The Adventures of April-j

Adventures in Organization

2012-01-25T09:10:00.020-06:00

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

I have always felt like I have a good grasp of the Reuse and Recycle part which leads to a nice reduce of waste in my trash can. However, it has not led to a reduce of stuff in my home!

I believe the problem started with "I love all things glass!" Then expanded to "Fancy boxes I adore!" Add to that a realization that I need to be more organized "That paper box top will work perfectly for sorting papers at my desk." or "Those cookies came in a tin, sure I will take it home, I can find a use for it." Containers for storing, containers for sorting, containers for looking pretty on a shelf... I am beginning to see myself as a hoarder of containers.

I was made fully aware of my hoarding after I made a personal declaration to reclaim my creepy, crawly, full-of-piles-of-STUFF-and-storage, cob-webby, drippy, damp, do-not-like-to-spend-time-down-there basement.

First, I took a 5'x5' section where I like to store my canned goods. The location of last fall's near disaster. My overstocked hutch full of newly canned applesauce, pickles, and tomatoes had half-fallen down, and fortunately not crashed the jars stored on it. Once discovered the jars had all been set out on the basement floor. On top of which went all the tubs full of empty jars that had previously been stored up in my kitchen (above the window that was now a door or in the entryway that will someday be a pantry with shelves or in the pantry cupboard that was now my husband's personal tool and STUFF storage. All of these jars were shifted to the basement when we were having the siding redone, and moving the main door). Now I moved all of them again - to tables and other pieces of floor so that my 5x5 space was empty. I scrubbed it, then painted it, then moved the bottom 1/2 of the cabinet back to the space and painted it too. My lovely husband agreed to help me repair it and reinforce it for heavy use. The top 1/2 was re-purposed upstairs in the kitchen for lightweight hat/mitten/boot storage.

I was feeling motivated, so before the cabinet could be fixed we (my children were helping) started on section two. The jars were shifted again - to my husband's side of the basement (my basement has two "sides", my side - the laundry, sewing, and pantry; my husband's side - the wood stove, corral, wood storage, and furnace). Along with the jars was a stack of empty containers waiting for their chance at reuse, several storage tubs, too many lids for the number of tubs and containers, a bin of electronic odds & ends, and much more. It was humbling to see a pile like that. It really brings to light how much STUFF I keep without real need.

Section two is next to my washing machine & dryer. We moved, scrubbed, painted, and put two tables in the space where once bins of STUFF were. New useful space for laundry. Section three is the new location of our sewing machine, we scrubbed, painted, and moved the machine cabinet. (My husband will insist that I point out that the sections are actually painted different colors! Section 1 is a Lavender - the wall, the floor, and the cabinet. Section 2 is Gumball Red on the wall and under the two white tables. Section 3 is a greyish blue. Given the chance, husband will repaint it all one color. For now, I get my fun sections.) When I had the 3 sections painted and the main furniture in place it was so lovely, simple, peaceful, freeing, and empty.

Then the day came where one of my goats had a baby. The day before winter in Minnesota returned. We knew it was going to get cold fast, and we really wanted to have baby Belle survive! We have, as mentioned above, a corral in our basement. It has been used to house our first batch of puppies, our first rabbits, kittens, chickens, and now was going to be home to our new mama & baby. Have you ever tried carrying a pygmy mama goat down stairs, and tried circumventing a huge pile of STUFF just to get at a coral? I almost dropped her when I accidentally stepped on the edge of a lid. Fortunately I did not and Mama and Baby were safely in my basement.

I knew that absolutely without a doubt I had to find homes for the STUFF in that pile!

Later that evening I set to work. I took everything in that pile and sorted it. A pile in the 4th section for potting supplies. The cabinet was done, so most of the canned jars were put on the shelf, sorted by type. The empty jars were put into bins and piled in front of the shelf for further sorting. The empty container collection was piled in the laundry space, then separated into types. The bins of get rid of it stuff was piled nearby. Cardboard boxes that were broken or moldy or unusable were put in the burn bin. Now my husbands side had a clear path to the wood stove and the corral. It felt like progress.

Within the following week I managed to get the rest of the home canned foods on the lavender shelf. The potting section has a table and shelf nicely organized with some of the box tops I have kept (see my obsession with containers is not completely pointless). The laundry tables are now neatly organized with tubs for sorting colors. All the extra unorganized, do not really know where it goes yet STUFF is now out on my front porch - the current favored place for such things. I try to keep myself to one space at a time. (I MUST get to the porch before spring!)

Still on the list for the basement is painting the lavender cabinet's newly rebuilt side. Section 4 cleaning and painting. Emptying and sorting out the wall cabinets. Cleaning and painting the laundry machine area. Finding space rugs for 3 of the sections. I did not take before photos - but the first image is tonight's so far photo. Here to the right is a humiliating photo of the poor, unfortunate front porch pile of STUFF.

Even though I am a hoarder of containers I like to believe I am improving! I used what I needed to get spaces organized. I reunited several tubs with their lids. I burned unusable cardboard/wood boxes. I even put several broken containers in the recycling bin! Moving forward, I need to remember to put everything back where it belongs, to not bring home new STUFF unless I have a clear and present use for it, and to keep enjoying the appearance of lovely empty spaces!

More adventures to come!

10/19/2011

2011-10-20T21:55:00.006-05:00

the smell of death

hangs in my nose

They say,
This is how farm life goes.
Hard work from dawn to dusk.

I am

now a husk

empty

those things which once filled me
that made me who i thought i was
dancing, art, photography, design, writing

they are cast off

in a box on a shelf

waiting for someday

and i am instead
doing things
i can not talk about
in polite society

elbow deep in birth

and death

a farm
a full-time takes-my-breath no-time-to-stop
hobby farm

no one around

except to say
We knew.
You should have done.

too late

as stacks

of to dos and to reads

tumble into heaps
and bounty turns to compost
and clothes chewed by critters
and flies multiply
unlike our bunnies

and goats.

Rosemary No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread

2011-09-30T22:32:00.006-05:00

I multiplied the original recipe to make 4 loaves.

4 c whole wheat flour *1 c if you want only one loaf or none if you want an all white bread
8 c unbleached white flour *2 c if you want only one loaf or 3 c if you are making all white
about 4t dried rosemary (it was all I had left - should have used 8t) *2t for one loaf
(original recipe calls for lemon zest. I didn't use it. for 4 loaves = 8t for or 2t for a single)
1 t yeast *1/4t for one loaf

mix these ingredients together in a 5 gallon bucket with a lid or other container depending on how many loaves you are making - enough to rise to double or more.

Add 6 1/2 c apx 120 degree water (this multiplication hurt my brain last night: 1 5/8 c x 4 = 4 20/8 = 4+2 4/8)

stir until blended, no dry flour left - around 1 minute

cover and leave on counter for 24 hours (at least 12 hours)

I was very skeptical today when I poured the dough onto the counter for the next step. It was about the thickness of pizza dough. My instinct was to add more flour. But I resisted.

I floured my surface with about 1/4c of whole wheat flour, folded it over on itself a few times. Then cut it into 4 chunks. Formed the chunks into balls then preheated my oven.

The original recipe calls for 2 hours to rise at this point. I didn't have time for it. Instead I thought I would try my first loaf right away.

I preheated my oven to 450 degrees with my empty dutch oven inside.

Once the oven reached temperature I set a timer for 10 minutes. Just to be sure my pan was hot enough.

I poured around 1T olive oil and 1/4t salt in the hot pan, gathered up my soggy dough (cold water on your hands helps prevent sticking.) Dropped it in. Put the cover on.

Bake 30 minutes with cover on. 15-30 minutes with cover off. I baked one loaf at a time. Between the first and second loaves I did not let the pan heat up enough, I did not get as much of the nice cracking on the top. The rest of the time, I allowed 10 minutes in the oven empty before putting the next loaf in.

Once the bread is done, let it cool on a rack. If you listen, the crust will crackle and pop as it cools if done properly.

Not nearly enough rosemary flavor with the amount of herb I had available. Two of my loaves ended up burnt on the bottom.

Recipe: Sweet Honey Morning Muffin/Bread

2011-04-12T07:55:00.005-05:00

I came across this recipe while looking for a cake made with honey on the internet. Google came up with quite a few entries, but only one did not have sugar. Reading the recipe I thought it would be more like a quick bread - and we were right. Still, it is a perfect addition to my Farmer's Market Menu - and super yummy!

Click here for Original Recipe

When I made it, I made it two ways, one with the almonds, one without. I love nuts in things, but hubby does not, so I thought I should see if it was worth making again if I did not add nuts.

1 C sliced almonds
1 1/4 C Whole Wheat Flour
3/4 C Unbleached White Flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
3/4 C butter (it called for unsalted, but I used salted)
1 C honey (my store honey was almost gone - i used 3/4 C store honey, the last T of local honey, and the last t of buckwheat honey my sister gave me) it was not quite a full cup
4 large eggs - these were fresh from my chickens!
1/4 C yogurt or sour cream: I used a plain greek yogurt that was milk & active cultures.
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Directions

Preheat oven to 325˚
Grease a 9" round cake pan (I used 2 loaf pans - one with almonds, one without)
Sprinkle bottom with 3/4 C of the almonds
In one bowl - mix dry ingredients (Flours, Soda, Salt)
In another bowl: mix butter, honey, and eggs. My batter was lumpy at this point. I mixed by hand, I wonder if I had used my electric mixer if the cake would have been fluffier? I also am thinking I might try to lighten it up further by separating the egg whites, and mixing till fluffy, then mixing in creamed butter, egg yolks, and honey.
Stir in flour
Stir in yogurt
Stir in almonds - this was the point where I poured 1/2 the batter into the almond free pan. Then added almonds to the rest of the batter.
Make sure everything is evenly moistened
Mix 1 minute more
Pour the batter over the almonds in the pan
Bake for 50 - 55 minutes (this was plenty of time for my two loaf pans to finish as well)
Cool for 15 minutes
Remove from pans and cool before serving

Full Sized Goats!

2011-04-10T21:26:00.028-05:00

Dear readers,

I am inconsistent in my writing. I know to have a successful blog I must plan. I have grand ideas and failure to follow through. I am going to do some planning this summer, and try to come up with an idea or two and a plan to pursue.
------------------

Here is the blog I started 2 weeks ago:

Have you ever had one of those days where you get through 3 things on your list, but still feel as though you have gotten nothing done? And not small things either. Wednesday night I wanted to finish folding the laundry, and put it away. I also wanted to bake a few more baguettes, and make another batch of goat cheese. I did all these things. I still felt that annoying, pent-up, frustration as though I had gotten nothing done. Le sigh.

I own a hobby farm or at least that is what we call it. We have chickens and goats and children and gardens. We have had pygmy goats for 2 years now, and chickens since before we moved. We had a pygmy goat in milk through last winter (January - March). She was ornery (read more about Betsy here). The goats were free range at that time, and she was difficult to catch. She did not enjoy being milked and would stomp about. She did calm a little through the process, but was never an easy milker.

This winter we got a two new nannies with babies. We tried milking Suzi, but she was so new to us, we gave up quite quickly. Then we tried Aggie, and had a similar result. Neither had been handled much, nor were they prepared for milking.

Then last weekend, my hubby found someone selling full sized milking goats for only $50 each. That is an amazing deal for anyone who knows about milking goats. When we arrived to get the new girls, she offered us two more who were in milk. Friendly, loving, easy, trained full size milking goats!

What a difference milking a trained goat can be! It was amazing that first time we brought them to the milking stand, and they jumped up onto it. I did have to readjust their heads to fit in the holder, although I do not think they really need it. They stand still once they are in place and happily munch their grain. I can milk with my entire hand instead of just 2 or 3 fingers. We get more than a quart per day. Simply amazing! My husband, who could not milk our pygmy, has taken over the milking! We are even back to milking one of the pygmy's now that we have a routine down. We have started separating her from her baby overnight (very common practice in milk goats). We came away with 9 cups on a Sunday from all 3 goats!

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Sorry - I stopped keeping track. My 40 days were sketchy toward the end. I kept dropping off things as I got busier. Easter weekend, we had a fun, free for all of sugary goodness - with some healthy stuff thrown in. I have discovered some new honey instead of sugar recipes I am excited to share in the coming weeks.

Friday: Didn't have time for buffet - hit mcdee's instead. Over-budget by $8 :(
Saturday: brought home 4 new goats instead of 2. 2 of them are in milk. They are standard sized breeds.
B: Cereal w/milk
L: sandwiches? don't remember.
D: Take out chinese (friend's treat) to make up for mcdees - shrimp fried rice & egg rolls - yum!
Sunday:
B: oatmeal w/granola
dessert at church: apple pie & a lemon bar
L: leftovers - chili
Visit to sister's: New recipe: honey "cake" - more like quick bread. still very yummy! Sampled lots of new sugar free things... check out my sister's sugar free blog.
D: roll, oatmeal cream pie
Monday:
B: oatmeal w/granola
L: Almond bread - coworker went to greatharvest again. Chowder.
D: Leftovers fried rice!
Started a batch of ww bread the 5 minute way. also tried making cheese with 1/2 gallon of goat milk - major fail. Wasn't curdling with the recipe i found, added more vinegar, still nothing. finally reheated and it curdled, but now it is overpowering in it's vinegarness - ggrrrrr.
Tuesday:
B: oatmeal w/granola - I know it sounds so boring to eat oatmeal every day - but I really do enjoy it! Especially with the added crunchy of granola on top!
L: Baked potato w/butter & spike, apple sauce, carrot
D: Leftover turkey sauteed in butter with celery, onions, on top of reheated multi-grain rice. Forgot salt - but then it was perfect! I love turkey & celery together.
Wed:
coffee w/creamer from commuter
B:Oatmeal & granola
L: Chowder - all gone now, applesauce
D: French toast bake: Store "wheat" buns, home eggs, home goat milk, cinamon, vanilla, home canned apple pie apples (cin/sugar). Kids did not like the apples, but loved the toast - they didn't notice the goat milk. I didn't notice either until I remembered I had added it, and noticed a slight difference in flavour.
Thurs:
B: quaker cin apple oatmeal w/granola too - sooo yummy. I am noticing I am eating too fast again. Need to slow down & savor!
L: Leftovers from Son's lunch - carrot/celery with dressing, cottage cheese, cinamon apples with granola (ooo apple crisp - I should make some!). end of french bread. Oh, and 2 spoons of pb. menses hunger/tension has me feeling bleh!
D: on the go - carrot, watered down koolaid, 2 cold pancakes (boy's book was in the "power night" he received some cute comments."
Fri: finally!!
B: quaker cin apple oatmeal w/granola
L: "wheat" buns w/cheese, carrot, 2 chips (boss brought in new variety), couple slices of her cheese, spoon pb. My lunches are really getting carried away. Must be more disciplined next week!)
D: Fish, rice, green beans (appears all the corn I canned last year has gone bad - luck for my chickens!)
Sat: B: L: D:
Sun: B: L: D:
Mon: B: honey muffins w/almonds (altered my posted recipe by using only ww flour.
L: Bread w/cheese, yogurt, carrot
D: Spaghetti - ground beef, home made tomato sauce, pasta, cheese, goats milk
Tues: B: honey muffin, bran muffin, oatmeal... goodness I feel alot of hunger lately. And feel very drained by the end of the day... Desperately in need of a good shopping trip to fill up on fresh foods!
L: leftover french toast bake with apples - added cheese on top - yum!, cottage cheese, yogurt, coffee - I really don't understand why I am so tired.

Purposeful Adventures

2011-03-29T08:51:00.017-05:00

Welcome to my world of over-whelm-ed-ness. I have made some changes to my original plan to my fast, study, and clean everything Lenten Season.

I have given up on the Simplify Challenge's weekly goal. It was getting to be too much, and I just do not feel like I have time for it. I am trying to be ok with not completing it all.

First week's challenge: I started my wardrobe ready to go full force, but still have not finished. It is hard to get something done in one room, while trying to also care for children and husband; cook dinner, pack school lunch, check homework, and do farm chores. There is still a pile in my closet to sort, as well as drawers unpacked, and unfinished laundry. Does not help a girl feel good to see that every day. Hoping to make sense of it all by Easter. I would say sooner than that, but my primary goal is to get the paper under control. This weekend's goal, all the laundry done and put away!

Week 2: Paper. It has my love, it has my hate. It is the first thing I see when I walk in the door from work. It is the main thing I am aware of when I try to let the kids be crafty in the afternoon. It stresses me out during bill times (2nd & 17th). I worry I have forgotten something for Boy's school. I started off well but because I did not finish, I did not follow my filing rules, then I had people over and felt I really needed to straighten up, which left the paper in a huge disorganized pile which laughs at me all the time. I need an easier, simple, plain system that makes daily sense. Something I can stick to no matter what comes. Something, that if I leave it for a few days, can still just take a few moments to sort out. Goal this weekend, to at least set up a system to organize.

Week 3: The kid's room. This was by far the easiest room for me. It is finished for now. When we have a yard sale this summer, we will make a few more changes.

Week 4: The pantry. I went through 1 cupboard and cleared and organized it. It is my least used cupboard, but is very pretty now. My basement canned storage is almost empty, but it stays organized. The rest will have to wait.

Week 5: Is anything we want. I guess it is back to what I have been trying to do the whole time. Figure out the sunshine room organization and get the paper under control.

This quote was in my daily reading on Common Prayer - 3/24: "We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very, very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity..." Oscar Romero (1917–1980)

Instead of feeling overwhelmed by a continued challenge on my time and my life, I need to refocus on our family purpose statement.

We wish to live well on God's land, being good stewards of his creatures, plants, and soil. We wish to raise our children healthy and strong - physically, mentally, and emotionally. We wish to be independent of the economic tide. Work well, play hard, create beauty.

I think the objectives of this are:

We want to be self sufficient in feeding ourselves - this means I need to be sure I can care for my animals, have appropriate space for them, and space to store their yields. I find under this a freedom to continue my passion for new recipes, and baking and cooking from scratch. I need to be sure I can find time for these things, and that the space is available for that purpose.
Raising our children well includes space for them to learn and play and create. The sunshine room is where I focus their energy for that purpose. We also need a regular dinner time at the table together, family devotions. I need to be sure I keep our family spaces neat, organized, and useful!
Independence from the economic tide! This is a lovely goal - however, it requires not only a capability of caring for my family, but also a freedom from the slavery of debt. Hubby and I often quarrel about the inability to move forward with our farm plans because there is not space in the budget - all of the money is eaten alive by the debt payment. It is hard to move forward with hobby farm goals when the debt free goal is standing like a giant shadow across the landscape.

I am trying to be comfortable with not completing everything I want to complete. I am trying to be patient with myself, and only do what I can. I know there are areas I need to change. I know there are things I really do not need, that reside in my home. I pray daily for the strength to actually let go of some of these things.

And so I end, because it has been two weeks, and I feel I must post. Please forgive my rambling.

Food journal
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Tuesday: Breakfast - oatmeal. Lunch - 2 slices bread Great Harvest (http://www.stpaulbread.com/) is so yummy! also applesauce (homemade with just apples). Dinner - ground beef taco meat, ww tortillas, cheese, lettuce, rice, tomatoes. Juice with cider vinegar. When I am home, I try to have either water or juice with vinegar in it - unless I have pulled out the pickles. We eat a lot of pickles lately because I realized they are actually a vegetable (silly I know, but I have always thought of them as a condiment - something to eat occasionally with specific meals, but they are cucumbers with vinegar and spice), plus they help keep back indigestion. I tried to make granola - taste test will be on Wed.

Wed: Breakfast - oatmeal with a little granola on top! Lunch - buttered bread, carrot. Dinner:

Has fallen off the get up early and read bible wagon! Must get back on track. I am still reading common prayer in the am, and ps119 at some point in the day - but I really yearn to hold myself to some consistency in schedule!

Thursday: so i wasn't keeping track, and don't recall alot of this week's food, or weekend.

Friday: breakfast - oatmeal. lunch: um... Dinner: tuna cakes, chowder, bread

Saturday: breakfast - raison bran with milk. Lunch: pbj. Dinner: pizza - papa murphy's.

Sunday: Breakfast - oatmeal with granola on top. prelunch: banana cream pie, and cream cheese danish. Lunch: bacon, spam, and eggs, and bread. Dinner: turkey, potato. Dessert: ice cream, oatmeal cream pie! yum.

Monday: breakfast oatmeal. Lunch bread, yogurt. dinner: leftovers - chowder & chili & fried rice
Tuesday: bread, yogurt, granola, Dinner: scrambled, poached, and boiled eggs on toast - homemade bread baked in cast iron, with a tablespoon of bacon grease on the bottom - made a lovely crispy flavor after toasting.
wednesday: blueberry bagel with butter, coffee - I think I need to cut back on the bread - love it muchly, but probably not so good to just eat bread. I have realized that I crave things on the snack table less now! had the bagel at 9am, and now at 1 i still am not hungry. hmmm. perhaps fasting through lunch. headed out for a walk to the co-op, scoping out flour & honey. Dinner: curry ground lamb, broccoli, pasta.

Thursday: My sister is doing the 30 day no sugar challenge (honey, maple syrup, and such are ok sweetners). I thought about joining, but as it is, we are not doing too much sugar, and I cannot imagine adding one more thing. Plus, I really want to use up the stuff we have in the house. My monthly grocery budget is 200 which doesn't leave much room for really good real food. So I get by with non-organic, make at home ingredients.
B: large oatmeal w/ benefiber, and handful granola on top. No more brown sugar for me.
L: Potato baked in micro butter on top and spike, applesauce homemade apples only no sugar.
D: Curried chicken a la king with mixed grain rice (white rice, wheat berries, cracked oats, wild rice - white rice cooked to fast so it was mushed - but the other stuff had nice hearty chewy flavour! Definitely do again with adding white rice later).

Just came across this post today - awesome ideas:
http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2011/04/06/eat-well-spend-less-bloggers-money-saving-specialties-shine/

Friday: yippee!
B: oatmeal with benefiber and granola. coffee
L: tangerine, bread w/pb - doing my part to make sure the breakfast bread doesn't go bad! Also a slice of tomato basil bread.
D: Date tonight - so no lenten fish for me - we're doing chinese buffet & movie! Planning to keep cost below $30 gift.

Finally met a challenge...

2011-03-21T08:33:00.017-05:00

But forgot the photos, and then did not post the blog until the following week - sigh.

When we first moved into our house (8/2008) we had the kids in separate rooms. In those rooms, it looked like they did not have many toys. Then we rearranged the house and now we have them in one room. It showed instantly how many toys they really have. Add a few birthdays and Christmases and suddenly we are bursting at the seams.

A few months ago I had the kids start minimizing their toys. Boy child was very reluctant to part with anything - kinda like his Mama. Girl child was quite willing to part with quite a bit, and some items I thought she should keep, but I tried to allow anything. After several different tactics I convinced boy child by telling him it would just be temporary; we would just put it all in a closet and look at it again before we decided what to sell or give away. However, I still looked in their room and felt they had too much.

Then the 3/21-25 Simplicity Challenge project - the kid's clothes and toys.

I started on Monday evening with a quick look at two of my son's drawers. Although for future reference, asking a very tired boy what he wants to give up is not a good idea. He has the fewest clothing items of anyone in the house. I had him start by picking out his favorite 5, and then 5 more. I then allowed him to say which others he liked. He gave up 3 or 4 items! I was very proud. I often avoid laundry or do not get through it all for two weeks at a time, so I need to be sure he has enough during those weeks. I am aiming for a good two week supply for all clothes in the home!

Wednesday we were fortunate to have a snow day (trying to look at the bright side of 10" of snow after a week of most of it melting away!). This allowed for a full fledged toy/clothes day. We dumped out all the toys, had the kids list their most favorite thing to play - these items went in the under bed bins. I limited their stuffed toys to one shelf each. I took out the block bucket and the Lincoln logs. I left a bin of cars and a bin of baby doll items and a bin of dinosaurs. I parked a few trucks under shelves, and used a shelf as a baby bunk bed. I pulled a lot from their room, although the doll house items are still a little overwhelming. Took out a basket of girl clothes, and probably another bin worth of other things. All items are currently being housed in the linen cupboard to be further sorted pre-yard sale day. It feels better in their room, but still needs work.

This snow day made me think that a lot of the people who follow the simplicity challenges must be stay at home moms because it was not quite so overwhelming being able to go through their room over the course of one day, versus trying to fit it into occasional evenings, and usual weekend cleaning days.

Girl child is blessed to have several older girl cousins and friends. She has several bins of clothes given to her for every size and season. This was a very refreshing experience to limit her clothes even further - her dresser drawers now close easily! I will admit though that the laundry was not done at the time of sorting. I will have to finish this project sometime this week after the laundry is complete. Plus I did not even approach the minimizing of her dresses!

Side note from the paper challenge. I am trying to do a little each day to reduce what we have. In going through the desk and rediscovering the letter writing supplies I decided I was going to start doing what I really desire to do: write real letters, and thank you notes. So I had the kids start one to my parents. We included the valentines we never sent, and the school picture from spring. It is a larger package than anticipated, but I think if we can set aside one per week, we will reach everyone this year we meant to reach. Plus, I will start using up the oversupply of envelopes and cards!

Because I am late posting last week, I will sign off for now. Food logs below.
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Monday - stupid day. up at 5:10. discovered something got at least 9 of my chickens - dog of some sort. Just when they are laying well! I counted 13 remaining. GRUMPY! I am the only one it the office today. Breakfast - usual. Decided to not milk this goat anymore - hubby wants to get me a nubbian - good full sized milking goats. Lunch yogurt, cranberries, 2 hb eggs, soda bread, apple sauce. I said to hubby I want dinner to make itself - and the result was: frz pizza & popcorn & milk. And later, he helped do 50% of dishes - which is almost like them doing themselves. up late - tv night. on 3/21: I am feeling downtrodden. Worn down, and ready to quit. How shall I ever get my life in order when I cannot finish even the simple weekly challenge. sigh. Starting out my week with a dog getting 50% of my chickens really puts a damper on the yearning I have to be a farm wife. The paper clutter really has me down, and my inability to do everything really makes me depressed right now.

Tuesday - still trying to get up eariler - but tuesdays are so hard with monday being tv night. up at 5:15. Didn't go chores or read until i got to work. am coffee. breakfast oatmeal w/brown sugar. lunch potato with butter & spike, applesauce. no walk raining. Dinner: Lamb chops with balsamic reduction, brown rice, frz broc/cauli.

Wednesday - SNOW DAY!!! 10" where I live, and huge drifts. Breakfast - oatmeal, lunch - tomato soup & grilled cheese on rosemary bread. Dinner - baked beans, corn bread, squash, salad.

Thursday - breakfast - tried new BetterOats - abundance apple & cinnamon - very yummy & hearty tasting. Lunch - peaches & yogurt, potato, broccoli, celery, pickles. Dinner - just the kids & I again, so we had pancakes, and salad - odd, but still yummy.

Friday - breakfast apple & cinnamon oatmeal, lunch - coworker brought in great harvest cranberry & orange bread, hunger or munchies cannot decide, cin/raison bagel... very bread heavy today. Dinner - should be fish, but since we haven't had meat for a few days - made a ground lamb "spaghetti", it was listed as spaghetti, but no tomato sauce. Ground lamb in white wine & garlic, parsley, curry, paprika, and cayanne - it was awesome. Everyone loved it - so excited for new recipes!

Saturday - Monday - Daughter & I joined MIL, and 3 neices, drove to iowa, stayed two overnights, saw awesome sites, and had fun - because we were out & about we abandoned the rules - or remembered them sporadically. Was fun though. Stepped on MIL's scale to check my numbers - they appear to be back to usual - now if I could just actually lose more than just the winter flub!

Adventures in Paperwork

2011-03-14T10:54:00.017-05:00

I like paper. (sorry cannot figure out how to rotate before photo)

I sometimes go to paper stores and buy up samples of several different papers and envelopes, and they sit in drawers at home waiting for me to use them. I keep paper sample books, I keep interesting printed pieces. I keep ideas and plans. I used to collect post cards. I keep doodles. I keep articles I want to read. I keep recipes I might make. I keep financial files since I started working in the 90s. I keep the drawings my kids do. I keep holiday cards, birthday cards, business cards. I keep printed ads that I like the look of. I keep tickets from events, I keep bulletins from church. I buy notebooks and journals. I keep a stash of scratch paper and color books for the kids. I have a whole bread box full of note paper, and assorted blank paper items.

My main areas of collecting paper are:
1. Desk - this is where I put things I really should deal with sooner, rather than later. I have file spaces, but usually I "run out of time" and just pile it on top. Inside the desk is where I keep my envelopes and letter head, and cards, and paper samples...
2. My bag I bring to work - this is where I put things that were on my desk that I really should do today, or soon anyway. I always hope to have a few spare moments during my day to get a few home things done. This always accumulates unheeded.
3. Newspaper/Ads box - this one is new - it helps - I think. Whenever I get the papers (we have two local papers that come every week) they go in this box. I am getting better at cycling through these so that when the new ones come, the old ones get tossed in the burn bin.
4. The bathroom cupboard - my things to read when I have a few minutes alone. Whenever I come across something I want to read, but do not feel like I have time now - into the cupboard it goes.
5. The school paper drawer - Kindergarten produces a lot of paper. I try to just put finished things in so I do not lose track of items needing attention.
6. The remembories bag/box. I get a bit carried away with what I keep. I always hope I will get around to sorting through things. Has not happened.
7. The kitchen counter. Things I need to deal with, or want to discuss with hubby, or that the hubby needs to deal with. Gets moved to desk for me to deal with later, and piled on the counter for hubby.
8. In the sunshine room I keep the craft paper, the breadbox of paper, the color books, the paper sample books, my gardening mags and planning supplies. In the upstairs corner cupboard I keep my old financial files, my remembories from years past - oh and all the photo albums - have I mentioned I love photos. In the mud room I keep my filing cabinet for this years finances, my land records, and hubby's medical files. I think that is all of it.

I have been working on clearing out the paper. I recently emptied a drawer of "Things I want to read" and threw away about 1/2 - however the other 1/2 joined the stack of things to read I keep in the bathroom. At the end of 2010 I moved the bin of remembories upstairs to my deal with it when I am retired cupboard. This weekend I finished clearing and organizing my desk so I have at least one before and after photo. My things to deal with are now in a bin. I really have not cleared out any paper clutter though. I have just moved it. Repeatedly.

I have tons of paper. I have always liked the idea of scrapbooks. Keeping track of a year in a book by scanning or photographing items rather than keeping originals. However, time does not allow, and so into bags it goes, until the year is forgotten, and I no longer know who did which drawing and how to get all the memories back in order. So being overwhelmed, I do not do anything except leave it in a box.

If there was a fire, I do not know how I would retrieve even the most important items. Somehow I have to start consolidating and reorganizing, and make sense of it all.

I have a paper problem. It appears I hoard not just paper, but paper memories. Sigh. Time to start purging. Pray for me! I will start one drawer at a time.

Below food journal:
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Monday - up at 4:50am - still not early enough. Feed chickens & goats, milk goat, bring down trash, wake hubby, get out the door. Forgot to read Ps. Tea. Oatmeal with brown sugar. Lunch 2 baking powder biscuits, string cheese, pears, and peas. 15 minute walk during work. Dinner - pot pie! It is pi day after all. Also baked potato & OJ.

Tuesday - up at 4:40am - almost there! Feed chickens, milk goat, wake hubby. Read an extra Ps to catch up. Sleepy the whole way to work - we were up late last night. Monday nights are the tv shows we love. Coffee at the office. Starting to wake up finally. Late breakfast because coffee filled void - oatmeal/brown sugar. Lunch baked potato & apple sauce. Still longing for snacks from the table - especially on a day like today when I'm sleepy.

Wed - up at 4:30 yippee! Feed chickens, feed goats, milk goat, wake hubby. Tired again - but coffee from commuter. Didn't read PS until I reached the office, Lunch baked potato & apple sauce. Dinner, leftovers - I had a casserole with extra cheese on top and some baked beans. Didn't get through paperwork at all., scrambled looking for coupons so I could run to grocery. Didn't use any coupons, but took advantage of Walmart's price match option. For part of my alms giving - purchased coffee for church.

Thur - up at 4:40 grrr. Feed chickens, milk goat, wake hubby. Tired - I have to get to sleep earlier. Coffee at the office. Breakfast - usual. Lunch - 2 hard boiled eggs, 1 string cheese, some grapes, and an orange - perfect. Loved the protein rich salty, and sweet fresh fruit - perfect for cycle inducing cravings. Sweet and salty, love them both - not together though. 12 eggs from chickens today! wow! Dinner - leftover pot pie and a bread. Irish soda bread wasn't done before I had to bring kids to dental appointment. Late night for the kids - didn't get back until 8:30. Poor boy is going to be very sleepy at school friday.

Fri: up at 5:23 ooooopppps! Didn't have time for any of my chores - sigh. Breakfast usual + slice of soda bread. coffee. Lunch 2 HB eggs, yogurt + cranberry sauce (yummy!), soda bread. No walk because I was helping get a grant proposal out of the office. Hopefully a busy and blissful weekend! Dinner tuna salad sandwiches - mmmm.

Sat: up at 8am - when the kids got up. So much for my consistency desire. Breakfast pancakes with bananas, lunch fried egg sandwiches, dinner - friends over, 9 at the table - ham with brown sugar & honey, squash, fresh baked rosemary olive oil bread, fresh fruit, a little wine. yum!

Sun: up at 8:30am - breakfast oatmeal with raisons & brown sugar, cake at church with coffee, lunch parmesian focacia, ham, cake & candy, dinner homemade burgers & french fries. Kinda got a little over indulgent with desserts today.

Adventures in Stick-to-it-ivness

2011-03-10T13:17:00.016-06:00

I did not meet the 1st challenge of Project Simplify. I have managed to reduce a few things from my closet, but I still have not gone through everything, and it still looks horrible in my room with piles of clothes everywhere. The photo to the right is the before photo. I am starting to wonder how many items I should have. I tend to keep clothing forever. I am trying to operate under the idea that the fewer items I have, the easier it will be. Less laundry, less to choose from when getting ready in the morning. However, the last time I got rid of quite a bit of clothing, I found myself regretful for the missing pieces.

I used to watch "What Not To Wear" back when we had cable in Minneapolis. I loved the show. I think it taught me how to dress better for my body type. I was shocked though to read an article that said the people were often left with maybe a weeks worth of clothing. I suppose a weeks worth is enough. You really only need something each work day, and then you do laundry on the weekend. I know there are those who wear "uniforms" where their closet is filled with only one color of shirt and one color of pants, and that is what they always wear. This is not me. I love variety. I carefully cycle my clothes through my closet moving the things I wear to the back of the line and picking something new from near the front of the line. I still wonder though if I could do well with 2 weeks worth of work wear? I guess once I finish going through my clothes I will find out.

As part of my lent project, I have been reading Psalm 119 in the morning - reading one section per day. At night before dinner, I read from "Very Veggie Devos for Kids".Veggies has been amazingly on target with topics. Reminding me to forgive my husband the day we had a fight. Reminding me to speak kindly, and keep close our friends on the day I was feeling distant. The kids have been good sports with the no desert or candy until Easter (except Sundays) idea. I also read a prayer once or twice per workday. I am feeling a little more on track in getting to know God better. I gave 3 hours to a church sewing project, and put a little in the offering this weekend. Not bad for the first 5 days.

I am realizing that part of my goal is very self-serving. Trying to lose winter weight. I hope that the benefit to me does not over-shadow the giving part of my lent. I am trying to be a better me, and that includes seeking God more. When I am hungry, I say a little prayer and remind myself that Jesus' sacrifice was huge in comparison.

The main focus of my weekend was the Sunshine Room. Which is my craft, computer, game, sewing, and guest room. Because I was planning on sewing on Saturday, I had to be able to get at my machine and fabrics. It meant I had to clear up the boxes that I had placed there after last weekend's basement clean up project. I know my focus was supposed to be the wardrobe to stay with the group - but I am content that another key, make me happy room is closer to being what I want it to be.

If you would like, I have journaled my daily food & other stuff below.
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Wednesday - up at 7am - I stayed home to get boy child off to his first day of extra school and to appointments in the middle of the day. Breakfast was oatmeal with a little brown sugar, lunch was rye bread with rhubarb-strawberry jam. I spent most of the day preparing Magarista - a traditional Easter Soup. The lamb came from one we just butchered. The soup was great, and the meat very tender. We also tried out a new flat bread recipe I found. It turned out more like a cracker. I emptied my closet, but only got through 3 items before I was called away again. No walk.

Thursday - up at 5am - breakfast was oatmeal by BetterOats - mmm. If you have not tried their products and you like oatmeal, you are missing out. Lunch baked potato with butter and seasoning, plus home made apple sauce. I did have coffee today, and tea. My co-commuter occasionally brings me a mugful with creamer. Extra wakefulness for the morning commute is good. I wore the first outfit that I confirmed works from my wardrobe. I was the only one in the office, so I really did not feel right about taking a walk. Dinner was fried egg sandwiches, broccoli, and wild rice, and pickles. The kids & I took a sledding run - 2 times down the hill. Of course that meant 2 times up - I pulled both kids the first time, and one the 2nd. It was fun and a little exercise. Before work - read Alpha in Psalm 119. During work read the Common Prayer.

Friday - up at 5am Read Beth in Ps119. Breakfast was oatmeal with brown sugar. Read the common prayer again. Feeling very tempted by the office snack table so I ate my pear a little before lunch time. Lunch leftover wild rice & broccoli, plus a canned pear in juice. No coffee today, just tea. Got in a walk. Major munchies today - so I drank a 2nd cup of tea. Dinner fish & green beans & rosemary breadsticks.

Saturday - 5:15am - yippee - tried milking the goat. Not much, and the cat got to it before I remembered to up it up. Made an awesome breakfast of "Eggs in a Puff" from the Better Homes & Gardens red & white checker cookbook. Texted husband and teenager to tell them breakfast in 5 minutes. Was a lovely way to start the day. Daughter & I contributed 3 hours to the churches sewing day - sewed about 6 bags for Ukraine kids. Lunch fruit, crackers, meat & cheese, coffee - Just realized that I broke the no meat during the day. Dinner - sloppy joes made from ground lamb, and home made baking powder biscuits, and corn.

Sunday - forgot my phone alarm is not set for Sundays, turned of my main alarm and overslept - woke up at 8:30am. Still managed to make pancakes for the family, milk the goat, feed the chickens, and get everyone to church on time. The kids enjoyed their desert freedom. Lunch at church - pot luck - yum! I enjoyed my desert freedom too! I'm starting to notice a drop in my appetite! Dinner - leftover hotdish with noodles. Started as soup, but there wasn't enough liquid.

Adventures in Spring Cleaning

2011-03-08T07:27:00.003-06:00

I always wonder why we make resolutions on January 1st. Who really wants to start a diet or exercise more while it is still cold outside and not going to be warm for months? It is the time to curl up and read, and munch loads of goodies. Getting up earlier? Not going to happen, it is dark and my bed is warm. It is no wonder we fail to uphold these resolutions. The timing is all wrong.

Now compare March to January. The temperatures are warming a little. I am starting to feel the hint of spring. I am desiring to improve my home, my body, my life. Now really is the natural time to make changes.

Lent fits in perfectly. 40 days of self-sacrifice just at the time when you really feel the need to spruce up your home and life, plus the promise of feasting on the other end. 40 days to change your outlook, body, and mind.

"The purpose of Lent is to be a season of fasting, self-denial, Christian growth, penitence, conversion, and simplicity. Lent, which comes from the Teutonic (Germanic) word for springtime, can be viewed as a spiritual spring cleaning: a time for taking spiritual inventory and then cleaning out those things which hinder our corporate and personal relationships with Jesus Christ and our service to him. However, we must remember that our Lenten disciplines are supposed to ultimately transform our entire person: body, soul, and spirit. There are a few basic tasks that traditionally have been associated with Lent. Many of these have a long history. These are fasting, almsgiving, and prayer." - online sorry lost the reference

At the same time, SimpleMom is taking the next 5 weeks to simplify several hotspots in the home. So I started thinking and reading. Reading about lent, reading about spring cleaning, reading about detox.

One of the things Tsh at SimpleMom talks about before spring cleaning is having a family purpose statement - a way to frame what you are trying to do. I spent some time with my hubby and kids talking about:

"What

makes our family special?" and "What do you want our family to be?"

My 4-year-old said, "We should be red barn people."
My 6-year-old said, "Being together." and "To be nice people."
My 14-year-old said, "Our family is crazy, and we always have fun."
My husband said, "I want to be a farmer."
Being prone to words, I wrote 3 pages of ideas of things I want for us. Rather than write it all out again, I will give you the final product my husband took from all we had written.

We wish to live well on God's land, being good stewards of his creatures, plants, and soil. We wish to raise our children healthy and strong - physically, mentally, and emotionally. We wish to be independent of the economic tide. Work well, play hard, create beauty.

When I first read the last phrase, I was excited. It is the perfect by line for Blue House Gardens: work well, play hard, create beauty!

How then do I apply this purpose to my revamping of myself, my home, and my life while taking advantage of this longing for renewal. I want to ready myself to pursue those things listed above. They all require me to be more organized and simplified.

Here is my plan for the next 40 days. I hope to follow a Lenten style fast from the 50s - 2 small meals per day, 1 regular meal. I also hope to integrate a bible story for my kids during dinner. I plan to abstain from snacks, treats, and desserts. I also plan on cleaning up the house and getting rid of a lot of unnecessary stuff. In order to have more time, I need to have less stuff. I am hoping to incorporate a consistency to my waking and sleeping schedule and find time each day for a walk.

More to come.

Adventures in Bread Making

2010-08-25T09:00:00.004-05:00

There are several blogs out there with information on how to make bread. I have read many of them in my search. This is a process I have found that works for me.

I have tried since childhood to duplicate my mother's bread. 100% whole wheat home-made, hand-made bread. However, when she wrote out for me the instructions included words like "until it feels right" and no actual measurement for flour, and when attempted it kept turning out as a very hard lump. Throughout the years I tried many whole wheat recipes - the ones that worked included an amount of white flour in them. None of the 100% whole wheat recipes worked.

I have also used my bread machine to try to make whole wheat bread. While bread machines are supposedly foolproof, it is not true when it comes to 100% whole wheat bread - you can still end up with a heavy lump. le sigh.

For some time, I gave up. At least I gave up trying to make it - but I kept searching. I read the information from 5 minute artisan bread, I watched Alton Brown, I read blogs. Everyone give little hints on how to make it work. They made it look so easy, but I was skeptical. Then I picked up my husbands old book "Mrs. Curtis' Household Remedies and Cookbook." It listed a recipe for "entire wheat bread". It listed a few things I had not considered before - like heated liquid. I finally had the courage to try it. It turned out great! Yipee!

The secret at the time was scalding the milk (150-180 degrees) - starting out with warm liquid to dissolve the sugar, and then letting it cool a little (120-130 degrees) and adding everything else in. Also the time of mixing it 5 minutes at the end worked great.

The recipe is simple, and it works. It has worked well enough that I have felt comfortable experimenting with the basic recipe and trying other breads and techniques.

The basic recipe (I am taking this from memory - I will try to post a follow up with the actual wording of Mrs. Curtis).

In bowl put
1/2 cup brown sugar (I use 1/2C honey +1 T Molasses)
1t salt

add in
4C scalded milk (I use water from my faucet (120 degrees) + 1/2C dry milk)
mix until sugar disolved

mix in
1 cake yeast (2.25t yeast)

mix in 9C entire wheat flour (I end up using closer to 11 - however, I mix them in 3 C at a time)
Mix/knead for 5 minutes

Let rise till double in size (about 1 - 2 hours)

Divide and make 3 or 4 loaves (depending on size of pans). Let rise again until almost double (about 30 minutes).

Bake 375 for 35 minutes.

With this recipe it takes me just 15 minutes to throw together, then 1-2 hours to rise, then maybe another 15 minutes to form the loaves, and another 30 minutes to rise, then 35 minutes to bake. Each batch makes about 4 loaves. I am currently making this recipe once per week to sell at farmer's markets or to coworkers.

I also make a Rosemary - Olive Oil bread (8-10 loaves per week). That is another post for another day.

Hands

2010-04-25T22:06:00.004-05:00

These hands are beautiful hands and have done beautiful things. They have held newborn babies and touched the cheek of death. They have played compositions and planted tiny seeds. They have painted and sculpted and designed and written. They are strong hands. They have wrestled goats and raised up men. They have hauled lumber and soothed pain. I look at them now full of lines and scars, full of life, and I wonder. I wonder what you see. Do you see these hands and what they have done, where they have been, or instead perhaps you see what I see when I gaze at the mirror, the rest of me. The parts and pieces I try to hide. Do you see what I have done or do you see who I seem to be or who I am.

As I listen to waves crash against the shore and cool air brushes my cheek, I remember. I dream. That these hands are again being held gently as the sun sets and we gaze out at the world. I feel soft and delicate as we dream together of things that we hope will one day be. Together in our Eden surrounded by life, overcoming the past. Our hands together with one purpose pursuing our future. Hands covered in earth and life.

These hands with jagged nails and callouses. Hands with cracks and compulsions. They have kneaded bread and pulled weeds. They have entered data and drawn butterflies. They have done so much and still have so much to do.

These hands are strong and beautiful hands and I am beautiful because of them.

Adventures in Gardening

2010-04-19T22:47:00.008-05:00

I love Spring and Fall. I love planting seeds, and harvesting produce. I love the gearing up, the new earth turned and cool, buying seeds, daydreaming about the bountiful harvest, buying supplies for when the harvest is picked... but I do not like the middle part. I have enthusiasm for weeding for maybe a week, sometimes two. I rarely think to water after their initial just planted watering.

My garden reflects my life. I am easily enthused by many things, but rarely stick with it for long. Last year my garden was constantly tangled with weeds - 1/2 my radishes came up squished because I did not thin them out. My carrots were tiny things that I had to dig up at the end of the year. Despite this, I was very proud of my harvest last year.

However, I am trying a different style of planting this year. I am trying to be meticulous. If the package says thin to 8" apart - I am planting 8" apart. I put my peas in first. I planted them 8" apart, and only one row to start. The following week I did another row, and then a third row the following week. My hope is to stagger the harvest. I also got my radishes & carrots in - although it is too hard to plant carrots to correct spacing - I might look into seed tape next year for carrots & lettuce. I meant to stagger the planting of my radishes so they would be ready in shifts, but I was running late, and just planted them all. I really was hoping to get all the spring veggies in right away. Ran out of time. Too much to do. Life gets in the way - the usual.

Every spring the organization I work for puts on the largest conference of its kind. I work on it from September to May every year, and in March and April I am swamped. This year I put in a lot of extra hours, and therefore the spring garden was not fully planted. Then when I come back from the conference, I have to play catch up not only on the gardens, but the house work, and time with the hubby and kids (and sleep too).

Then there is May. Events on weekends, fences to build or reinforce, animals to rearrange, new animals to integrate into the coops, plus getting in the garden.

When we first started planning our gardens for this year, we thought it would be a great idea to use the pen we had used for the goats & sheep last fall. Natural fertilizer, and weed control by the critters. Then it rained. It was too soggy to till when our friend came to till our other plots. I really wanted to get in there last weekend, but we had to do other things - pluck the turkey, shear the sheep, build new fences, farm stuff. Finally this week the hubby tried to plow it with a friends cultivator - could not cut through the sod.

So it is 5pm on May 20th, I have no idea where I am going to put my over 60 tomato plants, and the goat pen is not cooperating. A friend and I head out with hand tools. I start with the shovel, after several minutes I get through the sod, only in order to actually pull the clod out, I have to cut it out on all 4 sides. The hoe did not do much on its own, the garden fork poked decent holes, but really did not do much either.

25 square holes later, we have pulled the clod out, put back as much dirt as we could separate from the sod, and piled the sod next to the new chicken fence - now they can not escape underneath. I now I have 25 holes that are 1/2 full of dirt. First I mix in some sand to help it drain, and then put a few shovels full of dirt on top - finally I can plant - 5 down, 20 left to go, plus, only about 40 more holes to make.

We are planting big this year with the intention of selling at the farmer's market. We have taken last year's garden, and put in only peas, spinach, letuce, green onions, radishes, and carrots (the Salad Garden). The 2nd garden which is twice the size of the Salad Garden is filled with beans, squash, pumpkins, and melons (the Gourd Garden). The final garden (the North Garden), which is the one I am digging by hand, will contain everything else, however, because I am having to work so hard at it, I might forgo most of it and just get my started tomatoes & peppers in. Maybe plant just a few cucumbers & other things I want for home.

So there you have it, the first installment of the Adventures in Gardening. We will be at the North Branch Peterson's Country Mill Farmer's Market every Saturday - wish us luck or visit us!

a plan

2010-04-11T22:56:00.003-05:00

Well here's what I started to do:

1. write a very opinionated, offensive piece - couldn't post it - didn't want certain people to read it, so I didn't feel I should post it.

2. find time during my 24 hour website building experience to post on the night, and other things - didn't have a spare moment.

3. write a lovely Easter piece, or anything because post 1 was sitting in the back of my mind, still undecided... really don't feel comfortable posting it. I think I will polish it up a bit, and leave it here.

So here we are almost 2 months after my last post, and I will try to come up with something interesting for you to read.

Spring is lovely. Rebirth, renewal, and life everywhere you look. The gardens starting to come in, the grass and trees starting to turn green. The babies being born.

This spring we decided to order 50 chicks from McMurray Hatchery. We order their super assorted bargain, which means they can send me 50 of any chicks they have, plus they always offer 1 free "exotic" chick. This year's batch looks like it will be so pretty. We ended up with almost half of them being feather footed! I'm so excited to see what they'll grow to be. Our plan is to keep most of the hens, 1 or 2 roosters, and then let them make their own babies next year! We did lose 8 of them the first 48 hours, and McMurray allows you to be refunded for those loses. I was very disappointed, because they seemed to be all of one breed - I wish I had separated them from the rest. But we now have 43 active 4-week-old chickies in our basement! We even had them vaccinated this year to avoid what happened last year, and they'll stay separated from everyone else until they're 6 or 7 weeks old.

Our cat princess had 3 kittens this week. A gray, an orange, and a cream. Cute little ones.

Then there's Mary. Hubby brought her home when she was 4-weeks-old. She is the cutest little pygmy goat, and is being bottle fed until she is 6-weeks-old. We are hoping this will make her more docile when milking season starts for her. We have plans to use Jimmy our male as her husband, since our other female, Annie seems to be oblivious to his charms.

Then there's Betsy. I stopped milking her in March because her milk was decreasing again, and I knew I had several engagements that would take me away during milking. She didn't seem to mind at all, and actually because quite willing to let us pet her (through the fence, when she was in a pen by herself). We moved her down to the "fields" to help us start clearing it out. She happily munched away at the grass and cattails. We moved her further down, and added in Annie and Jimmy. She was so happy to see Jimmy again. She would cuddle up next to him, so content. She died this week. We don't know why. It was almost as though she died of a heart attack, mid chew. It prompted us to get the goats all dewormed and vaccinated. The vet didn't have any ideas of why. It puts a big dent in your confidence as a farmer when your animals keep dieing.

My 5 adult chickens are doing great. Pip my tom turkey has decided it is his job to keep them all in line, he follows them around, proudly on display, making faces at anyone who thinks they can talk to his girls. And the girls don't seem to mind either. Molly, my old lady - we got her when we lived in Minneapolis. She, is just as sweet and docile as ever. She is still the easiest to catch, and everyone's favorite as she's a bantam cochin (small feather footed - black puffball). Clara is a cream colored English game hen - if I remember correctly. Chicken-Licken is the same size as Clara, but is a mixture of a smaller version of Clara with a Red Star rooster we had, so she has pretty golden feathers and cream accents. Henny-Penny is of the same mixture but more standard sized. Chicken-licken and Henny-penny were both hatched on our farm last year. Then there's Peeves. Peeves was named from the morning I though I heard juvenile crowing down in the chicken pen. I figured we had a rooster on our hands until the morning I discovered the most beautiful green egg in the egg basket! Green, yes truly a lovely, pale green. Easter eggs without the dye. Peeves started laying faithfully last fall, but then stopped as they often do in the winter. I didn't think anything of it until this spring when everyone else was laying, and I still wasn't getting any green eggs. The kids & I had several of our very own "easter egg" hunts trying to figure out where she was laying - I still don't know. But finally I gave up, and put her in the hay shed with Mary, and "forced" her to use the egg basket in there and have successfully begun collecting green eggs again! Yippee. I hope I get more green layers in this batch of chicks... or maybe even some with blue tints!

More to come soon.

A few of my favorite thing

2010-02-19T22:33:00.000-06:00

I love parties. I love getting dressed up and fixing my home to appear perfect. I love spending days getting ready, and laying out all my favorite dishes, and inviting everyone I know and getting them all together to have a good time. I love fancy! I love friends and family nearby. The first big party I had was when I lived in a 4-plex apartment in South Minneapolis, and had over 60 people come over. I had musical performers, and a dj for dancing in the basement. I had an amazing spread of foods that I had prepared and purchased some great glass pieces for the occasion. It is now a party I have every year about the same time, and the collection of gowns I have from those events now fills my trunk and makes my nieces ask to play dress-up almost the minute they step into my house. It is one of the few occasions I wear make up. (The Olympic ice dancing was just on and I was wishing I had the funds to find something like the gorgeous red dress worn by one of the skaters.) The party has scaled down through the years, but besides the collection of gowns, I have photos, and menus, and lists, and...

I enjoy art. I like taking discovered objects and using them to create shapes. I like using windows or clothes instead of canvas. I love color, and variety, and making people think. I have a degree in graphic design, and I love interesting ads and printed work that makes me stop. Lately I have been all about photography. Except for the "quilt" I am painting for my husband and I to use in our room. I have stacks of artwork, and photos in boxes and bins and cupboards all over my home, and just a few on the walls. I also have bins of paints, and wires, and shiny objects, and...

I treasure physical memories. Those things that remind me of the event. The pamphlet from the play. A note I wrote to my hubby. The first suit and tie my baby boy wore for Easter. The sweetest shirt my baby girl wore her first summer. The school photos from my step son, his artwork, his event programs. Photos and cards received at Christmas and birthdays. Lists, colored sheets, ideas for someday, and...

As a family we love books, and movies, and music, and stuffed animals, and cars. When I tried sorting through the kids room, I came across things I did not want them to give up, and things they did not want to give up, not much actually left their room, or the book shelves, or the movie shelves, or...

Sorting through my home has brought all of these loves back to the front of my mind. I am reminded of what I once enjoyed most, and what I used to be, and who I try to be, and who I thought I would be. In it all I found a bin full of Animaniacs memorabilia and stuffed monkeys. I found a bag of rocks, next to a box of rocks, with a few other rocks nearby. I discovered several bins full of framed photos and several bins full of art and craft supplies. I even found bins that had unopened mail from the many times I needed the house to appear neat, and stuffed things in corners and cupboards and then never saw them again - until now. I have cupboards full of items I do not use, of things I had forgotten about. My china hutch was stuffed full of pretty things, most of which I had found at garage sales or thrift stores. Eclectic assortments of lovely shinny things that I really do not need, nor do I have any strong memory attached to them, but I still try to use them at parties...

There are two ideas I am currently trying to implement in my life. One idea - the simplicity of keeping only what you truly love and treasure - is fueled by a blog called "Simple Mom" and the other idea - debt freedom and financial stability - is from the Financial Peace University CDs with Dave Ramsey. I am implementing both right now. I am trying to make a little money by selling all the stuff that I really do not need or want in my life. Getting rid of things to make time for what I really love. I am trying to do this, but I keep being caught up in the past, and looking in these bins, I'm torn between wanting to remember, and wanting to have less. How many of these things will anyone care about besides me? Could these things be as easily categorized, and remembered with a journal or scrapbook page? I would love to have the time to pause and think these things over with every bin, but I really need to get most of the stuff out for this sale I am holding, this weekend - eeek.

It all leads to the overwhelming fact that I like things. I have so many things, that I have been tangled in the past these last few weeks, and unable to focus on the present.

I really was hoping for something more inspired to blog about the last two weeks. Something to make all of you come back again, but this is me after all. I attack with intensity and then pick up something new, and forget what the last thing was, until I discover it in a box, in the back of my closet.

My month long pantry challenge

2010-02-03T17:41:00.000-06:00

I first read about the pantry challenge at www.gettingaheadblog.com but discovered many other blogs that mentioned it, even one where she had enough in her pantry to live off of for a year - I am a little envious of that. In GettingAhead she seemed to be trying to lower inventory, and get to some of those bottom of the freezer items. I had in the past tried to "eat myself out of house and home" and have tried repeatedly to do that since marriage but hubby was not interested.

We had listened to the first three Dave Ramsey CDs and made our first real budget, and it did not balance of course. We were short by only $300. That amount was an amazing thing for me to see, because as we talked through the budget, we set up line items without setting the balance, we added items in that we'd never planned on before - like car repair, and a monthly amount for propane and Christmas, things we had purchased in the past. It was eye-opening to see on paper; the clear reason we were going deeper into debt each month. I started looking to see what we could cut. There really was not much that we should cut, but it was necessary. We figured we could live without buying clothes for awhile, that we could go a little longer without saving for Christmas. Between the large debt payment minimums and the huge amount I drive to work (1 hour each way, 5 days per week), there wasn't much space left. I cut and I cut and I cut until the only expenditures were absolutely required, and that left only $39 for groceries.

Yes, you saw that right, $39 for a month of groceries for a family of 4 (family of 5 every other weekend). On the Financial Peace cds, he talks about the 4-wall planning. You pay your shelter, food, utilities, and transportation first. I did this budget backwards. I really wanted to keep paying at least the minimum on the unsecured debts. I was not ready yet to give up on my bill paying habits.

Thus began my pantry challenge. We made it with help from many sources. We had donations from friends, we picked up our WIC items, we took home bread from church. Friends who were aware came over and brought us dinner (and leftovers). We made goat cheese from our goat, and bread. Turns out that while a person can not live on bread alone, it does fill in a lot of gaps. We had bread most nights for dinner, and since I have a huge supply in the pantry, canned beans and corn most nights too. Now, I have absolutely no problem eating what we have in the house, on the other hand the husband was frustrated. He's at home during the day while I'm at work. He takes care of and feeds our two children for breakfast & lunch. He has for years had a routine, for breakfast box cereal and milk and raisins, for lunch, bread, lunch meat, and cheese, and 1/2 an apple (or other fruit), and fruit snacks. So when I stopped buying lunch meat because it runs more than $2 per pound, he wasn't sure what to feed the kids any more.

While perhaps not always the most balanced of diets, and not always varied. We made it completely and entirely within the budget. Well, except the required car repair bill which was covered by the bounce protection transfer that occurred last month, so technically no new transfers occurred.

Things I learned. It's good to stock up on things when they are on sale. A whole turkey will last more than a week - and can be fixed a variety of ways so that you don't get bored. It is extremely important to not be too prideful to accept help. It was really hard to be able to say yes to everyone who offered, really hard.

At the same time I am learning to say yes to help, I am learning to say no to extra expenditures. I can now go into Walmart without buying the whole store. I am learning to make lists and stick to them. I am learning to write all our purchases down and rely only on what I have on paper, not on the banks idea of how much money there is. I did trick myself into saving a little money last month by starting my balance sheet over when a new paycheck came in, but also made a few unnecessary purchases.

Our budget is very tight again this month because we are determined to get out of debt. "A borrower is slave to the lender." We did agree to 4 additional budget cuts and rewrote the budget from the top: 4-walls first! Now our grocery budget is $130 for a month. We have been applying for some financial assistance, and food assistance so that we will be able, in the next couple months, to take some good steps forward on our new "financial plan". I guess it is reassuring to see that I really am at an income level which needs assistance. HOWEVER, if I really had just kept to a budget from the beginning, I would not need the assistance. We could make it on our own, I think.

Next steps, "sell so much stuff, the kids thing they are next."

Me vs. sleep continued... or catching Betsy trials

2010-01-22T07:49:00.000-06:00

In case you were wondering, I did go back to bed for an hour. I've been meaning to stop long enough to finish the post I had in mind that morning. However, my life is full and I just haven't found a spare moment to get back to it.

Betsy my milking pygmy goat is one of the smartest and opinionated goats. If she were only smart, she would have realized that by helping me out, she would get to the grain sooner, she would walk calmly into the house every day, maybe even be waiting for me at milking time. If she were only opinionated, I could count on her hunkering down in one space and just have to drag her to the house to milk her. Instead she fights me creatively. I think she is betting against my persistence, I think she knows that one of these mornings I am going to give up. Each day is a new challenge. Friday morning she ran past me from the "barn", out the door, up the hill, around the hay shed, then around the house, then started down the road. Thursday, she allowed me to catch her by luring her with a bucket of grain. The day before that, I had to crawl under the house on my belly to latch on the leash and drag her out. The day before that, the dogs managed to block her in the barn. You get the picture.

I've been chasing her down every day for almost 3 weeks now, and every time I think she has settled into a pattern, she does something new.

One day she will have been fairly cooperative and stayed in the barn and let me catch her - well rephrase that to say, I managed to catch her. Another she will get away from me. I have tried patiently luring her with grain, but just when it looked like she was going to put her head in, our other female butted her out, and she moved away. (Why couldn't it have been Annie in milk right now?!) I jog around after her, I get the dog, let the dog chase her, we go up and down, back and forth, finally blocked in under the stairs, I drag her into the house. She will no longer go under the rabbit hutch, which is the simplest place to catch her - she knows. Katie, my mama dog is not a natural herder. And Betsy, won't be forced to do anything she doesn't want to do. So very often Katie gets butted, and Katie learns to stay back, so Betsy will run for a bit, then turn around and face off with Katie. And getting Henry involved would mean chancing waking the children up - since he sleeps upstairs with them.

Once she's into the house, she'll now jump up onto the milking stand - very helpful - and then turn around backwards. So I drag her around to stand correctly, and get her latched into the head bars. I've tried putting grain and other things out for her so she'll just put her head in the bars herself - nope.

I then give her the grain, wash her teats, test her milk, remove her grain, grab the milking bowl and put the grain back. 80% of the time she stands calmly while I milk her and she munches up her grain. 20% of the time it's a different story. She'll kick, and when I resist that, she'll sit. sometimes even lying down. And even when she's behaving properly I have to be ready, because at some point she'll finish her grain, or just decide I'm done, and make every attempt to spill the milk. I'm getting better at sensing when this is about to occur. I grab the milk bowl, then her grain bucket, and ignore her while I pour the milk into the storage jar (filtered through a coffee filter.) There were a few time I just let her be done when she threw the temper tantrum, but I don't any longer, I really want to make sure I get it all, so she keeps increasing. So I head back under, only at this point she's really grumpy, and I have to either hold her leg or squeeze under her because she's decided to sit again.

Why do I persist? Cheese. I'm currently yielding 1 cup per day. I can make cheese easily with 4 cups and a little vinegar and salt. I have my third batch currently draining and drying in the fridge. Hard earned cheese - it is so very good.

Me vs. Sleep

2010-01-17T07:02:00.000-06:00

I love sleep. Given the opportunity to choose between doing something exciting and a uninterrupted nap, the nap will win most of the time. I also am a night owl. I feel like I can get so much done after 9 or 10pm. Even now as I type, I want nothing more than to crawl back into bed even though I have been up doing farm chores for the last 30 - 60 minutes and am clearly awake. My natural rhythm is to stay up late and sleep in. My life has forced me away from that schedule.

My husband is a drivers ed instructor. He is partially disabled and by our choice, stays home with the kids during the day and works in the evenings. When we moved out here to the country, I had to change my schedule in such a way as to allow him enough time to get to his job. What this has meant is I work 7am - 3pm 5 days per week, and he works 5:30pm - 9:30pm 4 days per week. I have a 1 hour commute, his is 30 minutes. I have to leave my house by 6am to get to the office on time.

I resist life in the mornings. I am not a jump out of bed in the morning kind of girl. I am a hit snooze for at least a half hour every morning, cuddle up next to my warm husband, ignore real life kind of girl. If it were possible to turn off the alarm and just wake up when I'm ready (and not risk the wrath of my boss) I would be the first to sign up! Once out of bed I rush about and run out the door. There has been the occasional morning where I do that in 5 minutes!

Have I mentioned before that we have a little hobby farm?

I have been able to get away with doing farm chores only once per day in the afternoon, usually with my children joining me. My animals have been very obliging and have not seemed to mind only one appearance by me. I bring them fresh water, fill their food dish, bring them table scraps, and check for eggs.

When winter hit it meant a change - I have to stoke the wood stove before leaving for work, and start my car earlier. When we moved our mama dog to the basement with her puppies it meant another change. I had to let her out to potty because if I did not she would whine and bark when I stoked the stove and leave for work. And now I milk a goat...

...to be continued - if I crawl into bed now I can get an hour in before we have to get up to get ready for church.

Milking a Pygmy Goat

2010-01-06T22:03:00.000-06:00

When we bought Betsy & Jimmy, Jimmy was about 3 months old and still nursing. We had difficulty getting anywhere near Betsy unless we captured Jimmy first; and Jimmy wasn't easy either. We didn't have a pen, we didn't have anything in place. We caught her once or twice and tried milking her, but never really pursued it. We thought, give her some time, next batch of babies she'll be much gentler because she'll know us better.

As this winter progressed, hubby was fairly certain she was pregnant again, but I wasn't. Everything I have read so far has said it was impossible to tell if goats were pregnant - you had to plan it so you'd know. Well, her son was the only male she had access to, and they were together for a year during which she didn't get pregnant. Just this week I was surprised to fine two beautiful kids (baby goats) that had died.

Death. I always thought that is was silly to have to intervene with the birth of animals. They're animals, they have instincts... both my dog & cat had babies without complications without my intervention. My chickens managed to hatch some babies without intervention. But yes, there is almost always death with the life. I thought I would get used to that - the death. But still anytime I see another animal, especially a baby, I am saddened and I now understand better why people try to control birth a little more. It is very cold outside in Minnesota - it is definitely not ideal for babies.

All that has led to this, a mother goat without kids but with milk! Eureka! I don't have to worry about taking too much milk from the baby, I can just milk her and not worry... Sites I've read say twice a day, 12 hours apart. My first milking was in our basement where we had brought Betsy to clean her up post birth - I did a few pulls, she struggled, hubby helped hold her. We didn't try long.

We kept her in overnight, and the next day hubby let her out because she was only crying. He didn't try to milk her. That evening I trapped her under the rabbit hutch and tried to milk her again. She kept sitting down, and fighting me. Got a little - mostly dirty from the struggle - gave it to the dogs.

Here begins the comedy that is my life:

Stubborn goat + Inexperienced milker/farmer + creativity = the oddest milking set up ever.

Betsy doesn't like people. All my other goats will eat out of my hand - except her. It's nearly impossible to catch her, and like I mentioned before, I don't have pens. During the winter (post harvest to planting season) they are free range. All my animals currently bed down in the summer kitchen - 3 goats, 1 sheep, 1 turkey, 5 chickens, and 2 rabbits in a hutch. The best way I've discovered to catch Betsy is to give them some corn or oats & while she's eating grab her horns. Then once I've got her horns, I can attach a leash to her collar and drag her places. Yes drag. It is impossible to get her to follow me. Even if I shake corn in front of her, or tempt her with bread, she still won't really walk. So between her horns & the leash I drag her across the snowy, icy yard, up a flight of steep steps into our mud room.

Yes, the mud room. After chasing her around the "barn" and catching her, and trying to get her to behave under the rabbit hutch, but not having enough light, and then trying to get her to stand on some boxes in the corner where there is light, I remembered the one place that was fairly small, contained, and a little warm.

I hooked the leash up, around, and through some nails on the wall, put a plastic coffee can under her bum, and put a jar under her. We struggled, we fought, I pushed and I yelled and I gave her treats to get her to stand still. We got a little more milk - it was 5:30 am. That evening I automatically dragged her to the house. The first difference, I have two monkeys following me around, trying to sled a little, and play while I dragged. Daughter's crying because I haven't waited for her. Hubby's trying to leave for work. I get her in the porch, start gathering things together, Daughter comes in then Son. They can't decide if they want to be inside or out...

I was struggling to keep her still on the porch, the coffee can wasn't tall enough, I was crouching down on the floor - these are really short goats, kids were going in & out, hubby left, dogs were fighting and scaring the goat. I tried one of our kitchen chairs to put her food on, and to tie her to, to try to get her to stay - she got her head stuck and started throwing the chair around. I dragged her into the house and tried getting her to stand on two chairs, having the kids help hold the leash, keeping her on the chairs - she kicked and fought until the two chairs separated and she lost her feet in the gap. I was grumpy, and frustrated.

We went back into the mudroom. We tried a different corner - you usually milk from the right, and I had been doing the left. I put food under her nose, I found a taller pot that fit perfectly under her bum, shoved the chair up behind the pot to keep it in place, managed to get a little more milk. YEAH!

This has been our setup ever since. It's been a week since she lost the babies and I still have to drag her up the hill to the mudroom at 5 am & pm. She's giving more milk and we're getting a little better at the milking. She still fights me if I move away from her, so I push myself up against her body and milk by feel only. I am figuring it out - it's easy to milk now when she's full. I milk a little beyond when she's dry to try to stimulate more. On the fourth day we all sampled it, and then I put some in my coffee, and used the remainder for the irish soda bread we had for dinner. I hope to someday be able to make goat cheese, if I can just get enough. I think I'm getting about 1/3 of a cup per milking now.

Oh, and now that I feel like we've got a rhythm and are figuring it out. I find out a friend is bringing us a milking stand. We'll see how it goes.

Christmas Tree

2009-12-31T11:30:00.000-06:00

If you had been outside my house last night you would have seen the following:

The taking down of the pitiful Christmas Tree. The poor thing was chopped down sometime this last year and left in our yard until we got around to completing the cutting of logs, and piling of branches several months later. It was already 1/2 dead, needles falling off, lopsided, curved trunk. Lately there was a solid carpet beneath it of fallen needles - the husband was done - "out today or else". It was decorated with just what was deemed unbreakable due to cat & dogs & children running next to it's instability. Pitiful, yet lovely in an almost Charlie Brown kind of way!

You would have heard the sadness in children's voices at the ending of the Christmas Tree, and a Mama who agreed that it was too early to be without - after all, more family was coming over on the 2nd for a Christmas Party.

You would have then witnessed the comedy of the Box Elder Branch, followed closely by the comedy of the Willow Branch.

I figured I had found the perfect solution - a branch wouldn't shed like the pine does, it would still hold our ornaments, still fit in our tree stand, still look pretty at night with the lights on it...

The first branch was brought in, and I easily put it up. The kids & I set to work decorating, it was 95% done when Vin decided to put the "necklaces" on - bead garland. He threw it at the tree, and it toppled on top of him. He was fine, no ornaments broke, so I hoisted it back up into place, warning him that we couldn't pull on the tree. I spent the next hour trying everything i could think of to get it to stand up again. I tried just putting it back up, but it kept leaning, and toppling. I tried putting playdough under it, cutting the bottom (3 different times), putting it in a pot of dirt - nothing would keep it up. I broke 2 ornaments, started dinner, sister showed up with my niece to stay the week, got part of dinner on the table, sister got ready to go, finally decided that I needed a different branch. Yes, I know, I should have just given up at this point, and been contented with our "yule log" that was decorated on our dining room table - but I just couldn't! I even undecorated it in case it was unbalanced from the preschool decorating (5 ornaments on one branch). So as my sister left, I went out and found another branch. This one a much lighter willow with what appeared to be a straighter stem.

Well, it had longer branches, and I nearly broke several valuable items trying to pull it from the kitchen to the dining room. I finally pulled it in and started pruning, then sawed down the trunk, and set it in the stand... twice. FINALLY! It was up. Unfortunately at that point I was so frustrated that I wouldn't let the kids help, and warned them repeatedly that they couldn't go anywhere near it.

And as I lay on the sofa, having put the children to bed, stretched out and enjoying the Christmas lights and silence, my husband returns from his work day and I show him proudly how the Christmas tree is gone, and the needles all clean up, and how lovely the new "tree" is, and he says "Why?" ppppbbbbbtttttt! I'm sorry, you're overruled, we want Christmas to last longer!

I love holiday lights & ornaments. Every year it is my one "splurge" to buy myself a fancy ornament. I used to keep them out all year, hanging in my windows, but they were getting in the way of the opening & closing of said windows so I've had to stop except for a few. I even used to have a red, fiber optic tree that I would keep out as my Valentine's tree - but that got "forgotten" in storage when we moved.

I don't like the urgency with which the holiday is packed away until next year - and yes, I am someone who keeps the pretty painted eggs out on display all year as well!

From the bottom and looking up

2009-12-10T09:21:00.000-06:00

I am paying the consequences for my poor choices and mistakes.

1. my attempts at refinancing and consolidating debt have so far failed. (appraisal came back very low in value)
2. my attempts at taking advantage of my high credit limit credit card and transferring balances have failed. (credit card cut my credit limit)
3. my attempts at selling stuff to increase my income have failed. (no one has followed through in purchasing)

On the positive side, I've been able to keep our spending under control - well, except for the day when we had to get the cars repaired, and we didn't have any money to pay for it, so we put it on the credit card. sigh.

When every penny goes to bills. And what little is left is barely enough to cover groceries and gasoline. What do you do? I know the other expenses are going to come, but I just can't find the money to keep any savings around.

This weeks tasks include calling my insurance company to reduce my home insurance rate, calling my county to see if they'll lower my taxes based on the new appraisal, calling credit card companies to see if someone will consolidate and transfer balances. Things I'm considering - dropping our life insurance again or dropping the value, in the grand scheme of things I know it's not a good idea, but for the temporary I only have so many expenses I can cut. I should also try to find all my medical expenses and try to get reimbursed by my HSA card. hmmm. I wonder if there is a time limit on that.

On another positive note, I have not yet exceeded my "Official Holiday Budget" which is supposed to encompass all November & December events and gifts. I need to reevaluate tonight and go shopping tonight too. We have two parties to attend on Saturday, and some ideas of things to purchase at the big T. Also planning on taking V's Birthday Funds to purchase some fun new bedding for his new big bed. Wheee.

I'm getting excited for our Christmas cards to be finished. This year I had the kids write Merry Christmas, and then hold their words while I photographed them in front of our wood pile, and then we'll put them in the black paper with silver marker drawings they've been doing. I can't wait to see them put together.

Other things I'm hoping to do this Christmas: Cookie baking on the 20th. For unexpected gifts, I'd like to put together gift "baskets".

Financial Stress

2009-12-03T14:19:00.000-06:00

I understand money. I've chosen to ignore it for most of a year. Well, not really so much as only let myself be stressed by it twice per month when I sit down to pay the bills. I do periodically sit down and try to make a budget. I do check my bank balance most days to be sure I'm not overdrawn...

All that being said, I've come to the point where I'm tired of living in denile. I HATE DEBT! It is exactly what everyone says, the evil thing that drags you down. I am up to my eyeballs in it. All those things that just couldn't wait, and now I'll be paying on for the next who know how many years.

My major problem is that I am not currently bringing in enough income to cover everything. That is, the normal day to day, expected expenses - no problem. But as is evidenced by the past few months, I don't have any room for unexpected expenses. Not to say I don't expect them, it's just I keep hoping they won't show up. Like car repair. I plan my gasoline and oil changes, but anything beyond that goes on the credit card because i don't have the money for it. Then there are the weeks I forget to pull my $20 allowance, or the husbands, and one of us wants to get something, and it happens a couple times, and without the cash only restriction, it goes above the planned amount, and I find myself $10 short, and another autotransfer of $300 "richer" from my bounce protect loan. So to keep myself from stressing, I leave it there, and end up with another month of debt accrual.

So here is the plan today, I will call my insurance company and try to reduce my homeowners insurance. This will in turn reduce my mortgage! I will also talk to the tax office to see if they'll agree to use the appraisal value for my taxes instead of the tax value. This should reduce taxes, and reduce my mortgage. I've already switched to slower internet, and smaller trash can. I'm trying to remember to turn off electrical sources - but I need to try harder. I did request the electric budget plan - where it's the same amount each month - hopefully that helps a little.

We currently have listed our vehicles online for sale. I am hoping to find somewhere or someone to buy my stuff - whatever that is, so I can increase income a little. I'm pondering a 2nd job, but don't know how we'd fit it into our current schedule, unless I never sleep, or we get childcare - which would most likely cancel out the income.

My refinance didn't come through the way I hoped. Instead it said my home value was WAY lower than expected. Also learned that the lovely government programs don't apply to me either. So I continue on dragging my head and praying for miracles.

The reason for this slump down instead of the last posts positive tone: It's only the 3rd, and I'm already out of money until next weekend, so all my gasoline, and anything else we need has to come off the credit cards. No way around it because I didn't get to evaluating the autopay bills in time to stop any of them from clearing my account, and ended up over budget.

Ain't life grand.

My attempts at getting out of debt

2009-11-19T12:41:00.000-06:00

I try to limit weekly spending to $40. Hubby & I each get $20 at the beginning of the week to spend on whatever we want/need. Since I'm the primary grocery girl, I tend to spend mine on weekly grocery deals.

When it comes to groceries, I limit myself to 1. things we need (don't have a suitable substitute for). 2. if it isn't on the list, it better be the best deal ever. 3. I try to never buy meat for more than $2 per pound (still working on a suitable substitute to my hubby's desire to give kids lunchmeat every day for lunch - still working on several of his daily "needs"). 4. As often as possible, I take advantage of store weekly deals & coupons.

This week at Cub I picked up:
4 boxes of phili cream cheese .88 each - not a usual purchase, but i adore cheesecake and want to try to make it again.
2 boxes of butter .98 each - we are a butter only family, so any time it goes under 2.50 a pound I buy a bunch and keep it in the freezer.
6 cans of beans/corn .37 each - when rinsed thoroughly its a tollerable substitute to fresh veggies.
2 bags of marshmallows - son's birthday request includes a fire breathing dragon to roast marshmallows at.
1 can of coffee - great deal at 3.98 - we're daily pot of coffee people
2 5lb bags of potatoes at .68 each - wow
2 cans cranberries .98 each
2 bags stuffing 1.48 each - we like to use this for fish breading & mixing with eggs

I plan on making a second trip this week to get several more of the above items, as well as their great deal on the .39 per pound turkey. Yipee! if only I had a big freezer i could stock up and get several.

I always check, even when something looks like a good deal, to see if it really is cheaper by checking the price per ounce price on the store displays. I'm not brand oriented, so whichever is cheapest is usually what I get.

I'm currently just paying minimums on my credit cards because I'm hoping to refinance and consolidate some debts to help us get from under this load. As soon as the consolidation/refinance go through, I plan on doing some balance transfer deals to get the rest of my debt onto one card so i can get it paid down quicker.

Other things: I'm working at filling out "energy assistance" paperwork. I took the kids off my insurance and will add them to MN Care after 4 months (1/2 the cost of what I was paying). I also have been approved for Alina's medical assistance program to cover all other med costs!

Things still to do: figure out other ways to reduce our bills - like adjust our insurance to be lower (higher deductibles and other adjustments) - use less electric & more wood heat...

I've set a holiday budget (thanksgiving & christmas) at $200. This is really low considering last year I spent that much on my name draw family and I'm hoping to add in the thanksgiving party & vin's birthday into the mix!! Let's see how i do :)

I'm feeling fairly comfortable with things this week, but I'm between checks and can't spend anything until the hubby's check clears this weekend - however, according to my sheet i shouldn't need to spend anything except the money to grocery trip reload & turkey.

As sad as it sounds, I'm pleased to say I've been 24 days without credit card assistance!

One step forward!

Numbers

2009-06-08T14:39:00.002-05:00

There are certain number that make me stressed out! Primarily budgets, income vs. outflow. And let me tell you, we are in the red almost every month. This makes me very cranky, because last august, after the sale of our home, and purchase of this home, our ONLY debt was the house. sigh. Then there was this list of things we NEEDED, and the list of things we wanted, and the list of things that just couldn't wait. Here we are again up to our noses in ugly debt. Drowning in it. And I can't seem to get a grip on it. In the past, we've gotten bad, but I've always been able to figure it out, get us back on track, set up the budget. This time, I just get stressed out!

So I keep reading the blogs I love about budgeting, and read the schemes on making money on the internet, and keep checking the job ads for that perfect pay me millions to stay home and play with my kids job... and still can't make ends meet.

But those faces in the photo make me long to live simply, and rightly. I want to teach them the value of hard work, and budgets, and savings! I want them to live in a way that they understand how to save for something they need or want - instead of just getting it! The economy doesn't make it much better. My usual route of consolidating to one low interest credit card or refinancing my mortgage to include the debt seems to be stymied as well. It's time to figure it out. We are drowning, but somehow, we will get through this. We didn't get into debt overnight (although it feels that way) so I guess it will take at least twice as long to get out (maybe even 10 times as long). So it is here and now that I will say again, I want to live debt free. I want to live on a budget. I want to stop spending!

Step 1 I have read is to track spending and come up with a budget - I'll try to do that before I post again. And I'll also try to post the blog links that i'm reading now, as well as the websites I'm visiting.

Thanks for your support!

My many hats

2009-06-05T13:39:00.001-05:00

Accountant Hat:
I am an accounting assistant for this year's conference. I am working with FilemakerPro. It is our database. We have in the past sent out invoices from it, but generally we send them out one person at a time. Well, having learned a little more about reporting this year, I included a grand total at the bottom of my invoices! Invoice 6000 has 3 attendees on it referenced with a school district PO#123456. The invoice itself lists one attendee's detail, with a subtotal at the bottom, I think included a sheet listing all the people included with that invoice. Well, I had one schools district who sent 10 attendees on 5 POs, and two without PO numbers. Their invoice says one invoice per PO. So I wrote up Invoice 6001 on PO 123457 with one attendee at $10, and invoice 6002 on PO 123458 with three attendees at $30, etc. I sent the 6 invoices, with their 5 POs and a list of all their attendees which included that PO number and Invoice number. Well, they sent back a check with their own PO numbers listed, but only paid for one attendee on each PO/invoice. When I called to clarify, she said it was because my invoices listed two amounts, and I didn't include a po number. sigh. They are not my only payee, yet so far, no one else has been confused with my system. Despite this set back I have managed to so far collect on 1/3 of my invoicees!

Photography, renaissance, mama hat:
In today's photo is Lily during the 2007 season playing with the wood blocks provided by the lovely panini's after parade. This will be her last year with this dress. Actually, it might not even make it - it just fits her now. So we are seeking out the next phase of her costume. We have to find some way to keep her in a hoop (as long as she'll allow it). She is my hoop baby after all!

Mama hat:
Since we first moved into our new home Vincente has periodically mentioned wanting the phone port in his room removed. I pulled the port itself, but kept the small white wire curled against itself in the hole in the baseboard. Vincente wasn't quite satisfied with it, and I kept forgetting to check with Seth to see if we needed it. The other night I discovered why he keeps bringing up the silly cord that sticks out of the wall. It is a "scary". (The kids don't usually have monsters that scare them, they have Scaries. Monsters we generally like! Well, as Lily puts it, we like the little monsters, not the big ones, because the little ones sleep with us, but the big ones don't always want to go to sleep.) Seth got to be the hero this time, and remembered to ask Vincente about it, and removed it! Now all is well in Vincetne's room!

Plans

2009-06-03T11:16:00.001-05:00

Katie & Henry. Our pretty black lab mix dogs. Mother & (we think) father of our 7 cute puppies.

We were originally thinking we might keep one puppy, however, with money where it is, we are planning on sending off all 7 to new homes. We have two people coming Saturday to pick which ones will be theirs. Yippee. At four weeks old, the puppies are playful and starting to try out soft puppy food. I'm also working on beginning potty training. I'm hoping to get the porch rearranged soon so that the puppies have more space to play and also to get them some fun chew toys.

Husband & I spent quite a bit of time last night talking about plans. Daughter's birthday party plans, and money matters. I'm getting very excited to put on a Tea Party for my little girl. She's turning three and declares that anytime she or I wear a skirt or dress we're princesses. She loves butterflies, flowers, kitties, and puppies!

One of those days

2009-06-01T21:09:00.001-05:00

Ever have one of those days where you just
want to go back to bed and start over?

I made the mistake of stepping onto the scale this morning out of curiosity. I haven't been on the scale for months, and I knew I had gained a little. It's just so horrible how much those numbers can change the flavour of the day. I try so hard to not let my size, my weight, affect me. I don't want my kids growing up taking on my skewed perspectives on myself. I want them to love themselves for themselves. So the scale is officially being banished from my home! We can weigh in at the doctor's annual visit.

After the lovely numbers this morning, I was faced with a day of more numbers. Accounting. Piles of numbers that just make less and less sense as I try to sort them out. It's the conference wrap up stuff. Numbers that have been taking way too much time to go through. Things that seem like they went so smoothly every other year for the usual accounting staff. grumble. I've tried so hard to keep things in order, only when requested of me, I feel like I have to start back at the beginning.

And then, to my joy, this is the evening I promised my husband I would get our budget in place. Great timing on my part. Although, right now I'm pretending that it isn't on the to do list. Internet diversions abound!

I have been reading several blogs all having to do with budgeting, money, and living simply. It is my goal. I'll post the links once I figure out how. I'm also seeking out alternative income sources. I can add adverts to this blog, and get paid every time you click on it. I am trying to take occasional survey's that are supposed to make me money. And finally, there is the sale of things in my home, as in, puppies, eggs, clothes, candles, arts stuffs.

About the puppies. Weighed one of them today - 4.5lbs. 7 cute little bundles of wiggles, tongues, and mini barks. Adorable all. It's going to be so hard to let them go. I'm really hoping to have them all spoken for in the next couple weeks, so that it's easier to give them up! They're almost 4 weeks old now.

5/29 - Jacob as his own grandpa

2009-05-29T22:45:00.001-05:00

My 13 year old - looking like he's someone's grandpa. This photo is not as creepy as it was seeing him for real. They sure do grow up fast. giggle.

I've been thinking lately about how long I've known Seth & Jacob. How much our lives have changed, how much we've grown. Seth & I were married 5 years ago - Jacob was 8 then. I actually don't remember how long I've known him, it always seems he's been part of my life.

I'm very proud of the young man he's becoming. He is gentle and kind. He is polite, and still remains able to be playful. That is something we try so hard at, giving him the chance to just be a kid as often as possible. He's smart, cute, and kind - some girl is going to be so lucky to get him *when he's 50 - cuz there will be no girls until then!!!!

May 8, 2009 - Puppy Love

2009-05-28T12:18:00.001-05:00

On May 6th, 2009 our dog Katie gave birth to 7 puppies. 3 girls, 4 boys. The two most distinctive ones are shown in the foreground of this photo. After telling our 13 year old about their birth, he said we should name them: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. These are of course temporary names :). Monday, also known as Panda is at the bottom of the pile here. Also in the foreground is Sunday, who looks like a St. Bernard. She has cycled through several names including: Bailey, Bernie, Lucy... She's the current favorite of many puppy-gazers. The current plan is to keep them until they are 8-10 weeks old and then send them to their new homes (small rehoming fee applies). They are black lab mix. 5 of them have only small amounts of white. If you know of someone looking for a puppy, let us know asap, we'd like to assign them homes before the kids get too attached.

Mother's Day, May 10, 2009

2009-05-27T12:42:00.001-05:00

We moved into our home on August 1, 2008. When we moved in the grass was 2-3 feet high everywhere. There were daisies, and lilies all over the place in what we figured was an overgrown field. Instead, this spring, we were overjoyed to discover cement paths encircling perennial gardens. We still haven't fully unearthed everything. So far we've watched daffodils, iris, tulip, and lilies of the valley bloom. We are watching pansies, roses, and lilacs pop up everwhere. And patches of lilies like you've never seen before. And all of this - in MY yard.

The kids were more than happy to run around the path at my request. They're wearing "Sunday Clothes". Lily's dress we found at Kohl's on clearance. I love having kids to play dress-up with. Although, Vincente picked out the outfit on this particular day - he loves wearing his bow-tie!

A week of multiplication

2008-10-17T10:12:00.001-05:00

I have been sitting anxiously this week awaiting the arrival of 8. I don't know how that 8 will arrive, but I've assumed it will happen.

At the beginning of August we closed on our new home. A beautiful house built in 1924 with all the original woodwork, built in hutch, leaded windows, crystal chandelier - plus it's on almost 10 acres of land! (My husband and I have always dreamed of a hobby farm and bed and breakfast and artist retreat.)

Being in a proactive mood I decided I better start investing in building our farm. We have 4 chickens from our city chicken flock and wanted more so I looked at Murray McMurray to see what was inexpensive. They have a minimum order of 25 chickens and then they offer a free exotic chick in addition. So I ordered 26 of whatever they had available. It is one of the least expensive groups and makes for a fun guessing game of what breed will you grow up to be. Obviously it was slightly compulsive of me since we live in central Minnesota and it gets cold! So on September 26th our 26 babies arrived. They spent their first week in the house in a large cardboard box with a heat lamp. If you've never seen or held baby chicks in their first week, you are missing out. They are soooo cute, cuddly, and curious. Well, I guess that started the multiplication although I figgured that one silly purchase of farm animals was enough until spring.

Before we purchased it, our home had sat empty for a year and before that it had had renters off and on since 2003. Because of its past, we have had to fight hard against a damp basement, occasional bats, an infestation (mostly outdoors) of wasps, asian ladybug beetles (unfortunately indoors), boxelder bugs, and mice. My understanding is that the best defense against mice is a cat. Despite my slight allergy to cat fur, I agreed when my husband called to tell me a friend of ours was bringing an abandoned cat to us.

I am a big fan of craigslist and frequently search their farm animal section to see if we can get sheep or goats or other things we need. My husband is fond of pulling up listings of things he likes such as vehicles, farm equipment, etc. On the day we had been told once again that the cat would be coming out, he was showing me listings for dogs in the area, free to a good home or with low rehoming fees. I didn't think anything of it, because we often spoke of things we might want to get from craigslist. An hour or so later, he informs me that Midnight is coming to the house to meet us. I assume that must be the name of the cat. I don't question further.