Just Another Day

Today is Tuesday. Just an average day.

When I thought I'd write, I was planning to focus on how many different (figurative ) hats I wore today. But then I thought, no, this was not an average day. This was an exceptional day.

It was exceptional because we had an awesome morning. Like I didn't think MY kids were capable of getting out the door so peacefully and efficiently. 

Nobody cried, not even me. 

Everybody had all their stuff, including a slice of pumpkin bread and a cup of milk (coffee for mom) to eat on the way.

We were on time.

Nobody cut me off in the school drop off line. 

The guy behind me didn't even flip me off for stopping in the middle of the street to avoid a family of squirrels involved in a heated domestic dispute. Maybe he was watching them with a grin too.

I had time to run a few quick errands and take a short, but brisk walk around the block before starting my workday.

I figured out how to solve a problem that I've been dealing with for two days at work, with help from my boss, but we got it done.

We ate dinner before 8 pm. And it wasn't cold cereal.

Both kids got all their homework done.  Not the easiest task in the world. And they're only in elementary school, Lord help me when they get to high school!

One kid got a bath.

Backpacks are ready, the coffee pot is set to wake me up in the morning and the laundry is folded.

Kids are tucked into bed. Time for the Mister to take one of his 45 minute showers and wash off the grease and grit of the day. Time for this mama to put her feet up with a warm cup of apple cinnamon tea and a book.

Maybe I'll even finish this book so I can return it to the friend I borrowed it from. It has been a good read.  Different than I was expecting, but worth reading. 

I know I will sleep well tonight.

Here's to ordinary yet exceptional days. :)

Why I Can't Stop Canning

Caution: Seriousness Ahead.

If you know me or follow me on any social media, you know that I am a pretty enthusiastic canner.  I take a lot of kidding and funny looks from people when I say that I canned_______.  You know that half smile "ok crazy lady" look.  I'm sure people wonder what my deal is.  Well, here is my deal. (And no it's not that I'm preparing for the grid to go down.)

Number one, I enjoy canning.  Plain and simple.  I like the ping of jars sealing.  It is one of the most empowering feelings there is.  You might think that's a stretch, but let me explain.  For every jar of applesauce/jam/pickles/meat/beans etc. that seals, that is one less thing I have to buy with my hard earned money.  No, canning isn't free.  No, it isn't always the cheapest way to get a can of peaches.  But, if you compare apples to apples and look for a glass jar of all natural, (mostly) organic produce with no chemicals in it, then it is tons cheaper.

Number two, I am not so sure about all the so-called safe preservatives in commercially processed food.  If I buy a can of peaches for example, I want a container of fruit preserved with a bit of sugar in water.  I do not want High Fructose Corn Syrup or aspartame or any other currently hip sweetener.  I'll take sugar please.  Either from US grown sugarcane or more locally, sugar beets.  I know what that is and where it comes from.  Yes, I know this is a bit OCD and yes sometimes I curse the day I started reading labels and researching ingredients.

Number three, and here's where the real seriousness comes in, knowing that there is a pantry stocked with a full variety of vegetables, fruits and proteins is very comforting to me.  Several years ago, my husband lost his job.  About the time the economy went in the toilet, the company he worked for sold out to a global manufacturer and that meant downsizing (even though they said that everything would continue as before).  I was pregnant with our son.  It was December.  Up until this point, we had never gone through any seriously hard times.  We were not prepared for how much our world would change if we didn't have that paycheck coming in.  It effected us in every possible way.  No, we didn't lose our house or our cars or anything that scary.  But we had to take a long hard look at our life and cut everywhere we possibly could.  This is not an uncommon story.  At that time, we believed that this was a short term setback and in six months everything would be fine.  Well, it has been six years and we are not back to where we were before in financial terms.  We are slowly gaining ground, but we still have a ways to go.  

One thing we discovered during that time is that all the government programs that are supposed to be there as a safety net when one suffers a catastrophic job loss were not available to us.  

There was no funding for him to go to school and learn a new trade, it was the wrong time of year and all the funding had been used up. 

 There was no medical assistance for us because I have a job that offers medical coverage (never mind that it cost 30% of my gross wages to cover all of us).  

There was no food assistance because I was still working and earning more than the state poverty guideline for our family size (by $100 a month, not counting the aforementioned massive deduction for health insurance).  

We got WIC to cover formula for our baby and a small amount of assistance with daycare.  That was it.  Nothing even close to the amount that theoretically would be available to a family in need.  

The government didn't do jack squat for us.  We were on our own.  I felt so defeated and vowed never to be there again.  

After having survived that experience, we know that it could happen again in a minute.  I could go to work today and find out that my job no longer exists.  And with it would go the bulk of our income and our access to medical care.  Am I paranoid? Maybe.  Am I changed because of this life experience?  You bet.  

Ultimately, all we can do is keep chipping away at the debt we took on and work to not need to take on more if history repeats itself.  We fix what we have, make what we can and buy what we have to.  And yes, we occasionally go out for pizza.

So, yes I can.  I'm eternally grateful to the wonderful people who have shared their knowledge with me.  And I'm willing to teach anybody who shows any interest whatsoever.

I think I Might Be A Hippie

Isn't this a neat daisy?  It is 2 stems & blooms fused and growing together.

Spring is finally here in all of its rainy, blustery glory.  We've had lots and lots of gray days lately, but we've also had a few beautiful sunny days.  Sunny days are not to be squandered indoors.  That said, its been mud boots on and everybody outside as much as possible.

My snappy purple flowered mud boots.  Good for tromping.

Being outside means that I am giving the chickens and rabbits a little extra care, getting gardens ready to go and hanging laundry out on the line.  The first load of wash went out to dry in the breeze yesterday. Line dried sheets, my favorite!

Saturday's eggs in a pretty blue bowl. 

Yesterday Matt built me a cold frame YAY!!!  I have been dreaming about one of these babies for YEARS.  He just has to hinge the roof and put it on and then watch out.  My trays of dirt are just waiting to have spinach, kale and leaf lettuce in them and under glass. (Hippie clue #1, I want to grow kale. in a cold frame.)

Last week, our local grocery store had tons of fresh produce on sale.  I stocked the fridge with fresh button mushrooms, cilantro, spring onions, red, yellow and orange bell peppers, cucumbers and carrots.  To be cooking with fresh ingredients is just so pretty and enjoyable to me.  Its really kind of ridiculous how excited I got to make a big pan of eggs scrambled with fresh mushrooms, tiny chopped spring onions, red peppers and ham.  Even more laughable is that the next night I used all those same vegetables plus some julienne cut carrots in a saute with kielbasa and served it over couscous.  I've never made couscous before and it has kind of an exotic/earthy feel to it for me.  (Hippie clue #2, I'm all jazzed over fresh veggies and tiny pasta.)

My couscous/sausage/veggie concoction with some of my canned peaches from last fall.

Recently, I ordered a few essential oils.  Just a handful of small bottles that seemed to be the most common.  I've used them a little bit so far, but not much.  I read that lavender oil and lemon oil are good for chapped skin, so I mixed some up with coconut oil and put it on my face hoping to get rid of a dry patch by my eye.  And, I made some bedtime bath salts for the kids.  We are big fans of "salt baths" around here. (Hippie clue #3, I am collecting essential oils.)

My tiny collection of essential oils.  I'm pretty excited about these babies.

I'm really trying to be mindful of what I put into my home.  I try to buy the best quality food with the fewest ingredients as I can.  I'm also pretty picky about cleaning products and plastics.  I almost solely use glass food storage, plant-based cleaners, cloth napkins and non-paper plates/cups.  I was proud of myself for finding a deal on granola cereal at the store last week.  They also had a smokin' deal on pudding cups.  I have not purchased these things in years.  The kids have never had them before.  I thought oh what a fun treat for Natalie's lunch and bought four packages.  Then after I got them home I started to panic that I bought my children tiny bowls of poison.  I got over it and let them eat it, but probably won't buy it again.  (Hippie clues #4, 5 & 6 Plastic is pretty much banished from my kitchen. I bought granola cereal on purpose.  And pudding made me panic.)

Have no fear, I'm not going to stop shaving my legs or anything like that.  I have found as I have gotten older that I am very interested in the way our bodies respond to chemicals.  I also like the challenge in finding out just how many things I can do for myself.  Living in the country means that we can't run to the store for every little thing.  I mean, I could, but then I'd just spend a lot of time driving which completely defeats the purpose.  Hence, the quest to find what can we do on our own and what basic ingredients/tools will be most useful to us.  So, I guess there's worse things.  I'm ok with being a little out there...

Its Been a Long Time

So, its been a while since I have tended my little blog.  The thing is this:  I have had a lot of heavy things on my mind and have not come to any conclusions yet.  I feel like I need to have the problem worked out and answered in order to write about it for it to be of any use to anybody.  So, I've written nothing.  Maybe I'll just set those things aside for now and think about something else...

It has been a long cold winter.  We've spent far too much time indoors and watched way too much TV. We finally had enough on a few mildly blustery days and bundled up and went out anyway. (These pictures are from early January) 

Spring is on its way and will be here soon.  I know this because I bought garden seeds today. Yay :)

Lately I have had some opportunity to spend some time with my nieces and nephews and it has been wonderful.  

My oldest nephew is in middle school and is on their archery team.  He's a great kid and I recently was able to attend the tournament that his school hosted.  He even sat by me while he was waiting for his time to shoot and we got some good visiting in.  He loves to read and was telling me about some books that will change my life, like the Harry Potter series.  After he was all done shooting, we went out for lunch.  Just the two of us.  It was a grand day.

My youngest niece got baptized yesterday.  It was such a special day for all of us.  Even though she was sick with a cold, she was awake and interested in everything going on.  Mostly I think she wanted to go for a swim in the baptismal font.  After the ceremony, we went out for brunch as a family and had a little celebration for her.  There is just something so peaceful and magical about seeing a baby baptized and I am so glad that I got to be there to witness it.  

Soon, the weather will be warmer, there will be green grass and flowers where there is now only snow and there will be a lot more to write about.

Until then,

Happy Monday!

Why I'm With Phil

Every time I go online, there's another blurb about Phil Robertson and will "Duck Dynasty" survive after his scandalous interview with GQ Magazine.  Our family does watch this show.  We love this show.  It has no swearing, no nudity, and frankly, we identify with the goofy redneck characters.  That said, if I were in the Robertson family right now, I'd be hard pressed to want to continue with the show.

Here's why.  The article that started this whole mess was written by someone who clearly does not respect their beliefs.  I can say that positively just because of how many swear words are in the article.  Now, those words didn't offend me and I can see where the author was trying to be funny, but that kind of language is strictly forbidden in their family and on the show.  Who knows what was written that is out of context?

The whole thing is a train wreck.  First of all, let's take a southern Evangelical Christian and ask him point blank what he considers to be a sin.  Then let's make some leaps from there about what he "really means" by his statements.  And by all means, let's not draw any attention to his bottom line, that no matter what sins anybody is committing, we all need to love each other.

That is where I think the magazine and leftist media is missing the point.  Every denomination of Christianity has a different idea of what constitutes sin.  If we didn't then we'd all be Catholics.  His personal religious beliefs of what is a sin are not uncommon.  Are they 100% accurate? I don't know.  I am not theologically educated enough to make that call.  Even if I was, there would be a line of equally educated people waiting to disagree with me.  The two things all Christians believe is that we are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves and that we are all created in the image of God and therefore are all worthy of love.

That is the point I feel he is trying to make and why I agree with him.  Beyond the Ten Commandments, definitions of sin get a little sketchy for me.  I really hope I'm not going to burn for eternity because I cut my hair and wear pants.  I'm pretty sure that the Lord has bigger fish to fry with all of us.  

I believe that we are all created by God.  That said, who am I to say that He didn't make people homosexual?  I  know that I could not call myself a Christian and knowingly mistreat someone who is different than me.  God loves us all. Period.  What happens when we leave this earth is anybody's guess.  I believe in heaven and that's what I'm shooting for.  Will I make it?  That's up to Him.

I do not completely agree with Phil's definition of sinful behavior, but I do believe strongly that this is what it boils down to: we are never to judge someone on who's going to heaven or to hell.  That is the Lord's job.  We are just supposed to love each other and let God sort it all out later.  The world would be a better place if we all treated each other better.

Looking Ahead

As we get nearer to Christmas, I start looking ahead to what comes next.  I love Christmas and all the cozy things that go with it.  Winter feels warmer in the month of December.  I have no meteorological evidence of this, it just seems that way because everybody is in a good mood and there are smells of yummy food and pine everywhere.

Then comes January.  All the warm coziness of the holidays and their decorations get packed up for another year.  As much as I love decorating for the holidays, I equally enjoy the putting away of all the extra stuff in the house.  Everything feels clean and tidy, especially after all the Christmas presents find homes and get put away.  

In January, my oven gets a break.  There is nothing left to can, no cookies to bake.  I can just enjoy the quiet of winter.  I fully intend to get some reading done and practice knitting some more.  I'd like to actually complete something, even if it is only a dish cloth.

I am not a big "New Year's Resolution" person.  I think one can make a change at any time with no need to wait for the new year to begin.  However, I do have some things to work on starting with January.  More because it is a new month than because it is a new year though.  I am looking forward to getting my household budget back on track.  I have really slacked off on this and it shows.  

I am going to get myself set up with a day planner and keep track of which bills are due when and pay them all on time every single month.  This may lead to some tight(er) weeks, but it will be worth it to have the peace of mind that everything is taken care of.

This year has not been a bad one overall.  Things have mostly gone smoothly in my everyday life.  However, I always get excited for a new year to come and wonder what lies ahead.

Wishing you peace, prosperity and good health in 2013.

Getting Big

We recently celebrated Natalie's SIXTH birthday.  People often say that it seems like only yesterday that their children were babies.  I don't feel that way with Natalie.  It feels like she has been with us forever.  Honestly, it's hard to remember life before she came along.  

Newborn Natalie

We had her parent/teacher conference last night and were very proud of her progress.  Her teacher says that she is very detailed and tells great stories at sharing time.  Miss Carlson said that Natalie is well on her way to mastering everything she needs to know by the end of the year.

Natalie at 6 years old

She is very happy to be six years old.  Being six, she is old enough to go to school on the bus.  She is learning to spell and read.  She is making new friends, but still prefers to hang out with her original gang of kids.

Natalie & friends having snacks at her party

Natalie & her bunny cake

An innocent enough looking line of kids waiting for turns at the pinata

Innocent no more.  They are all scrambling for parts
of the newly dismembered paper mache burro and his contents.

We had a very simple party and she was thrilled.  She had her friends, a bunny cake and a pinata full of lollipops.  What more could a girl ask for?

I'm a Pretty Lucky Gal

Its funny how it is far more acceptable to talk about how much one's husband annoys them or does irritating things than it is to say that one's husband is a good man or a good father.  I have done my share of griping over the years but I just have to say that I married a really nice guy and I think I love him more now than I did almost 13 years ago when we got married.  

Occasionally someone will say to me that I do way too much for him.  Maybe to some people it looks that way, but he does so much for us too.  Things that maybe don't always get mentioned in the day to day small talk of "what did you do last night" type conversations.  There are many things I have learned to appreciate about him over the years.  

Teaching Joey to operate the garden tiller

Helping Natalie reel in a fish

He's a very patient teacher.  I knew this when he spent hours with me in our little boat teaching me fishing techniques while we were dating.  He has never lost patience with me or the kids when teaching one of us anything, like letting Joey help till the garden or letting the kids take turns driving the boat, even when they turn us around in crazy loops all over the lake.

Building with Joey

He's very handy.  I don't think I could calculate the thousands of dollars we have saved over the years by him doing almost all of our mechanical repairs.  This is not just oil changes on the car either.  I couldn't help but admire the way he just jumped in and tore apart our sewer system last week when the pump went out.  This was a nasty job, but he did it.  Took all the pipes apart pulled the pump up, got new parts and put it all back together.  This was in the evenings after long days at work and it was not a pretty job to do.  But he did it and he never complained.  And he saved us about $500.

Turning the sharp corners under on th roof of the rabbit hutch so the kids don't get hurt

He is always busy.  This man doesn't sit down until the days work is done.  He is always doing something.  Sometimes I have a hard time determining exactly what he's doing out in that garage of his, but if I ask, he'll show me an actual project that he did, like hanging shelves or making something for one of the kids.  This summer, he spent an entire weekend in the steamy 90 degree heat building a hutch for the rabbits that the kids were dying to get.

He is very tidy.  Since we live in a small house, this means a lot.  He likes things to be orderly just as much as   I do.  Occasionally I find socks lying at the end of the couch where he stretches out at the day's end and have to hunt for the tv remote in the morning, but not often.  He is our chief vacuum operator, and does a way better job at it than I do.

In return for all that he does for our family, yes I make his coffee (almost) every morning, bake his favorite treats and try to have things in order at home when I get there before him.

Does this mean that we have never had a fight?  No.  We have had our share of hard times and growing pains as our relationship has developed over this past 15 years.  What I am saying is that we both do the work to keep our friendship and our marriage going.  And so, maybe I do a few extra things for him.  He does a few extra things for me too, like tilling that garden that he couldn't care less about.  I'm quite certain that nobody ever got divorced because after a decade of marriage, their spouse appreciated them too much.

Some Thoughts on Finding Balance

After our afternoon of berry picking last week, there was quite a bit of jam to be made.  The next evening when I got home from work, I made a quick dinner and set to work.  The next day at work, my co-workers were all surprised that I could work until 6 pm, stop at the store on my way home and still get roughly a gallon of jam made.  

The purpose of this post is not to brag about how I'm such a fantastic domestic engineer that I can get home from my job set a colorful, delicious home cooked from scratch meal on the table, clean up, bathe children read them stories and have them tucked into bed just at the first stars come out.  In case you actually believe that, let me know.  You can be the president of my fan club.

The reality of making jam on a weeknight is this: my family ate frozen pizzas for dinner, Matt entertained the kids while I sanitized jars and got the ingredients all ready.  We tag teamed baths, settled them down in front of their favorite TV show and I got jam cooking.  We tucked the kids into bed in between batches, then I returned to the kitchen.  At around 10:30, I finished up and shut the lights off on what my dad refers to as a "jam session".

The moral of the story is this.  For everything you do, there is a trade off.  I chose to feed my family essentially a fast food dinner in order to make our year's worth of raspberry jam.  I can't stand store bought jelly any more.  It all tastes like melted candy to me.  This is the choice I made on that day.  In a perfect world, I would have a nice home cooked meal on the table for my family every night, I would never get behind on laundry or forget to pay a bill.  However, in the real world, sometimes we eat pizza or fish sticks so mom and dad can get whatever task completed in the short space of an evening (sometimes we just eat sandwiches and go fishing too).

I do things I feel are important for my family.  Clearly, homemade jam is not a priority for the majority of people, otherwise there wouldn't be 89 different kinds at the grocery store.  I prefer to make as many things as I can.  That's just me.  Maybe that's not you.  That's ok.  We all do the best we can.  I learn new techniques from others in my community and Pinterest, lots of Pinterest.  Sometimes they work out for us, sometimes they don't.  I don't sweat it.  Ok, sometimes I do, but I try not to.  I want my kids to have happy memories of their childhood like the smell of homemade jam, their dad teaching them how to run the garden tiller, our family taking our little boat out to see what's biting.  In order to do that, I stay up late when I have to, let them eat cereal for supper once in a while and occasionally go to daycare in their jammies.

As parents we make so many decisions every single day that it can get overwhelming.  We're all flying by the seat of our pants here.  If somebody tells you they have it all together and are on top of everything, they are either lying or drinking heavily, maybe both.