

Happy dancing and finding treasures!!

2009-04-04T06:14:00.000-07:00

Oh joy!! oh rapture!! My sewing room is on its way back!!! yahoooo!!! Chris cleaned out everything that didnt belong there (my daughter moved into my sewing room when she moved home. So everything got packed up and stored). He brought out my sewing tables,the sewing machine, my serger and a lot of boxes that needed unpacked. It was almost like opening more birthday presents lol.I am an avid crafter, sewer, painter, whatever-er. I love to quilt and fabric is my main passion, but i do a ton of other things as well.

So i started opening those boxes, and oooooh the fabric i forgot i had!!! I wish i could remember what i was thinking of making when i bought it lol. No worries i am pretty sure i will think of something, because anther box contained my books. Any kind of pattern your looking for, redwork patterns, applique patterns, you name it.
Oh and another box of fabric!!!This one had my blues and greens in it. All different patterns and shades, of course i had to look at each one.(i tried to share the experience with chris, but he really didnt get it. He smiled and nodded alot.) Then i found craft stuff, glues, flowers, ribbons, polimer clay tools, paint, bells, on and on. Another box of fabrics to ooh and aah over (it was about this time Chris disappeared upstairs to make coffee until i was done with that box). One big box held nothing but bird house gourds, already primed and ready to paint!! I am telling you guys!! Happy birthday to me! lol another one had nothing but dog and cat print fleece from when i used to make dog beds and blankets to sell. Of course then there was ........another box of fabric!!!!!!!! christmas fabrics, beautiful stuff!! again dont know what my plans were when i bought it, but I'm glad i did. lol trees, and old time santas, stars, ornaments, some fabric had glitter, some rich colors, oh let me tell you i sat and unfolded and refolded for a long time! ha!!

My shelves are filling and the boxes are disappearing slowly but surely. It is so nice to have my own space back, and to get all my "stuff" in one area. I will have chris take pictures when we are done so you all can see. I am sure some of you share my fabric addiction right???? it cant possibly be just me!!

Love My Girls

2009-03-31T07:46:00.000-07:00

I love to watch my chickens. My girls never cease to entertain me. Any time i walk out to their yard they all run to the side where you are and beg, like they havent been fed in a week. The constant "talking" trying to convince you to give them a hand out, they are very persuasive i have to admit.

We put table scraps out there for them, they all rush over and its a mass of chicken heads all trying to get the best bite. Feeding them noodles is the most fun. They will grab a noodle, sling it up and run off with it so no one else gets it. Of course there is the fair amount of fussing between them. You can just imagine if they only had elbows to jab their way closer. Instead its a poke with the beak or a big fluff with the wing. I worried about the only little banty hen i have getting her share. Well i shouldnt have, i watched her get down low run in under all the big hens grab her bite and back out before they knew what happened. lol!! She gets more than her share that way.

Chris picks blackberries off the bushes in the summer and gives the girls all one. Which was ok when we had 3 now we have a dozen. I may not have enough to make jam if he doesnt find something else to give them instead of my black berries lol. I really enjoy bringing them japanese beetles or crickets, its like chicken candy.

Then there's the dust baths. Flopping their wings and rolling their heads in the dirt, and then wiggling themselves down into the dirt. It just looks like they are really enjoying themselves. Cocking their heads to look at you, like they wonder what your looking at, and is there the possibility of a hand out.

You can also tell what the pecking order is (no pun intended). The head yahoo of my bunch is a large red americauna, she likes to sit up on a roost that chris built outside for them. She sits up there like she is royalty.

The three "babies" we have, who arent really babies, more like gawky teenagers. Their feet are big, the heads look tiny and their feathers just arent big girl feathers yet. They are still the cutest things to me.

I have always loved chickens, and its very easy to get "addicted". I have 12,and would love to have new peeps. Would like to get one of the fancy breeds, like a polish,a silkie or a frizzle, something odd. lol But I have to keep in mind, how much space there is in the hen yard. How many nest boxes, and what it costs to feed them. I wont lie, its still very hard for me to walk away from chicks,all it takes is the slightest encouragement. lol

Of course the eggs we get are delicious, but to me that just happens to be an added bonus. If you have chickens you will understand what i am saying. If not, you really need to get some, just three would do. They give enough eggs for a family of 4. Of course once you get them, you will become addicted. You will try to fight it, but soon enough you will start to think, "Oh whats one or two more..." and then it begins. I wonder if there is chicken intervention?? If so, i dont want it!!!

Kitchen concoctions

2009-03-26T07:31:00.001-07:00

I promised a bread recipe and so i am gonna post it before i forget again lol. I made this the other night when we had last minute dinner guests and I wanted homemade bread to serve. I normally have homemade sandwiche bread made, but of course i hadnt gotten to that yet. So i needed something that didnt take an hour or more to raise and i remembered this recipe.

Crusty Hearth Bread

1pkg yeast (or 2tsp yeast)
1/4 cup warm water
3 cups flour (i used bread flour but all purpose will work)
1 cup buttermilk (if you put one tablespoon vinegar into a cup of milk and let sit
for 2 to 3 minutes you have sour milk which works the same)
1/4cup shortening (i use lard room temperature)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 Teaspoon salt (which i never add and it really makes no difference that i can
see)

Mix warm water and yeast and let yeast disolve. Stir in 1 1/2 cups flour the shortening, sugar, buttermilk, baking powder and salt. mix until smooth. Add remaining flour until dough forms. turn out on floured surface and knead until smooth. Cover and let raise for 10 minutes. lightly oil a cookie sheet, shape dough into a round loaf, cover and let raise for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 Before putting in oven slice an X across the top and bake for 35 minutes or until golden.

Its a delicious bread, that you could add shredded cheese to, or whatever herbs you want. A good "base" bread.

My sons birthday is friday, and since i dont have a lot of cash for gifts i figured i would make him some of his favorite foods. He doesnt live at home so he eats from the microwave a lot. ick!! So i made him the cookies he likes, they are called chocolate crinkles. They are a soft puffy chocolate cookie with powdered sugar dusted on them. His favorite thing is Cheeseburger bread. It is so simple to make but is delicious!! good to take for lunches or use for dinner, or to simply hide and eat so no one asks you for any. lol To make it, all you need is pizza dough, (i make my own but i imagine frozen would work too). one pound hamburger and velveeta cheese, or a facsimile there of lol. You brown a pound of hamburger, I add onion, garlic,and seasonings. Drain and then add velveeta cheese almost half the block. Let melt. spread out pizza dough on lightly oiled cookie sheet, top with the cheese burger mix and spread all over. Then roll (along the long side) like a jelly roll. Dab a little water along the seam and seal. I bake with seam side down. for 40 minutes. let cool and slice. you can serve with any burger toppings. I also like to add mushrooms to the burger, again another recipe that can be added to and adjusted to what you have on hand like pizza bread, or ham and cheese bread, chicken fettucini and brocolli, and on and on.

Chris always tells me i am the Queen of leftovers.lol I can make a meal out of what ever i happen to have in the fridge, like one chicken breast, some taco seasoning, and a potato. The other night he was looking through the fridge on one of his "i have the munchies scavenger hunts" He said, all i can find is some rice, a couple slices of bread, lard, and eggs.(of course he is exagerating, there was food in there.) What am i supposed to make out of that??? I told him to add the egg to the rice and make patties and he could fry the bread. He looked at me over the fridge door, and said, "it was a joke i wasnt serious...I cant believe you..." lol He also keeps telling me i should write a cook book with my "potion recipes". Thats what i tell him i am making when i am not sure exactly what its going to be, a potion lol. Only problem is i cant remember what i put in it, its never the same twice. Anyway, i thought i would put a couple recipes out there for you all to try. Let me know how it works for you!!!

First things first

2009-03-25T04:43:00.001-07:00

My last entry was all about new beginnings, and trying new things, so i thought i would share with you some of the new things i experienced last year. (I know this is supposed to be about our homesteading, but as of right now,things just arent that exciting lol. I do have a bread recipe i am going to post, and i have some greens planted in a window box, and have a seed order ready to go. But thats about all i have going on in that area. Chris has handled all the other things and posted them.)

Anyway this is my birthday week so i can do what i want :) Yes I have a birthday week, sometimes week and a half if i play it right hehehee. (its saturday march 28)

So...I was thinking back on some of the firsts i had last year (from now to last march i mean) I learned to make soap, yes it did turn out! I was pretty happy about that considering i just guessed my way through lol.I saw a meteor shower, amazing!! went to a Pagan festival i had never attended, and a halloween ball (what a hoot!!). Got my chickens!! I love my girls, and have wanted them for awhile. I knew i would convince Chris we needed them, it was just a matter of time ;)He really should learn to just give in sooner, it would save us both some time lol. Getting our first egg which i blew out and kept lol. Ate pheasant for the first time, hopefully not the last! delicious. Meeting a friend that was from the internet, she lives in oregon and flew in just to meet me, (oh yeah and chris too) We hit it off and are very good friends, i cried when she left!! But she is coming back in june!! Finding out i finally had bats in my bathouse. But i have to think one of the best firsts is watching my 23 year old daughter buy a house. I am so very proud of her. When she sets her mind to something, she works hard and makes it happen. She is one tough little chick. Luckily this was the second time she and my son have moved out, so i didnt cry for three days like last time.(only one lol)Anyway, those are some firsts, some new experiences for me, and some new things i have tried.

There are still so many things i want to learn or try or do. I want to see the Ocean, and look for beach "treasure" (you know, shells and silly things)I want to learn how to make different cheeses. I have a starter kit for that too, hopefully it goes as well as the soap, ha! I would like to learn yoga and i would like to learn to bellydance. I watched them at the festival i attended. All ages and sizes of women were dancing. Women in their 60's out there shakin' it, and girls who are bigger like me who seemed to have no insecurities about how they looked. It was such a beautiful dance, I really would like to learn. I dont know how much call there would be for it in my day to day life, or if it would help on a resume, but i want too lol. I guess my biggest first would be to own my own diner. Hard to believe I know, but being an office manager for an Orthodontist just wasn't what i wanted to be when i grew up lol.

There are a lot of things i want to do, and i am sure, things i will do that i didnt know i wanted to. I would also like to let go of some old habits, not being so hard on myself would be a good one. I bet that one would be for alot of us out there. Are there habits you would like to change? Things you want to do or learn? Let me in on them, lets give it a shot together. Can you imagine what an extensive support group we would be!!!! lol Its so easy to dwell and hold on to the negative things that happen, or disappointments. But if you really stop and think back, there are alot of good and positive things too, big or small. I dont know why its human nature to hang on to the bad, maybe thats another habit we should all try to let go of.

Welcome Spring

2009-03-20T09:14:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of spring, Spring Equinox, or Ostara for me. This is the time of fertility, when the sun has come back with its warmth and light that we all need to grow and flourish. Not just physical fertility, but fertility in many things. Fertile in creative thoughts, in the ability to grow as a person,to expand your capabilities and learn.

No matter what you believe in we all, at times, would like a "do-over", a chance to start again. Well now is the time. The earth starts over in spring developing new plants and grasses which in turn help others to start. Whether it be in the garden or new critter that needs the plants to begin its life. So who better to take a cue from than Mother earth, she has this new start thing down pat. Is there something you have always wanted to try? or learn? Or maybe just a new way to deal with an old problem. Give it a go.

We all need to take that deep breath and give ourselves that chance, to see what we can do. Chris' lay off has been hard on both of us, even on my kids. (No they dont live with us, but they still worry about us.)The beginning of spring, and the increasing sunlight recharges me. In the winter, i get kind of blah, my energy level is low and my creativity not at its peak. But Spring, it all falls away. There is new energy abound, and i try to absorb all i can!! lol. Things dont seem so bad in the light. It seems like you made it through the winter, you've done well and now you can shake off the cold and begin again. I know winter is a necessary thing,and we should use it for a time to rest and rejuvinate, but by the time spring shows up, most of us are ready to go! So this shows me that there is light at the end of the tunnel if you will. No matter what your going through, you can do it and will come through it with a chance to learn from it, and start again. So i know, that no matter how hard this layoff gets, I will be able to handle it. I may not like it, and it may be hard, but I can.

Things awaken in the spring. Besides all the seeds that have been started, is there anything else you would like to awaken?? Maybe your afraid of trying something because you dont think you can, Even if your not good at it, you learned from it and in turn grow a little. But you may awaken a new talent.

This spring stop and think,what it is you want. Wishing is fine, but i dont always want to wonder "what if?" I dont want my life full of "I should haves". So I have a few things i want to learn, or try. Which will have to be another post because my list is growing lol!!

I want to wish you a Happy Easter, a joyful Equinox, and a wonderful Ostara. Enjoy spring, and the sun, and give yourself a chance to grow.

Whats new??

2009-03-13T05:32:00.000-07:00

I went through all our seed catalogs and finally figured out what i am getting and who from. We really wanted to go more heirloom, but with the lay off its just not financial do-able. There is always next year.

I always like to try something i have never grown before. One year it was purple green beans, one year kholarabi and so on. So this year I have decided to try a couple different things. One is carrots,I have planted carrots before but these are not just plain old orange ones, these are all different colors, red ones, white ones, yellow ones, and of course some orange ones. Another thing i found was white tomatoes. Now who doesnt want to see what a white tomato looks like!!? My Momma says they are so pale green that they have a white cast to them...I want to see for myself. I also have a weakness for gourds...I love them!! Birdhouse gourds are a definate, (i plant those just about every year) I am also trying bushel basket gourds. How cool would that be! I could use them as laundry baskets, garden baskets, yarn baskets, scrap fabric baskets...oh the list goes on!! The other gourd i am trying is loofa gourds. How cool would that be if i made my own soap (lets keep our fingers crossed) AND loofa!! what nice gifts for the holidays. Last but not least, white pumpkins. They are absolutely beautiful when lit. They glow like the moon. I fell in love with them, so i am trying for my own. I cant give up the traditional orange ones, my kids and i still carve pumpkins every year, its a favorite tradition of mine.

I would like to plant elderberries as well, but that may have to wait until Chris is back to work. Maybe some new herbs too this year, we'll see, but thats my experiments for the garden. I really enjoy trying something new, just to see what it will do and what i can do with it. Of course i always have my tried and true veggies that we put in, but theres always room for more :)

So...do you have a favorite that you always plant? Do you try new things each year? Found a new favorite?? Let me know, maybe i will need to try it too :)

Isnt he just the sweetest thing.....(my version)

2009-03-11T04:35:00.000-07:00

I am assuming most of you have read my husbands blog about how we met. He is being way too nice. I wasnt stand offish, i was a real B*tch.lol Let me tell you my version.

Ok, I had been divorced for a year or more (I am very bad with time lines) and had been dating off and on. My friend at the time, was the one with the computer, I didnt even own one. I had met a couple guys on line, one was a very nice man, but looked like a cross between a hoot owl and elvis. I couldnt do it. Another was again a very nice guy we had fun together, but he wanted me to be the quiet, "anything you want honey" kinda chick. Yeah...that wasnt happening either. The last guy i was dating before meeting Chris was a tow truck driver,it was late into the fall and this guy pretty much told me (of course not this bluntly) he would be getting into the busy time of year for him. He wanted me to just wait by the phone so when he had a minute we could get together....Seriously??? I told him (and yes this bluntly) if he wanted someone to wait by the door for him he should probably buy a spaniel, because i sure wasnt. So...I had just gotten off work after closing,was in a grouchy mood because of this guy, and had decided to just lay off dating. My friend had called and wanted me to come over after work, so i headed that way. When i got there she wanted to show me what she had done "for me". uh-oh....She was the one who put my name and pic on the singles website. She tells me, i signed you up all you have to do is fill in the details about yourself. Super..."Come on" she says, "it will be fun" oh sure, because its been a real hoot so far. Ok ok, i give in and fill it out and we go on about our business of whatever else we were doing on the computer. It was in the middle of something that this instant message thing pops up saying hello. It was from the screen name of someone named rat'ltrap, or rathead, or something, saying hello and that he had seen my personal ad and wanted to talk. Great...someone who goes by the name of rathead wants to talk,cant wait. But my friend tells me to play nice and give him a chance, it could be fun. Whatever, i am still grouchy but i start talking to rathead. He seemed nice, and apparently the patience of a saint because i am not being the most pleasant thing to talk to. I was really giving the poor guy a hard time, when my friend says, (in a not so polite way i may add) "Geez Lisa, you have been giving this guy nothing but a hard time and he is still talking to you, lighten up!!" I think the "b" word was added in there somewhere too...Ok ok...I kinda feel bad so being so hateful to him when it wasnt him i was mad at, so i lighten up and we talk some more. He wants to call, well i dont hand out my number like candy on halloween so i take his instead. (apparently he does hand his out like candy lol) He asks me to call him when i get home, i assure him i wont be home until late. To which he assures me he will wait. Hmmm...either this guy is quite smitten with me, or he is nutjob with nothing else to do. Ok I tell him, i will call. So i deliberately stay late and dont get home until 2 or later. I call, and there he is awake and waiting. So we talk and talk and talk and much to my surprise he didnt sound like a nutjob. Had a good sense of humor, intellegent, could actually hold a conversation with out asking how big my boobs were. I was impressed. It was about this time i realized if i went to sleep right then i would get maybe an hour and half of sleep before work in the morning. Before hanging up I agree to meet him where i work. Nice public place where i have people who can watch out for me, in case he really is a nutjob.

Next morning, after me and ms Maybelline work at covering the dark circles i have from no sleep, i am "fashionably late" for work. Which being an assistant Manager is frowned upon, whatever. I am running into the store to go clock in when this very tall, dark haired, quite handsome guy waiting in line says "man you look like someone who has been up all nite on the phone." I stop. Turn around and look at him and say "really?? cause you look like the ass that kept me on the phone all nite." The rest is pretty much the way he told it. He actually got along with my kids who were at that lovely 12-13 age. When they are at their most pleasant.

I tell him the only reason i married him was because he could hang drywall and i needed my basement finished, and once i run out of projects for him, he is out of here.lol I think thats why he takes so long in finishing projects. Seriously, i wouldnt trade him for anything. I honestly cant imagine a time when he wasnt around, and I really dont want to. So all in all, I am awfully glad i gave ole rathead a chance.

bubble, bubble, a little soap trouble

2009-03-10T06:58:00.000-07:00

This Saturday was pretty productive. I baked bread for the week, made curtains for my sons room at his house, made some cloth napkins(getting away from paper towels), and tried my hand at making soap.

It wasnt a melt and pour soap, but soap made with lye. Chris had bought me a soap making kit from Lehmans for Christmas and i finally had a chance to give it a try. I read all the instructions and realized i didnt have a scale to weigh the ingredients.(like the lye!) I figured it can't be that tough to just "eyeball" what i needed, so that's what i did. So i get the palm oil, and the other type of oil (coconut oil maybe?? i can't remember)and they are in plastic bottles that pour. Only problem is, they are solidified. The bottle says, Microwave or place in warm sun to soften. Well.....I dont own a microwave, and it's cold and windy outside. So i put a large pan of water on my stove with a dish turned upside down in the bottom, and set them on that and turn the burner on low. One dilema solved. So that worked fine and I poured the oil into the soap pot and now to measure the lye. Its says i need two ounces. It was at this point i realized not one measuring cup i own has ounces on it. Well I figured i would look in the fridge and cupboards, find something that was measured in ounces, and eyeball that too. I find a small jar of some sort of brown mustard, looks like it was from a gift set. It is five ounces, so just a little less than half. I get a little glass dish and pour out what looks like to me, 2 ounces. So far i am doing really well, dont you think?? lol At this point i needed to add the lye to water. The instructions say it produces heavy fumes and not to breath them, but continue to stand there and stir until its all disolved, maybe i should find a snorkel? Then I got to thinking I have a cockatiel, and even though she is in the other room, I am not taking chances on her breathing fumes. So...I take the lye and water and spatula and step out on my porch. Of course i have to brace the door shut with my butt, because all the dogs can't possibly be away from me (not even just a foot away), apparently its WAY to tramatic, and i dont trust the screen door latch. So with an audience of five dogs who are desperately trying to see around my butt at what i am doing, I carefully mix the lye and water. No problem, the wind kept the fumes down, nothing around to bump it or interfere. Again, another dilema solved. I carefully carry it back into the kitchen, using a pot holder because that stuff gets HOT. Now i have to bring the oil up to a certain temperature, and the lye down to one. Luckily the kit came with two thermometers. Having very little patience, this was the toughest part, waiting. Finally! i have the temperatures regulated and i slowly mix the two. (lye to the oil) Now when i said i read all the instructions, that wasnt completely true. Once i got to the mixing part i stopped reading. Well i kept stirring and stirring, the instructions did say it may take 20 minutes to an hour to get it to "trace". Which is when it leaves a mark on the top of the soap when you drip some on it. Now i begin to ponder, how hard should i stir? slowly? whip it? does it matter?? I pick to choose a medium stir lol. Of course i am telling myself, this may not work at all, you didnt measure anything correctly. Just keep stirring. Its starts to get a little thicker, but definately not milkshake thickness like its supposed to be. Just keep stirring. I drizzle some of it across the top off my spatula, where it leaves no marks to be seen. Just keep stirring. Looking at the clock i see its only been about 20 minutes, still within the alotted time. Just keep stirring. My shoulder is getting tired, because of course my soap pan is a large one and since this is a small trial batch i have to reach up and over. Just keep stirring. Ok switch arms, try the tracing thing again...no. Just keep stirring. 30 minutes have passed, I should have kept reading to see what to do in case it doesnt trace, is there a fix for it?? Keep stirring. 45 minutes......an hour...(did i mention i have no patience)an hour and 15. At this point, i am annoyed. I dont want to waste my oils and if this doesnt set up i am going to have to ditch it if i cant fix it. This is the point where i decided to stir the bejesus out of it. I really start cranking up the stirring. "Won't trace for me will ya?...well i will stir you dizzy then!!!" wait...its starting to thicken up a little...not a lot mind you, but i will take what i can get. Its sort of tracing, i mean if you tip your head and look at it an angle in the light you can kinda see....Deciding that this is as close as i am gonna get, i add the lavendar oil and stir. It starts to thicken up a little more. So i go ahead and pour it into the little mold i have and beg the soap gods to help me out here. lol I cover it and leave it for 24 hours, ok not really. I left it alone for a couple hours and then poked at it(remember? no patience). It was a little soft but definately solidifying. Maybe there is hope yet. Cover it back up and this time i really do leave it alone until the next day. It's still a little soft, it's firm but still feels a little "givey" to me. The book says to let it cure for two weeks. I sliced it into cubes,popped them out of the tray, and put them on a card board box lid all spaced out to get the proper air for drying. or so i am told. I carried them back to my office and put them on my desk, away from dog noses and tongues. (my boys are champion counter surfers)I have left them there since saturday. I haven't checked on them again. I am to worried i am gonna end up with squares of gooshy lavendar scented something.lol I will check them this coming saturday because i need to turn them over. I will let you know then, if i have a future in soap making. I can't wait to try the cheese making kit next. :)

convenience food..worth the trade off??

2009-03-03T07:07:00.000-08:00

I just read my husbands blog on frozen foods. He does tend to get quite aggravated by convenience foods, lol. If i am silly enough to let him come grocery shopping with me, you can count on him to find a convenience food and his soap box. lol

I do agree with him in the aspect of i cant believe what people will put in there mouths. I just cant get my mind around the idea that all those additives and preservatives and coloring are safe with no side effects. Lets say additive "A" is safe and preservative "B" is safe, well are they still safe when combined? What about after adding coloring "C" ?? I really just dont feel comfortable eating foods just because "they" say they are safe. I want to know what i am getting. Of course I am not completely chemical free, i still love Cokes, besides its almost impossible to be chemical free, unfortunately. But on the things i can control,and have a choice, i choose what i know. I also wonder why there is such an increase in diseases that werent around years ago. Is it because we just didnt have the ability to diagnose alot of things then? Or could it be an effect of all the new chemicals we ingest? Or both? What's your opinion?

Chris also went on to say how lucky he is to have someone that cooks.(May i change that to how spoiled he is, because i love to cook) I do enjoy cooking and baking, the more people i can feed the better. But part of the reason i cook at home, and make certain things is because i dont want this "art" (if you will) to die. There are things my Momma used to make that bring back good memories,and everyone can use those. She used to bake her own bread,and i can remember coming home from school and you could smell it out on the front porch. Two loaves were white and one was a cinnamon swirl.(which was to die for lightly toasted with butter!)My Momma isnt able to bake anymore, and i dont want to give that up. Frozen bread just isnt the same, so i learned to bake bread. (the first two loaves were very heavy and dense, due to not kneading it enough,tasted fine just heavy. So i told everyone it was supposed to be that way, it was called peasant bread and is supposed to be heavy to eat with soups and gravy. lol!!! Never hurts to camoflage your mistakes now and again!!)But i kept trying. Now i can make all different types of breads and rolls, and wont have to let a happy memory fade. Momma used to make wonderful peanut butter fudge, and i learned that as well. Definately not ready to give that up! I am hoping i can pass this on to my kids, even though my kids are "city" kids. How i raised them that way i have no idea lol. They both love frozen foods, and their Wii's, and all the "modern" conveniences. They make me laugh, and i make them crazy lol. Its a fair trade.

Here's another thing i dont get. If we use convenience food to save time. What are we doing with that time? Everyone is still busy and running to get things done. In my opinion, sitting down to dinner makes us stop for awhile. You could actually talk to one another longer than just when passing each other out the door. Our whole perspective on living the "good life" and whats important has changed dramatically, but thats a story for another time.

So there is my opinion for what its worth. Frozen food is just a second class version of a good thing, and i dont think anyone should have to settle. Remember there is nothing you can't do. All you need is the desire, and a good camoflage story for back up. ;)

Let it Snow......next year

2009-02-26T04:59:00.000-08:00

well so far Chris hasn't given me too much to fabricate,....i mean talk about. So i would just like to talk about something i have seen in a lot of other blogs.

I know everyone has spring fever, and its only gonna get worse from here on in. But i hear a lot of grouching aimed at winter. First off let me be the first to tell you, I dont do cold well, not any more. I have arthritis in my knees and spine, so the cold makes it ache like a toothache, but i still like winter. I know about this time of year, everyone is tired of the dirty snow, the sloppy roads, and freezing their ass....umm ears off. But winter isnt a bad thing, its a necessary thing. WIth out a good freeze to kill them off there would be more bugs than you can shake a stick at. The snow blankets over certain plants and keeps them protected from even colder temperatures. ( i know 32 isnt warm, but it sure beats -0 ya know?) The cold kills off some of the weed seeds and that is always a benefit in my eyes. Winter is mother natures way of saying slow down a little. Rest. All spring, summer, and into fall we are busy. Not only with gardens and canning, but summer projects, and all the summer things we do. Its a busy time, we are always moving. Well winter allows, almost demands, we rest. Now of course you all are like me, and have just as many winter projects, but you get my point. We need that time to rejuvinate, to recharge and maybe reconnect with family. I am sure you all know this already, but sometimes i think it helps to be reminded. It helps me to stop my grumbling about wanting to get out there in the garden when i think to myself, this is a necessary thing, it has a purpose. Of course i still have the patience of a piss ant, but it kinda keeps it in perspective.

Being pagan i celebrate the coming of spring, the returning of the sun. But i also respect and welcome winter. Tell me there hasnt been a time that you looked out the window in the winter and just thought about how beautiful it was. (And yes its always more beautiful from inside than out.)

We are so busy planning next summer, we dont give winter its due. With out winter how could you look forward to seeing the first robin in the spring. How could you be excited by seeing the first daffodils or crocus if the were always there?? Plants need a time to rest, and some animals as well. Keep in mind all the things you look forward to when spring comes, none of those would be, if it werent for winter.

I guess I am just trying to ease the spring fever a little, to remind us that we need the winter, and the cycle keeps moving and spring WILL be here. It has to, thats the rules :) So just keep telling yourself winter is a good thing and it will make spring that much better. The days are already getting longer, soon we will really be able to see the first signs of spring. We can start cleaning, planting, building, getting the animals outside more, enjoying all the spring rituals we have.

But just for a day,get a cup of coffee, tea, cocoa,(jack daniels)...whatever and give yourself just a few hours of relaxing. While your sitting there look out your window notice all the things that will soon be sprouting leaves and blooms and while quietly gazing at them, whisper quietly to spring to hurry the hell up about it already!!!!

Very tall house gnomes...

2009-02-24T05:24:00.000-08:00

Well...last night i went home to find, dinner done, dishes washed, my indoor clothes lines hung and laundry on them, and the basket of laundry that I kept ignoring in hopes it would put its self away, was put away! I thought. "wow! those little house gnomes really kicked butt today!! They are so helpful!! I should leave them some cheerios out in the corner of the kitchen floor!"(they think they are doughnuts, especially those honey nut ones) But then i got to thinking....gnomes are not that tall, and my indoor clothes lines are hung very high...so high in fact that "I" cant even reach them..hmmmm...I pondered. It was then i realized that only someone who is, lets say, 6ft 3in could reach them. That narrowed down which house gnome it was.
My dear husband evidentally forgot that i am only 5ft 5in and I can not reach the clothesline lol. Now of course i could stand there and give the clothes a heave up onto the line, but i dont think thats gonna work. I could jump up and do it...but with my knee like it is, i could do that twice, maybe three, times and i would have a leg that bent the opposite way like a chickens leg. Which would be cool, but would make it tough to sit in a chair. So the options are to lower it, or he can do all the laundry. (which he usually does anyway, because i cant do a lot of stairs) At least i can reach the outside lines........oh wait!! he took my outside line to use it on the inside one. lol You gotta love it.

Later that night, i thought back on all that he did and thought how nice it was to come home to dinner and no dishes. What a great husband i have....then it dawned on me. He is doing this so i wont tell any tales on him!! He figures if he helps me alot i will be so smitten with him that i wont give up and gossip on him. HA This could really work out for me, ya know? I can start reminding him of things that he did that would really make a good story, and i bet i get dinner made again. Oh this is gonna be good. He doesnt realize I am always smitten with him, but a good story is a good story!! You just have to tell it. Am i right?

So i didnt leave cheerios on the floor, instead i iced a homemade doughnut and gave it to the tall gnome, he was happy. So happy in fact he got up and got more. In case you all havent noticed, Chris eats like a lumberjack, and the sweeter the better. (When my kids moved out everyone said oh how do you like just cooking for two now?? I replied, I dont know, i still cook for 4.)But it works out, i love to cook and he loves to eat. So i guess i can either keep doughnuts around so that he keeps helping, or promise to not tell tales on him......hmmmmm

I better make more doughnuts...lots more doughnuts :)

me in a nut shell

2009-02-23T05:32:00.000-08:00

OK,OK, I am finally going to give in and "blog" with the rest of the world. My husband Chris blogs over on oneacrehomstead. So I went there and have read his posts and thought maybe I should show the other persons perspective. How he views things are not necessarily the views of the "Management". :) That and the fact he has asked me a number of times to start a blog on what we do. So ok, i give already. (he is such a nag!) :)

Growing up my family was a mid to lower class family. You made do or did without. Mom & dad raised a big garden, and we lived out of it all summer. We had a lot of no meat meals, but i never remember feeling deprived. Of course we had to help in the garden, which at the time was a fate worse than death. I swore i would NEVER have a garden!! NEVER would i do this to myself! Now here i am with a big ole garden that i am very proud of. Creepy isnt it? lol So I guess what i am getting at is that i learned to do without a lot, and to do alot with what i had. Most everything has a second or sometimes third life in it. Which has become a very important part of my life.

Several(ok a lot)of years go by, i have married, divorced and raised two kids on my own (now 23 & 25). I meet and marry a new and improved model. thank god!! We have a lot in common as far as history goes. Raised pretty close in the same sort of enviroment.We look at things differently, yet the same. He is the one who jumps too quick and i am the one that holds onto the back of his belt and pulls him back.I am the one who wants things done now and I will have to do it myself because i think no one else is capable, and he is the one who says "we'll get there or it'll be done" and proves to me yet again he is perfectly capable of doing things on his own. We both have this annoying tendency to not want to let someone else do something for us. Which is really fun when one of us is sick and the "well" one is trying help make the sick one feel better but has to argue with the sick one to actually let them help. So we naturally wanted to be self sufficient. We had always taken care of ourselves through life and it just snowballed. We dont want to have to count on someone else to supply what we need in day to day living. Of course this and the fact that i am cheap and always want to save money. (which isnt easy because sometimes Chris shops like a chick. Of course its usually something for me or the house but i still tease him)

So as our lives went on together we just became more and more self sufficient. Not really with intentional thoughts of becoming "homesteaders" we just realized after doing some reading on the computer there were others like us and we actually had a name. Homesteaders. Yes I have heard other names like, tree hugger, nut job, hippie, etc etc lol. But I am ok with those titles too, I have been called worse, and i did learn one important lesson from the ducks i had. Let it roll off your back like water and keep swimming. We continue day to day looking for and implementing into use "new" old ways to do things. We grow our own vegetables, fruits, and chickens. We can or freeze or dry everything we get our hands on. To be off grid completely is something we would both like to do. There are times when we get frustrated, we want to do everything at once and sometimes feel like we aren't doing enough. But we continue. For the first time for both of us, we have found happiness in something, and someone who understand what the other one is saying, and doesnt look at you and tip their head like a dog who heard something weird.

It just seems odd to me that people who want to take care of themselves and the earth around them are considered weirdos. I cant begin to tell you how many times during canning season someone tells me "you know you can buy that in the stores". Once when someone heard i make all our own bread they told me I could buy it and it already came pre-sliced. Just because i homestead doesnt mean i live under a rock. I know i can buy things, precooked, sliced,ready to serve, only need one skillet, and tastes like homemade (HA). To which i say no thank you. I would like my food to be pre-antibiotic, non preservative filled, chemical free, and honestly taste homemade because it is. I want good food not fast. But i am sure i am preaching to the choir on this one.

Anyway, from now on, when you read Chris' posts and want to know the other side of the story,a better version of the story, or the things he wont tell on himself about, come see me, we'll talk. :)