Naturally Simple

Oh my! You have to check this out!

2011-08-12T16:39:00.000-06:00

Just a little reminder that I am now blogging over in my new digs!

Im Naturally Simple

Come take a look! Same ole' me but a few new faces too that help to spice things up a bit. Can't wait to see you!

Check out my new blog!!!

2011-07-21T10:12:00.002-06:00

Come and check me out in my new digs!

I'm Naturally Simple.

Join my facebook page!!

I'm Naturally Simple Facebook

And if you are into it, come read my stimulating Tweets!!

imNatSimple

:) Cant wait to see all of you on the new blog!!

Putting by

2011-07-13T15:24:00.001-06:00

Holiday camping- Yellowstone Park

2011-07-07T10:22:00.000-06:00

To celebrate the 4th of July we packed up the kiddos and headed to the mountains for a little R&R. We met some our favorite friends and proceeded to have a chaotic ball. It was great, seven kids under 8, good food, good friends, and fantastic scenery. It really was the perfect weekend. I still smell like campfire, sunscreen and bug spray, I think its my new pheromone. At least that's what I am telling myself since it seems to be embedded in every single pore on my body.

Anyway we spent most of our time in Island Park, ID with a very hot day spent in Yellowstone National Park. It was wonderful. We all walked away with sunburns, bug bites, and enough s'mores in our stomachs to float us home. I love vacation time!

::The air was FILLED to the brim with pollen, really the sky had a yellow haze, that coated my camera lens making a lot of these pics pretty grainy looking. Just a heads up!::

{The colors found in Yellowstone are unlike anything else. Breathtaking!}

{Bacteria mixing with the high thermal heat make some pretty shocking color displays.}

{Old Faithful in full splendor}

{Pulled Pork sandwiches that were perfect. Cast iron is great and BBQ sauce is my love.}

{Ahhh aren't we just a cute pair of love birds..}

{Lou and her fishing pole. The girls world was completed when she received that.}

{The passel of children that accompanied us, listening to the park ranger talk to us about natures mosquito repellent....pollen. It coats their wings and they can't fly, it also coats the water so the mosquitoes can't hatch. Brilliant! Can you tell Ian had a little visit in the pit from said little bug?}

{Beauty is everywhere!}

{Remember when Smokey the Bear was so awesome? The kids got to meet him and they thought it was the coolest thing on the planet. The learned the real story of Smokey, earned a few prizes, and got to say cheese with the bear.}

The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays. The smells, laughter, friends and of course food. I am so thankful for the freedoms we have here in this country.

Bugs, Bugs, Bugs

2011-06-26T21:59:00.001-06:00

I don't post about the kids school work much anymore but it really does happen. Everyday in fact, even in the summer. The last few weeks we have spent raising ladybugs and Painted Lady butterflies. The kids loved it! The checked every single day to find out what was changing. The morning we woke to 5 full butterflies was priceless. The squeals of delight were heard around the neighborhood.

Grocery Bags

2011-06-25T18:49:00.007-06:00

I have been wanting to make the switch to re-usable grocery bags for years now. I used re-usable produce bags for a while until they met an untimely fate, but grocery bags have never made the cross over. This month I told myself it was time. I had a pattern, fabric and time to make them. No more excuses. So the other day I decided it was time to get on the ball. Cailtin and I whipped our 3 bags in a short amount of time. We used them when we picked up our CSA share and I have to say I am sold! They are so awesome!

So here in the next week or so I will be whipping up a bunch of these bags and the produce bags and stocking my long neglected etsy shop. I have a few other ideas in the works but I think baby steps are best right now. Let me know if you want a new bag all for your self! :)

Veggies are grand!

2011-06-24T21:49:00.000-06:00

You knew it was coming. It's that time of year where I go on and on about vegetables. Well it has finally arrived (a month later than normal!) and I have to say it is just grand. The garden space is doing well and with the warm temps we've had is quickly being over run my weeds. if only I believed in spraying poison all over our food, it sure would make weeding easier. This weekend will be spent weeding and getting a killer sun burn (not on purpose of course, it just happens that way.)

{Spinach of some variety. I picked it a little late but the flavor is still yummy.}

{Rainbow chard. These took a while to get going but now they are beautiful! I cant wait to harvest and enjoy!}

{Purple cabbage}

{TONS of cilantro. It has just grown where ever it wants. I didn't plant it, neither did the last two renters here. Its a mystery that I am very thankful for. I see a lot of cilantro pear smoothies in my future. Don't knock it until you try it!}

And since this is a veggie post I will share with you our first basket from a local (sort of) CSA. We joined Cosmic Apple Gardens last month. We received our first share today. It was a little sparse because of the crazy cool spring we have had, but sun is in the forecast so things will be looking up next week and the coming weeks. I am so excited to be part of a CSA this year. I think the concept is awesome! I love knowing where my food comes from, knowing the farmers and actually getting the profits to the farmers. How awesome is that! Now you may be wondering why we have signed up since I do garden and quiet a bit. This year my goal is to use the CSA as our daily fresh vegetables and use the gardens bounty to put up for the winter. This will be our first year self employed and well I think its going to be a little rough. Preparedness is my motto this summer. I have already sourced all the fresh fruits we can eat and now the veggies are taken care of. Meat is just waiting for us to pick it up and we will be set! Woot.

Anyway here is a pic of a few things we got in our share tonight: radishes, basil and chives.

Here is to a yummy veggie filled weekend!

Father of mine

2011-06-19T22:18:00.000-06:00

I am my dads favorite kid....no really its true....he tells me that all the time, although he does say it with a smirk and often after I have done or said something incredibly awesome....hmm I wont linger on that one too long. Anyway my dad is awesome, a pain in the butt to be sure, but an incredibly awesome guy none the less. He was a hippy and a musician of the late 70's/early 80's. He plays guitar and bass and was part of band for a long long time. Once I was born I was toted to and from gigs and band practice. I have few memories of my dad without music. To me they are one in the same.

{The Sour Mash Band 1981ish}

My dad instilled a love of music in me and my siblings. We all have wide and varied taste ranging from Joan Baez, The Eagles and Joan Jett to Norah Jones and Lady Gaga. I personally like to thrown in a bit of classical (Moonlight Sonata anyone?) and opera (shhh don't tell dad that one!). Dads guitar was a permanent fixture in our home. When he grabbed it and sat down, more often than not you would find at least a couple of us perched at his feet. We often got the privilege of singing Old Ben Lucas and were serenaded with the likes of Frank Zappas "Muffin Man" or "Yellow Snow".

{1983, the morning my lil brother was born}

Dad had a large collection of records that I would thumb through when I was bored. Elton John, The Beetles, Frank Zappa.....the collection was big and wonderful. The album covers were vivid and colorful but I always would check out the back to see if Dad had ever played their songs. I loved it when I would find one that he played regularly.

My dad still plays the guitar and bass, still plays in a band and still goes to coffee shop gigs. His tastes in music haven't changed, but he has added Jack Johnson, HEM, and others to the mix. He loves Cowboy Junkies and if he could he would run away with the lead singer Margo. I still can't separate music from my dad, and more often than not, I will turn on the MP3 player and pick a little something to listen too and think "Man, dad would love/hate this..." One day I will get him to appreciate Dave Matthews Band, until then I be thankful that my dad felt music so deeply that he was able to share it with us and let us breath it in. Music is part of my life and part of my family. Thanks dad.

{Just a couple years ago at a Balloon Festival in Utah.}

Notes to me

2011-06-10T15:45:00.000-06:00

Dear 10 yo me,
You are fantastic. You are great and you are wonderful how you are. Stop thinking you look chubby in your hand-me-down swim suit and just play. Quit worrying about boys, they will be there in a few years. Always stop and think before making a decision, some choices will impact you for the rest of your life.

Always read, laugh, and try to remember the good times for it will be years before you are easily able to find any. There are some bumpy years ahead, keep your feet on the ground and you'll come out just fine.

Love, Me

Dear 15 yo me,
Oh my, its okay to lay off the drama queen role. Things are tough, unbearable at times for sure, but you can and will make it through. You will be okay, and while life is not close to what you thought it would be, you will be fine, maybe even better for it. Stay calm in the face of chaos. One day you will be able to put all this behind you and even forgive. Just keep breathing. Be a good friend to those around you for many of them will stay with you for a lifetime. Pray.

Love, Me

Dear 20 yo me,
Oh how life has surprised you! Life is good and great but put the past behind. Don't worry and fret so much. You are special and wonderful. Your heart may hurt right now but use it to grow. You will have the choice to let this moment define you and change you. Let it change you, learn from it, grow. You have so much waiting for you. Be thankful for all that you have been given. Stop being stubborn
Love, Me

I wanted to write myself a letter today, something to set aside to read at 40 but nothing is coming. So instead I have written a list of things I have learned over the last 29 years. On the eve of my 30th birthday I am feeling pretty thankful for this life I have been given. I have come through things I thought would kill me and others that have filled me with more happiness then I though possible. Here is to another fantastic decade full of love and growth.

*Nothing is ever set in stone.

*Even those you love can/will let you down.

*Forgiveness and acceptance are the two hardest things to do, especially when it comes to those you love.

*French fries taste fantastic dipped ice cream.

*You can never have too much faith.

*Laughter is the best medicine, no matter what life throws your way!

*Friendship is the most powerful blessing in this world.

*A true friend is a light in the darkness.

*All topping combos you can think of taste great on a saltine cracker.

*Love is a gift.

*You cannot have love where disrespect exists. They go hand in hand.

*We are always stronger than we think.

*Always be prepared, especially when skinny dipping.

*A good influence can start at any age and leave a lasting impact on a life.

*Even black sheep can find a flock they are at home in.

*Reading is never a waste of time.

*There are always exceptions to the rules.

*Dean Koontz is the only author I have ever put in the "waste of time category".

*Always tell someone you love them, you never know when they will be gone for good.

*Flowers always make you a little happier.

*Prayer always works, even if we don't want the results.

*A shaking skateboard means abandon ship!

*Some people are gifted with a twisted sense of humor, call them when you really need a pick me up.

*Pain is always funnier when it isn't yours.

*Laugh at your pain, it really does make you feel better.

*Parents are not perfect, they are just as flawed as the rest of us.

*Some of the most hilarious moments are also the most awkward.

*No matter whose fart it is, people blush and giggle.

*Never remove your Grandmas wig even if you do want to show a friend that she is in fact bald from cancer.

*Saying Kraft Jett Puffed Marshmallows a million times a million ways will always bring a smile to your face.

*High school may be fun but it is not the highlight of life.

*Its the small things in life that are the most beautiful.

*Surprise yourself, you never know what good can come of it.

*There is nothing like a baby in your arms, hold tight but not to tight, just love them!

*Never, ever think you can pull off a short hair cut, no matter how cool everyone else looks (see photo above for proof of this!). Curly hair is much different than straight!

Wacky Weather

2011-06-01T12:29:00.000-06:00

Monday brought a hail storm with temperatures in the low 40's

Today brought glorious sunshine and temps in the 60's (at 7am).

What an incredible week

2011-05-27T16:47:00.000-06:00

Ever had one of those weeks where everything seems to go just how you wish/want it to? That was my week. It was beautiful. My heart is full of love for the incredible little people who live in the house. What huge changes we have seen in each of them over the last few months. I wake up every single day thankful for this life I have been given, for the husband that still make my heart pitter pat, for the kids who show me what love is every single day. Today I feel blessed to call this my life.

Owl Pellet Science Day

2011-05-24T08:23:00.000-06:00

I admit I am one of those girls who get a total kick out of dissecting things. I was truly bummed when I didn't get the opportunity to dissect in high school biology. I find it all fascinating! So when the kids were studying animal classification, habitats, food chain and the like it was only natural that I head over to Home Science Tools and grab an owl pellet dissecting kit. The kids were totally excited to check it out and see what was what. They had a ball and when we were done they asked if I could order then some more. :) You bet.

Hope you have a discovery filled day! :)

Homemade Butter in the Food Processor

2011-05-21T09:11:00.000-06:00

I bought cream the other day from a local(ish) dairy with the intent to make butter. Oh boy did it make butter. So. Incredible. A small note here, I didn't plan on making this a tutorial so there are some pictures missing. If you have any questions please leave me a comment.

{I started with cold cream from the fridge and my food processor. Pour the cream in (I used a pint) and turn it on. Within a minute or two whipped cream begins to form. Keep it running. Soon the cream gets really thick.}

{ The cream become so thick it won't even fall off the spoon! Keep processing it. Soon the cream will separate from the buttermilk and become clumpy. Keep going until the clumps are stiffly compacted. I don't have a pic of this step! When you take the lid off you will see the buttermilk on the bottom and chunks of light yellow butter all over. The chunks should be the consistency of a thick cream cheese. They need to have substance because you will be kneading in water next.}

{Here is my butter in the foreground. After you achieve the thick clumps drain the buttermilk from the chunks. Save the buttermilk if you wish. Transfer all the butter clumps to a bowl and form into a mass. Pour cold water over the butter and begin folding the butter over itself and pressing against the sides of the bowl. This removes the buttermilk and prevents spoiling. Drain out the water and pour fresh water over butter. Continue kneading and rinsing until the water runs clear.}

{Once the water is clear drain the butter one last time. Knead for a few seconds to makes sure that all the buttermilk has been removed. Add salt to taste if desired approx 1/2 tsp is average. Knead to mix in salt}

{Place butter on a piece of wax paper. Roll to shape into a log form if desired. Place in the fridge to harden.}

This was such an easy way to making butter. I tried years ago using a jar and a marble and it did not go well! Caitlin was so pleased with this project she exclaimed "That is so easy I could do that myself!" And she could, it really is that simple.

The butter turns out fantastic with a wonderful flavor.

Happy Butter Making.

Little bits of country

2011-05-19T13:21:00.002-06:00

{It's no secret that I am longing for the country. While my hoppin' town of 3k is hardly big, I still feel stuck in the middle of a lot of houses. Every night I look out my window and I look right into the neighbors kitchen and bathroom. While I like my neighbors I don't really want them that close. I have been a bit down in the mouth as of late so last night I went searching for the little bits of country that I have right here in my own backyard. This little barn red storage shed makes me smile. I pretend its a huge empty barn and there are no neighbors 6 feet behind it. Okay I dont really pretend that.... anyway its just the right amount of country for me today. The hoses hang on the backside with an old wood pile underneath. The paint is peeling and the setting sun peeks around just so. It may not be in the middle of no where but for today it will do.}

The incredible edible...pizza

2011-05-18T12:00:00.001-06:00

Last week I was craving pizza. I originally wanted veggie pizza loaded with olives, zucchini, peppers, onions, tomatoes, the works. And then, I remembered my kiddos and the fact that while they will eat veggie pizza they no longer do so enthusiastically. So I made this pizza instead.

Oh.My.Word.

There are no words, it was that incredible. In fact the topping was so incredible that I had to stop myself from eating the whole pan. Seriously.

{Sausage, onions, peppers, garlic and zucchini}

{Green olives are one of my fav pizza ingredients. In fact my fav pizza ever is mushroom and green olives. Oh my word. Mmm good stuff.}

{Homemade pizza sauce, homemade crust and mozzerella cheese make the filling all the more wonderful.}

{Goodness on a plate.}

It's okay you can moan out loud, it really was that good.

Veggie Green is Beautiful

2011-05-17T20:41:00.000-06:00

Before we get to the main course of veggies lets take a moment to stop and smell the flowers. LOL lame I know. Anyway.....one of the benefits to moving in early spring is you are just in time to see all the surprises that have been hiding under ground all winter. My front flower bed is filled with tulips and lillies. Tulips of all varieties and is so many wonderful colors.

Along the fence there are Johnny Jump Ups. They are everywhere and next to the cedar fence, they look just little more refreshing and happy.

Ahh now my favorite thing in the world, vegetables (and a few strawberry plants). The kids and I stopped at a local nursery to check out the goodies. Oh the smells in that greenhouse made me feel wonderful. We picked up an entire wagon full of veggies plus onion sets and wall 'o waters.

{Cilantro, cabbage, brussel sprouts, peppers, and strawberries}

{Sweet Pea starts in the kitchen window. These make me think of my grandma and every time I see them I can smell her fresh laundry. It was a great smell!}

{Cucumber, pumpkins and cabbage. These sad little things are the reason I was at the nursery today. Next year I must have a green house!}

{Purple cabbage leaves are some of my favorites. Such a pretty color and texture.}

{Rainbow chard is a new one for me. We have never grown it but a goal for us this season is to increase the amount of greens we grow and eat. So we begin with chard.}

{Red onions. I plan to dehydrate a lot of onions this year for later use in cooking. I really like how last years onions turned out and am excited to try them again.}

The table is covered in little plants and the room smells like burned broccoli (oops!) and dirt. Minus the broccoli it smells heavenly.

Planting begins tomorrow.

The garden has begun

2011-05-13T17:58:00.000-06:00

With temperatures reaching the near 70's (Gasp!) and the glorious absence of rain and/or snow we were finally able to get outside and dig in the dirt a bit. We managed to plant greens, lettuces, peas, potatoes, broccoli raab (a new one for us!), carrots, and parsnips. 18 varities of veggies in the ground. I feel so productive and hopeful.

The girls made a few quick homemade signs to mark our rows. These lasted only until we turned the water on. At least we know where everything is. :)

On a side not a year or so ago my sister let me know about a gardening community online. I joined but haven't used the services yet. Yesterday after the big plant I decided to log in and actually use it. If you are interested in meeting up with other gardeners in your zone from around the world check it out. Folia

They have a lot of great things like seeds swaps, journals, planting tracker, etc. Its pretty cool.

I hope your weekend finds you enjoying the sun, family, friends, and if you are lucky a tasty BBQ to boot!

Starting from seeds

2011-05-06T23:32:00.000-06:00

Last weeks to-do list had "start seeds" at the very top. I knew I was starting them late but its such a tradition, a comfort and relaxation tool for myself, that I knew I had to start them no matter what. Ian was having a very hard day being the only boy in our estrogen ocean. So what boy doesn't want a little dirt play? Ian helped to plant a couple flats of seeds, ranging from jalapenos to watermelon. He was pleased as punch.

The seeds have been hanging out in the window (above are the seeds soaking for 24hrs before planting) waiting in the sunlight for germination. So far, only the cabbage has peeked its head out of the dirt. I am hopeful that I will see more green soon but still have a back up plan to visit the nursery this year. One day I will get the hang of this, won't move during planting/harvesting season, and will finally get the fantastic crop I dream of. Someday.

Sunshiney Easter Morning

2011-05-06T10:15:00.000-06:00

Dune Jumping: v. the act of propelling ones self off the edge of a very tall vertical sand dune, for entertainment.

Easter morning found us with a sick baby, a frazzled and irrational mom, and a beautiful blue sky. Dean took the 3 kids to church while I stayed home to rock the baby and cook a delish dinner. After dinner the sun was calling our names and we headed out.

With no plan in mind we found ourselves at the sand dunes. I introduced the kiddos to the joy of dune jumping and we had a blast basking in the sun and sand. I almost felt like I was in a beach vacation, almost, except I was in the sage brush ocean.

It was a perfectly lovely day.

{Although there are pics of me demonstrating how to properly dune jump, Dean by far get better air and lands with a much bigger sand plume. It was entertaining to watch.)

{Laina wasn't quite sure what to do with all this....stuff....sticking to her everywhere.}

{Always empty yer boots before headin' out.}

{Caitlin understood why I said jump with your mouth closed! She spit sand for a good 5 minutes.}

Paint Day

2011-05-05T16:47:00.002-06:00

Our first week in this house it decided to snow. The kids wanted to get of the house but all the winter items were still packed. So out came the paint. The kids painted us two large pictures for our bedroom wall. They insisted that they must go on our wall. So up they went and it makes my day to walk in there.

This weeks goals

2011-04-27T15:44:00.000-06:00

First I would like it known that I have not forgotten about my yearly goals. I have been plugging away on them quietly behind the scenes. I will soon share some of the projects that I have been working on but not yet.

So this weeks goals are simple, and yes I realize that I am starting in the middle of the week. I plan to wrap them up by Saturday night.

1. MUST. START. SEEDS. I can not put this off any longer or I will be paying outlandish amounts for a bunch of plants raised in commerical steroids. Just not my cupa tea.

2. Tackle the garage, where I hope to find the camera cable and charger so I may take and upload pictures again.

3. Take a huge heaping pile o'crap to the thrift store for donation. Really I am tired of extra stuff. If its been in a box for more than a month it needs to leave this residence. Really.

4. Schedule Caitlin for Math tutoring. Poor kid has inherited my math brain. It takes hours to pound a concept into her head, and well I am tired of pounding. A change of scene is much needed for her.

5. Make our room beautiful. We ignore our room compared to the rest of the house. It is just a place to crash at the end of the night. It functional but nothing else. I need to change the room up a bit and make it feel more relaxing.

6. Weed out the 4 wonderful (established) flower beds around the house. I want to see whats there and think about what to plant.

7. Relax. LOL that may sound crazy but organizing and gardening are my favorite ways to relax and yet still "do" something.

Here we are

2011-04-22T15:26:00.000-06:00

I haven't mentioned much lately about our life. Partly because it has been a roller coaster yet again. Well not really but nearly. We moved in late February to a cute little country home on 2.5 acres. It was just a rental but we had free regin of the property if we so desired. However after a really long 4 weeks we found out the well was contaminated and was making all of us, the kids mostly, very sick. Laina and Lauren ended up in urgent care more than once. The whole things was exhausting and sad. The kids lost LOTS of weight and looked sickly.

{Sometimes the best place to sleep is on the bathroom floor when your feeling crummy!}

We were desperately searching for something that would fit our family and be as inexpensive as possible. Nothing worked out. We were outbid (for lack of better word/phrase) on 4 different rentals in the course of 3 days. Finally we moved to my old hometown. My sister moved to GA and this left her home available. We moved in last weekend and I have to say it has been the most mellow and least bathroom oriented week since we moved!
The kids have acclimated fairly well, although they do still check with us concerning the waters drinkability. Poor kids are scarred for life. Rest assured the water here is safe and so is our families health.
The new house is cute but rather far from the office and in town. You can't win 'em all though. We are minutes from the gorgeous snake river, a short(ish) drive from West Yellowstone National Park and Mesa Falls, and near lots of old friends. Overall the move has been good but I will admit that I am already dreaming of being in the country again someday.

The garden plot here is huge, which of course makes me dance the happy dance. I have a list of seeds I need to pick up, sort season crops that I am out of, and a list of seed starting dates. I would have loved to have been on the ball and started seeds already but it just wasn't in the cards. So this weekend I will go browse the nurseries, play in the potting soil, rake and shovel to my hearts content, and be thankful for it every moment.

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

This Moment

2011-04-15T09:41:00.000-06:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Have a fantastic weekend everyone!

Spring will be here soon...

2011-04-05T10:08:00.000-06:00

By this time every year I am wrapped up in garden talk, thoughts, and plans. I usually stand outside and just breath the life in the air. I anxiously wait for the tender green to poke its way out of the cold ground and I carefully watch and rejoice in the leaf buds gradually becoming full on the trees.

This year is a weird exception. We have changed gardening zones so things move a little slower here, not by much, but still noticeable. The weather most often is still to cold to really enjoy, even those long deep breaths are a little to cold for the lungs. Every once in a while the sun will peak through the clouds and throw sunshine on the wood floors. Sometimes the wind will slow and you can finally smell the promise but it only lasts a brief moment and it is gone.

Most often you will still find our family playing and laughing in the house. The kids run through a million times a day and I just try to get through. The piano is using going on full volume with Laina at the keyboard and bouncing on the floor. We spend time as a family and I desperately wish for alone time some days. We spend lots of time reading, solo and together and we spend a lot of time eating.

We have joined Bountiful Baskets and have been enjoying lots of fresh produce (well as fresh as it can be when its flown from Mexico!). Once the growing season get in full swing the produce will come from our local area. Oh how I look forward to real fresh food. Sunday our family enjoyed a mouth watering Strawberry Shortcake. Oh my, it was a little slice of heaven and for a brief moment I felt like it was June and eating sun ripened berries.

Have a great day!

Happy Happy Birthday!

2011-03-27T20:18:00.001-06:00

March is a big month for us. We have 2 birthdays only 5 days apart. The kids love this and we usually are all hopped up on sugar for a good week straight! This year Lauren was sick on her birthday. She spent most of the day sleeping or crying. She was not a happy camper. So against everything we belive in, we decided to celebrate both Ian and Laurens birthday on the same day. We were babysitting some good friends of ours kids so it was a built in party. Everyone had a blast, no one puked, and everyone waited till the next day to resume being sick. Success!

Nutritional Healing- Endometriosis part 3

2011-03-26T19:45:00.002-06:00

The other night my grandma called to share her experience with Endometriosis (and a funny line about a playground, thanks for that Grandma I've had a few good chuckles over that one!). She reads my blog and therefore has read my other healing posts about Endo. She basically said that Endo is a disease, you can't get rid of it and you can't heal it with food. This is true so I thought I would expound a bit if anyone else is under the impression that you can cure yourself.

Endo is a disease that most Dr.'s don't even understand . The nature of the disease is something that does not fit into a regular pattern as it varies drastically from woman to woman. No one is sure why it happens to some and not to others even within the same family. Because of the erratic nature of Endo, there isn't one thing that works 100% of the time for 100% of women. Because Endo deals with an overgrowth of cells you can eradicate it or even guess where it will move next (some women have Endo on their lungs because it has traveled from the pelvis upward!). When diagnosing Endo there are two main groups of advice you are given once you are diagnosed. First, laproscopy or hysterectomy. This advice is generally used for those who have severe Endo. The second group (and one I belong in) is cope, get by as best you can for as long as you can. This is what many women choose to do because they may want children or do not want to take hormone therapy.

For me the choice was a little trickier. My choice is not as black and white (though I wish it were). Unlike many other sufferers I do not have endo (that we know of) on my uterus, it is predominately on my left ovary and bowel. They figure the Endo spread through one of my 4 c-section as I did not have issues prior to pregnancy (although that may not be the case, speculation at this point). Anyway because it is not more contained to my reproductive organs a hysterectomy is not really a good idea. If I were to remove my ovary, the Endo on my bowel would still spread, most likely the a wild fire, after the surgery. At this point the coping option is my best option. Because I am very against medicine, especially hormones, taking birth control to control my monthly cycles is out of the question. I also am not a pain pill popper. I do take it when absolutely necessary but I usually have to be crying before I resort to it. I am a firm believer that if our bodies are in good condition, fed nutrient dense natural foods and if we exercise regularly, we can usually handle what comes our way. This is why I have chosen to cope by being proactive in my diet and exercise.

For me this has been a great blessing. This month is the first month since October that I have not been in horrible pain. In fact this is the first month that I have not spent 2 days writhing in pain in bed. This is the first month that I have been able to walk, laugh, cough, sneeze or bounce since last October. I will carry this disease with me till the day I die but I refuse to let it control my life (even just couple days of the month!).

I attribute these changes to my diet and to chiropractics. I have been going to the Chiropractor since the first of March, multiple times a week, and I feel incredible. The normal pelvic pain is gone and cramps lasted 30 minutes! I am not the only one who has had positive results with this treatment (although my treatment is for other issues). Check out these links for more information. I encourage anyone dealing with Endo to be proactive in their care. If you are in the hysterectomy group, educate yourselves on the entire process and life afterward. If you are in the cope group, educate yourself about all the options for leading a full, healthy and pain free life. There are always other options than popping a Tylenol, check them out! And if you are so inclined head to the Chiropractor, its amazing!

Out the back door

2011-03-25T19:45:00.000-06:00

{The beautiful girls that would have started laying anytime had they made it through the first 2 weeks. The speckled one now lives about a mile down the road on a very pastoral setting surrounded by trees. She caught a ride in my brothers truck and jumped out when she saw fit. I have a feeling she isn't coming back}

{I just loved the color of this picture.}

{We live in an old house that was the original house built on this homestead 3 generations ago. On the property are quiet a few old buildings. This is the old chicken coop built on the back of the main barn.}

{We have a few old posts and gates still left from the corralls.}

{We have lots of leaning fences here. Some with assorted colors of moss and others without. Either way I am a fan of leaning fences and will take many pictures.}

We're in business

2011-03-17T20:43:00.000-06:00

WOW! What a week it has been! We moved to our new town a few weeks ago to work for a friend in their carpet cleaning business. With some sudden twists and turns we signed papers yesterday and we now own the business! :)

What a change this is for us but we are looking forward to it. Times are a little tight right now as it is still winter here however the phones have slowly started picking up. So if you have the mind to, keep us in your prayers/thoughts. This is a big under taking and we can use all the help we can get! :)

And if you happen to be in Southeast Idaho, ring us (or comment), well cut you a deal! ;)

Next task: Learn to multi-task answering phones, gardening, homeschooling, and sewing. Something tells me this will be a sharp learning curve!

Winter in the house

2011-03-16T16:05:00.000-06:00

{Hard at work...}

{Playing superman}

{Laina is always on tip-toes....it's easier to climb this way.}

Nutritional Healing- Endometriosis Part 2

2011-03-06T20:23:00.000-07:00

As I posted last month in this post I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out what to do nutritionally for Endo. I have continued to read medical journals, holistic information, and as much "been there done that" info as I can.
Two weeks ago I was again laid up because of the Endo. The great thing about it though? I was only down for 1 day, that's it! I took pain killer that one day but after that nothing was needed. The pain was still there but it was much more tolerable. Even the kids mentioned how much better I was this time around.

So what have I done differently between January and February? Vegetables. TONS of them. With every single lunch and dinner I would pile on a plateful of salad, double up on carrot sticks, eat and apple and a half instead of just one (yes I know that example is a fruit), etc. I ditched all dairy except an occasional piece of dye free cheese and Greek yogurt. I stopped eating lunch meats completely and cut any meat portions in half with the exception of Salmon. I made sure that every single morning started with a protein/fiber filled breakfast. Fiber is essential, even more than normally recommended! (Even if you think you don't need more, you do!)
Now I am a vegetable lover and even at my lowest point of vegetable interest I still eat a lot more than the SAD (standard American diet). I think it is important to make vegetables the key point in all meals. Stuff an omelet with mushrooms, spinach, peppers and onions. Eat a loaded veggie sandwich for lunch with vegetable sticks and a V-8 and then dine on a veggie taco instead of a shredded beef burrito.

Next step in healing endo? I am adding chiropractic care this month and exercise. Chiropractic care? Yup. I injured my back this last week and after 2 sessions symptoms like bloating disappeared. Was it circumstantial? Could have been but if it is going to help then I am going to do it! The back injury was partly caused by poor ab muscles. This month is ab month at my house! For the next 4 weeks I am going to be working on exercising every single day, twice a day. In the morning will be a cardio workout to burn extra fat (which causes estrogen levels to rise) and night will be a Pilates stretch routine that will help keep muscles flexible and limber. Exercising releases endorphins with act as natural pain killers, the more you exercise (within reason obviously) the happier you are and theoretically the less pain you should feel. How that will equate with Endo I am not sure.

So until next month you know my plan. I will post again in about 5 weeks and share with you any changes/ideas that have happened. For those of you who have found your way to my blog because you are looking for nutritional healing please let a comment or become a follower. The more information we can share regarding Endo and healing the better off we all will be.

Here's to a pain free week and lots of veggie love! :)

Homeschooling Changes

2011-03-05T07:00:00.001-07:00

I have blogged about our education choices briefly in the past. For whatever reason the topic is not something I normally put on the blog. This last year has been an up and down one for us as most of you know. That includes the kids school work. I have been torn on exactly what to do. I am a classical homeschooler, it is the method that speaks to my hyper-organized left brain. I like the preciseness, the chronology and the rigor of it. It speaks to my heart. However it does not fit with my child(ren) at least not the way I want to implement it.

I have spent months mulling it over in my head, weighing, pondering, and praying about the coming school year. I have spent weeks on end watching the kids and really noticing the how and whys of their actions, thoughts, and interest level in school. After much consideration I have (temporarily) jumped the classical ship. I plan to head back that way come 5th grade or so (just in time for the beginning of a new 4yr rotation) but for now we need to relax, laugh and have more fun.

What did I go with? Well besides all the issues regarding the kids, I also wanted something that I just didn't have to think about and plan out every single day. I wanted it all grab and go with lesson plans already done for me. So we went with Sonlight.

We went with the customizable Yr 1 package and the customizable Yr 3. We stuck with Horizons math for Ian but switched to Saxon for Caitlin. I do not like Saxon math for reasons I can not put my finger on but Caitlin thrives on it. So who cares what I think, she learns better with it. I added in a few things like Explode the Code for both kids plus Wordly Wise, Sequential Spelling, and a couple of other things to beef up the language arts program. Caitlin will be learning Latin and both kids will play around with typing and Spanish. I feel so much better about next year and I have to say I have never been so excited to see lesson plans in my life!

We also found out we have an amazing homeschooling co-op here. WOOT WOOT! I am so excited to join the group next year. (They work on a semester base with the last class in 6 weeks).

This Moment

2011-03-04T07:00:00.001-07:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Transition

2011-03-03T11:30:00.000-07:00

Well we made it. We made it to the new house and have settled in just fine. Nearly all of the house is unpacked, fresh bread has been made, and lost chickens have been returned. The last week has been interesting and fun, with more than a few surprises along the way.

{Night before the big move. Barely more than tip toe room around the boxes.}

The vans transmission went out 3 days before move day. Needless to say the panic started to creep in a bit. In the end though all worked out just fine. We were able to find a great mechanic, a new transmission, and the money to pay for it all! We also had some really great friends lend us their car so we could still move.

On moving day I messed my back up to the point that I could not walk. I found a great chiropractor on Monday who set me to rights and life is much better. Who knew how much you actually bend over until you can no longer do it!

{The new front froom all picked up and tidy. There are a few things that I want to do in this room but for now its great.}

Day 1 in the new house brought vistitors. The neighbors brought over some yummy cookies to welcome us to the neighborhood. They also brought their dog, who promptly chased and killed 3 of our chickens. That night he came back and ran all but 1 of the chickens off. Slowly but surely the chickens have found their way back. We now are only missing 2.

All is well and we are settled in right nicely. We like the house with its quirky wavy old floors and its fantastic large windows. The house is surrounded by trees which make my heart beat a flutter. There are 2 barns out back that just call for my camera. Under all the snow I am sure I will find many more surprises.

{View from the front door. Still a few things to set to rights here but its coming along quiet well.}

{Laurens new bed came from Grandmas house. She adores it and I have to say paired with and estate sale quilt its perfectly Lauren.}

Life is good.

A New Day

2011-02-20T18:37:00.000-07:00

Odd how life changes quicker than we can blink and yet still stay the same. Today is Sunday, the day I sit around reading blogs listening to the kids play with Dean. The house is a mess, dinner still hasn't been put away, and Laina is banging on the piano. All is well and right in our little world yet it isn't the same as it was before. Something has changed and I can't even put a finger on it. Life here is good and for the first time in a long time less stressful.

We move this week to a new town and a new house. Dean will begin a new job and I will be meeting new homeschooling families. I will also have my first job as a food photographer. Things have opened up and honestly we have been blessed with more than we thought was possible. We have new challenges before us but for some reason they are not as daunting as they were even last week. Maybe its the change in weather, after all Spring is poking its head up here and there, in brief hints of color and smells. Maybe its the new changes are going to see. I think the real change has been in me though. The last few months have taught me more about myself than any other time in my life. So much has become crystal clear and for the first time in a long time I feel like I can breath. Not so much because our situation has finally changed but because I have changed. Some where in me the control freak has lost a little of her power and I am finally learning to relax, a piece of the worrier has gone to rest forever, and the ever present grasp of anxiety has been replaced with a sense of calm. I haven't done much to achieve this new state, well at least it doesn't appear that I have, but in the end I have just let go and learned to have Faith. Faith in what it is I believe and Faith in myself.

This is a new leaf for me and one I am sure won't be easy but I look forward to it. I look forward to so many of the changes that are happening in our life. I look forward to the new friendships we all will be able to have and for the old ones that we will be able to rekindle. I look forward to learning new things for our family and about of new area. Really at this point in time I am just looking forward.

I challenge all of you to find a few things you are grateful for this week, have the faith to let something go and take a moment to look forward.

Wishing you all a fantastic weekend.

Roasted Minced Garlic

2011-02-10T19:14:00.001-07:00

Dinner tonight began as just a small little project I wanted to try out. It quickly became an endeavor that lasted most of the day. I had a jar of pre-minced garlic that I bought in a moment of weakness. It just didn't have the yummy taste that real garlic has. I had quite a bit left and honestly I just wanted it gone. A quick google search showed that most people don't have a nasty bottle of garlic that needs to be used now. So I decided to wing it myself and roast the whole bottle. (I never tackle projects on a minor scale!).

First I drained the garlic, then spread it in two pie plates in a think layer. Then I poured olive oil over the garlic and stirred it up. Then I stuck it in an oven that was preheated at 350. It took while before I started to see browning and I am assuming this is because it was previously packed in water. However once the browning started it went pretty quick. However every time I opened the oven only the edges were browning. I stirred each pan to distribute it all. This didn't work as well as I liked.

In the end I removed the garlic from the pie plates and placed it on a parchment lined pizza pan. This worked great! The garlic came out nicely roasted and oh-so-pretty. I will say that the taste still sucked but since it was the same flavor the garlic had before roasting I know it was just the garlic.

The good news it you CAN roast minced garlic and it works fantastic. So give it a try.

{Garlic in the pie pans before adding Olive oil.}

So the garlic then inspired the loaf of bread above. I wanted a crunchy dense French bread and I wanted it in whole wheat. And by whole wheat I mean Whole Wheat. No white flour, just wheat. So I went to work throwing together a little flour, oil, yeast and water. I set the loaf to the side to rise. It doubled in less than an hour, unheard of in my wheat baking kitchen. I shaped it, sliced the top, brushed with butter and sprinkled with Parmesan and set it to rise again. It doubled in 15 min.

I tossed the loaf in the oven, threw in a cup of water to create steam and shut the oven. The resulting loaf was a shock. I was going for thick, crusty and dense. Instead I got light, airy, moist and a lightly crusty crust. It was very good just not what I was going for. :)

So then I found myself naturally going towards pasta and salad for dinner. I made a spicy marinara sauce that was a little to spicy but still oh so tasty. All in all it was a very good dinner, even if it did take a couple hours to make start to finish.

Nutritional Healing- Endometriosis

2011-02-06T14:50:00.000-07:00

In October I spent some time in the hospital. I woke one morning to have extreme pain on my left side over my ovary. I couldn't stand up and honestly I had a hard time breathing because the pain was so intense. At the time I had just started my period but the pain was much more than cramps. I'll spare you all the details but in the end I was very worried I was having a miscarriage, something that should not be able to happen to me at this point. The end result was Endometriosis.

Endo is not fun. I am not sure how long I have had it. It could have been there my own life or the endometrial cells could have been introduced outside of my uterus during one of my c-sections. Who knows. At this point I have to learn to live with it or get laproscopic surgery to have it removed, at which point it most likely grow back 5-10 years. So because I love google and I hate doctors I started checking around to see what I could find about natural control methods. There are a few conflicting things out there but in the end almost everyone agrees that a diet low in animal products and high in fiber are essential.

See Endo is greatly affected by estrogen, hence the reason it flares dramatically during your period, and because of the naturally occurring estrogen in animal products it can cause it to flare severely during times of peak estrogen production. The extra estrogen can also cause greater pain at other times during the regular monthly cycle. To say the pain is manageable is laughable for me at this time, controlling any outside factors are a must for me at this time.

I have spent hours upon hours going over websites and other information's. I have read everything I can get my hands on regarding the Vegan health debate. I have read everything I can about raw organic dairy products (to gage if they have lower estrogen levels). I have searched high and low for organic, free range, hormone free meats. In the end I have found little available in my little area. My head is filled with WAYYY to much information. The calendar is slowly going by and my next period is coming closer. I have to say I am starting to shrink inside because I fear from the pain! (It is unlike anything I have ever felt in my life! And I have had 4 c-sections with a variety of issues!)

We have been eating as healthy as possible when at home. Things slip a little when we have been traveling recently. I am trying to arm myself with a bunch of really healthy and nourishing recipes in preparation of next time. I still need to look at different herbs that might help control/heal and I am trying to get in shape (more fat produces more estrogen in the body. I don't want to loose weight just gain muscle.).

This week is going to be filled cooking yummy meals. After travelling this weekend I am in need of lots of vegetables and fruit. I really want brown rice and bread for the first time in, well ever, does not sound good. I think I am going to make a few soups and try out a couple new salads. And while I am doing all that, I will be googling my little heart out trying to learn more about this crappy disease and what I can do to make it tolerable.

Have a happy healthy week!

Today's Thought

2011-02-03T10:29:00.000-07:00

I came across a beautiful thought today and I wanted to share.

"Live slowly and simply, so that you have the time and space to love deeply and well. Hold your children close, as often as possible. Look deeply into their eyes, speak words of life, love and acceptance into and over them."

I hope you all have a lovely weekend.

Goal Updates

2011-01-23T11:04:00.000-07:00

Photography- I haven't started this goal yet. I am waiting on a few books to come in on inter library loan. If If am not able to get them I will purchase a few next month. I can't wait to get started on this one!

{Jet streams one very cold morning at sunrise.}

Scriptures- I suck. Really truly I stink at this one. I must work harder.

Cooking- This one has gone pretty good so far. I have gone out of my comfort zone to use different foods than I have before. I still haven't tackled any of the trickier terms of cooking but all in due time. I have to remind myself that I do not have to accomplish everything in January. :) I have all year.

{I love this picture! It makes me happy and it makes me want to eat more Kale.}

Trust- Amazingly admitting I have an issue with trust has been the biggest blessing! I have a few things that I have been working on and truthfully they are just not the issues I thought they were. I think this is one of those "mind over matter" topics for me.

House of Order- I am coming right along with this one. I have tackled the unorganized linen closet, gone through the bookshelves and purged what I don't want/use, switched rooms with the kids, and organized all the bedding storage. I am feeling pretty fantastic with everything in its right place. That's not to say the house isn't a mess because it is. I have 4 kids ya know. But it takes only a minute to get everything picked up. Next step in this goal: Paint our bedroom, build some shelves for the kids room, and make curtains for the bedrooms.

{These bright boxes were on clearance for less than a dollar at a local store. Easy to store all of our extra random toiletries. Each is labeled and the lid stays on. So far the closet has stayed nice and tidy AND we have been able to find everything.}

{Our new bedroom. The paint has to go as I am not a fan of the blue. The shelf in the corner is actually 100 yr old kitchen cabinets from the old house we lived in. I screwed them together to make a cute corner cabinet. Not sure if I will leave the distressed paint or not.}

Knowing my blessings- This last 2 weeks have been really fantastic. I have found that the more I look for the blessings the more there are. I know that sounds silly but I think that a lot of times we get so wrapped up in all that is wrong that we can't clearly see what is right. I know that I have a lot to be thankful for in my life but when I let depression wear on me, I just don't see it. This week even when I was struggling I felt myself looking around, taking a deep breath, and thinking "Man I am so blessed and for that I am thankful." This has been a huge step for me because for months now I have been so very doom and gloom. I am glad I am returning to the land of the living and the optimistic. :)

{A banner I made for over the piano as a little reminder. Every time I walk into the kitchen it makes me smile.}

Have a great week everyone.

Whad'ya say?

2011-01-21T19:19:00.000-07:00

If you have read this blog for any length of time you surely know I stink at grammar, punctuation, and all manner of upper level writing skills. In my defense I was not taught most of the information commonly thought to be important to higher level writing and communication. If I was taught proper grammer it clearly did not stick. So because I know I am not alone in my horrible communication skills I thought I would share.

PS. I chose a highly recommended grammar program for the kids. No worries here. ;)

Cooking: Eggplant

2011-01-15T19:52:00.001-07:00

I have said before that I haven't met a vegetable I don't like but that isn't entirely true. I have been very neutral to eggplant because I haven't had the guts to try it before. This little vegetable (actually its a berry, who knew?) has been intimidating to me. I remember as a kid my mom breading and frying it and that just seemed so gross. All my thoughts of eggplant are coated in breading and fried.

I picked up one of these pretty purple beauties at the store last time I was there. It has sat on the shelf glaring at me every time it was passed by for something more approachable. Today I went grocery shopping so it was time to clear out all the "stuff" that hadn't been used this week. And there sat the eggplant glaring at me yet again. It almost seemed to taunt me "Come on wimp get over your aversion and cook me....or are you just going to toss me and be a lame-o." Really when a vegetable acts like that, it's like a triple dog dare. I don't know about you but I never pass up a triple dog dare.

So today I got over my eggplant aversion and there was no breading or grease involved. My friend google passed along a few needed tips and a couple yummy blogs. And tonight we feasted on eggplant.

Tip 1: When grilling eggplant slice it in 1 inch strips and coat one side heavily in salt. This will "sweat" the eggplant by drawing out the juices that make it bitter. Let it soak for at least 20 min. Wipe salt off and rinse with cold water. Pat dry.

{The liquid is the "sweat" of the eggplant. This starts to ooze from it within a few minutes of putting the salt on}

Tip 2: Pay attention to the slicing recommendation of 1 inch. I thought that sounded to thick so I went for about 1/2 inch. It fell apart and was a pain to remove from the grill.

Tip 3: I am sure there is another tip out there for this tip (and if there is pass it my way please) but skin the eggplant first. It is prettier with the skin on but when grilled this part became tougher and would cause the eggplant to be pulled from the sandwiches.

Tip 4: Eggplant is a pretty bland vegetable. It absorbs flavors easily and because it is a sturdy vegetable it will marinade well.

{Basting the simple oil mix on the eggplant}

Tonight I choose to make eggplant sandwiches because they seemed harmless and fairly familiar to everyone. I got the general idea from Chef Chloe but did my own take on it with what I had in the fridge. So with out further ado here was our dinner tonight.

Grilled Eggplant Sandwiches:

1 eggplant (blemish free and firm)
3TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP lemon or lime juice
1 tsp minced garlic
Pepper (to taste)
Basil (to taste)
8 Slices of bread
Butter or Earth Balance Spread
Sun dried Tomato Hummus (Prepared or Homemade)

{Grilling in a cast iron grill pan}

Cut eggplant in 1 inch slices lengthwise, coat with salt and "sweat" for a min. of 20 minutes. Rinse salt of with cool water and pat dry. Mix oil, lemon, garlic, pepper, and basil together. Baste eggplant with olive oil mixture. Place on grill. Cook until grill marks are very apparent. Flip and repeat. While eggplant is grilling, butter 8 slices of bread. Turn oven on Broil. Place bread on a cookie sheet and place in oven for about 2 minutes or until butter has melted and bread is browned on the edges. Remove from oven and spread hummus on 4 slices of bread. Remove eggplant from grill and immediately place on hummus covered slices. Add topping and Enjoy!

*Sandwich Fixin's:

Sliced Tomatoes
Sliced Cucumber
Sliced Sweet Onion
Olives
Sliced Red (or yellow, orange or green) Peppers
Lettuce
Radishes
Avocado
Mayo
Mustard
*Really anything would work on these sandwiches. These were the veggies that needed to be used up in my fridge tonight.

Okay another admission.....I never have eaten Kale either. I have bought it in the past with every intention of getting to know this healthy green but then I don't use it. I have no previous meetings with this veggie I just haven't been truly motivated to try it. Ian picked it out last time we went shopping and just like the Eggplant it has been glaring at me. So tonight I used it all up. All of it. One whole bundle was eaten by this family. And no one complained. Or not to loudly anyway. Here is what I threw together.

Chopped Kale Salad:

1 bunch Kale de-veined, rinsed and chopped
1 large handful baby Spinach
1 med Red Pepper diced
1/2 can olives coarsely chopped
1 handful coarsely chopped fresh parsley
1 handful coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
1 head chopped broccoli
Walnuts (optional)
Italian Dressing

Prepare vegetables as directed above. Combine in large salad bowl and toss with dressing. Serve.

{De-veined Kale is a very pretty sight!}

Tip 1: De-vein the Kale. The middle vein is really tough and is kind of a pain.
Tip 2: It needs something yummy like dried cranberries thrown in. Raisins and even apricots would taste yummy.
Tip 3: The walnuts are optional but a nut is needed. They add just the right amount of crunch and texture. Toasted pine nuts or toasted sesame seeds would be yum-o in this salad. Really really yummy in fact.
Tip 4: The Cilantro is optional because it adds a different flavor. I loved it but Dean didn't. If you aren't a huge cilantro fan just leave it out.
Tip 5: An avocado dressing would be so very yummy on this. I plan on trying it out next time.
Tip 6: I think this salad would be better if it chilled for an hour or two to let the dressing really mingle.

{Not a good pic, the sun went down while I was cooking. A very veggie packed yummy dinner. This one will go on the new menu plan I am making up.}

Family Friendly Rating:
2 Thumbs up (Those who actually ate it loved it. Ian was in a rotten mood and wouldn't eat anything at all. Lauren was nearly asleep so she passed on the dinner experience also. Laina inhaled it and Dean and I loved it. We plan on making it again and playing with some different marinades.)

Exercise Part 1

2011-01-06T20:39:00.002-07:00

My love of food, my age (30 is a mere 6 months away!), and my general laid back life (no that is not code for lazy) have made it so I must get off my butt this year! I made the comment to Dean today that I would love exercise a whole lot if I could look in the mirror say "Hey I want to be this size today", go do a few sit up and BANG it was done. Unfortunately that is not the case and I have to say it saddens me. I have no patience nor motivation. This has been a life long struggle for me. I would rather read a book on exercise than actually do it. Sad I know but there you have it.

Last night after watching some incredible yoga videos I decided to get working. I warmed the ol' muscles up and amazingly did very well. I am not to far off from accomplishing my goal pose. As I figured my back flexibility is long gone. However I was able to do a fairly decent split. Not too shabby if I may say so!

So tonight we are pulling out the yoga DVDs and doing a little yoga session. I am so excited to actually be working out.

Google Image

{This is my favorite pose ever. I used to do this when I talked on the phone as a teenager. I think that kind of goes against the point of yoga but I was 15 so the rules didn't matter! }

Cooking: Step 1

2011-01-05T20:54:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine set me up with a special little goal notebook last week so that I can keep track of my progress on my yearly goals. Sweet huh! :) Anyway, I wanted to share my journey here as well. Maybe someone else will grow with me this year.

This weeks objective: Learn to cook fish properly (ie not dried to a crisp!)

So tonight I am going to tell you about my small step on the Cooking front. A little back ground is needed here though........Our family does not eat much meat. Five years ago we decided to eat a vegetarian diet and managed to do that for 2 years. Dean and I loved it, Ian thrived, and Caitlin was pretty indifferent (but she was 2 so hardly surprising). I had a rotation of recipes that were fantastic but heavy on the cheese and dairy products. Not a bad thing really but I am not a fan of commercial dairies and the amount of hormones and chemicals that get pumped into those animals. I should say here that our choice for a vegetarian lifestyle had nothing to do with the welfare of the animals. LOL that sounds harsh but at the time our choice was based solely on health reasons. Later the treatment aspect played into it but only mildly. Dean and I have never eaten a lot of meat during our marriage even before the veggie days. Needless to say I don't have a lot of experience cooking meat other than the simple taco/spaghetti routes.

Okay moving on. When I got pregnant with Lauren I craved steak. I craved steak in my dreams, in the grocery store line, in the bathroom while doing my make-up. It was all I could think of. I ate beef jerky by the truck load, we had steak for nearly every meal for almost a month, and when I needed a snack I went to the beef. To say I was low on iron was an under statement of the century. (Now before you claim that it was because of the veggie diet, it wasn't. It is because of my own body during pregnancy and my monthly cycle)
So since the beef fest of 2008 we have eaten meat but only 2 times a week or so. Ian still won't touch it, Caitlin only eats chicken, and Lauren would rather sing than concentrate on food.

So....when I went grocery shopping the other day I set the goal to stay away from the meat department and a good portion of the dairy. I loaded the cart with more fruits and organic vegetables than most families eat in a month and I have to say that felt pretty dang good. The kids were squealing that they get to have turnips and parsnips. They were all but opening the bags to get the fruit and Ian picked out Kale as his "must have" veggie.

Then I turned my cart toward the bread isle and there I saw it. The meat department, but not just any section of the meat department but the seafood section. It drew me like one of those little bug zappers that turn purple and buzz when they get a juicy but. I couldn't help myself. The Salmon called my name. :)
So in the basket went 2 lbs of Salmon and a couple pounds of Mahi Mahi.

Now that long winded diatribe to get to the point. Fish, I love it as does every single person in this house, but I had no clue how in the world to cook it. In the past I was always to nervous of it not being cooked properly that I would end up cooking it way to long. Then it was just dry and rubbery and may as well have been a plastic toy from the dollar store for the appeal it held.

That is no more. I went to the book that is to be my guide during my cooking year and found the fish section. Oh this was great! I actually followed the directions. I cooked the Salmon for only 6 min on each side (It was about 2 inches thick) and until the juices ran milky. Yes milky. Okay that has always creeped me out. There shouldn't be anything milky about juices in my fish but they were right.

Milky Juice=Freakin' Awesome Fish!

Dinner 1:

Broiled Salmon (with butter, lemon, thyme, garlic, and salt and pepper)

Tossed Salad with Feta cheese and Italian Dressing

Family Score: Enthusiastic 2 thumbs up from everyone!

Dinner 2:

Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad (I used leftover salmon, not smoked. I also used red pepper instead yellow or orange. I think yellow or orange would have looked better though.)

Tossed Salad

Family Score: 2 thumbs up in between lots of chewing!

A Thank You.....

2011-01-03T18:46:00.000-07:00

Today we recieved an annoymous card with a monetary gift inside. We have no clue who sent this as they did not sign the card or leave a return address. So.........if you read this blog, know our address, and sent us a little something from Lubbock Texas (or the vicinity) we want to thank you. Sincerely Thank You. Your thoughtfulness has come at the most perfect time and is very much appreciated.

And if you weren't the one to send it this just shows there really are kind and wonderful people out there. :)

Have a wonderful week!

Goodbye 2010....Hello 2011

2011-01-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

WOOT! Anyone excited to see 2010 finally come to a close? I definately am. Talk about a long long long year. Some good things came our way, such as watching Laina grow from a newborn to a nearly walking munchkin, painting the kitchen a bright happy color (green of all colors!), visiting my sister in Oregon during July, and all the little moments that happen. Some really crappy things have happened too, the fear of losing our home, putting our house on the market at loss, the move to a (very cool) old farmhouse, the remodel from hell, 4 cords of wood gone in 4 weeks, freezing cold, and the subsequent move back to our original home.

2010 was a year filled with trials for us, and while right now I am a bit bitter about a lot of them, the year was one of personal growth on the part of Dean and I. While I wish we could take back a very large portion of the year I am greatful that we were able to learn and experience all that life has to offer.

This year I look forward to accomplishing the goals I have set for myself. I have added a couple more....

1- Read the scriptures everyday: This will be tough because sadly, they are the best sleeping pill I have ever had! I am out within a minute! So my goal is to read them in the middle of the day while I am cooking lunch. :) Can't grow spiritually if you don't put forth an effort right?

Source: Google Images

2- Exercise daily: Ohhhh how I dread this one! I have no motivation when it comes to working out. While I love the feeling of being in shape and being healthy I absolutley despise the work it takes to get there! I am going to get off my butt though and make an effort. I have my lovely Jazzercise video (that really is fun!), a yoga video that I love, and I am currently roaming craigslist and freecycle for a steal of a deal on a treadmill. Not only does my body need the exercise but my mind desperately needs it. I need endorphins and I need them very very badly! I want to be able to do the yoga pose below by the end of the year. While this looks fairly easy, I assure you it is not. I have a bad lower back because of all the c-sections. No abs=bad back. So my goal is to work on my abs and my back flexability so that I can stop feeling like an old lady! Ok its not that bad but close.

Source: Google Images

3- Trust: I will let that one be self explanatory but I will say that this one will be life altering for me and I am looking forward to it.

So here is to 2011, may it be a year filled with lots of learning, fun times, and personal growth. And just a small, small plea.........please let it be a smoother year for us! ;)

New Year Goals

2010-12-29T16:00:00.001-07:00

Every year I write a list of goals for the coming year. I choose a million different little things and then I forget them all by about May. This year I decided to simplify. I have only 3 things that I want to accomplish and 1 of those is a family goal.

1. Learn how to cook- Now I know how to cook just fine. No one starves here and for the most part I make pretty dang food (except when entertaining....why is that? Its always to salty then. hmmm). This year I want to learn all those tricky terms that I normally gloss by in a recipe, things like braising and parboiling. I am going to tackle some fancier things like creme brule and other treats. By the end of the year I want to have a very good working knowledge of how to prepare meats (something that I do not excel at), have a large array of yummy vegetable dishes and master desserts beyond the normal cakes, pies and cookies.

2- Learn to be a photographer- I love to take pictures. I have literally thousands of pictures I have taken in the last couple of months. I want to be able to start taking pictures professionally by the end of the year. I plan on taking a class at the college if I can and checking out every book I can on the subject. We have a nice camera so now it is just a matter of learning the ins and outs of it.

3- Establish a house of Prayer, Fasting, Faith, Learning, Glory, Order and God- We choose this scripture as a goal for the whole family. Over the last two years babies, stress and depression have gotten the best of me for long periods of time. The order in our house has seriously been lacking and it has aided in making me even more stressed. We are working on the old saying "A place for everything and everything in its place". I used to take this quite to heart and was uber-organized but life has happened and well...... So that is our first goal of the 7. We will move onto the others as we are ready but it will happen this year.

I will begin scouring all the cook books I have collected, watching youtube videos on both photography and cooking and I will be doing the unthinkable.......getting rid of books. :D I collect books with a passion. We know have books in every corner, on every shelf and quiet possibly under every bed! They have to go. I am getting rid of everything but our favorites. I know that this will make me feel a million times better because there just wont be as much stuff! I am excited.

So that is where I am starting this year. Anyone else tackling some new goals?

Christmas Day

2010-12-26T10:22:00.000-07:00

Christmas was a day filled with lots of laughter and family. All my family came up to spend the day with us. The day was loud yet mellow and filled with music. Most of the guys play the guitar so they would randomly pick up a guitar and start playing and or singing. It was a lot of fun and I think everyone enjoyed the day. The kids were thrilled with their Christmas presents (and I once again thank everyone who made our Christmas special!). There was little fightin, lots of sharing, and lots of silly giggles.

It truly was a wonderful day and I am thankful we were able to spend the day with those we love.

{Ian as a pensive Santa. Lauren below is doing her booty shake. Its a full body exercise instead of a specific area of movement!}

{Caitlin surprised to see the "Design your own pupet" gift. She has put on spontaneous puppet shows since opening it. Ian below playing with Lainas cool wooden shape sorter. Everyone, adults included, picked this up at least once to slip the peices in the right spot.}

{My sister and I taking a self portrait. She actually had her camera held out too. We snapped at the same time but got two totally different pictures! Below: My dad in his pose. He assumes this position at all family functions for at least a couple of minutes. It is his signature stance. 4 cameras were going off at this point to capture the shot!}

{My twin baby brothers. Dont they look like my dad?! These two are 10 years younger than me and are a handful. They are night and day different and oh so entertaining. Below: My brother in law and his youngest little girl. The guys were improving at this point and everyone had gathered in the front room to enjoy.}

{Dean and his baby. I think he really enjoyed having the extra guitars going at the same time. Below: My brother Nick and his fiancee Seirra. They are getting married in July and just bought a house a couple hours from us. It was great to have them for the day!}

I hope that everyone had a great holiday!

One year has gone by...

2010-12-18T00:19:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday my sweet baby will turn 1. The year has gone by so incredibly fast that we have just held on for the ride. She has gone from a tiny little wisp of a thing to a plump healthy sweet girl. She loves hugs and kisses. She is a big teaser and likes to trick us all with "I'm not watching you" type games. She is quick to smile, easy to laugh, and a joy to be around. When she is fussy I can put her in front of the piano and she will go to town. If Lauren is singing, Laina is the first to join in. What a beautiful and wonderful little girl she is. We are thankful she is part of our family.

I am Thankful

2010-11-27T09:11:00.000-07:00

Somehow I forgot to take pictures of Thanksgiving! How unlike me. We had 20 guests here on Thursday. The food was good but the company was better. The day was a mixed emotion one for me. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday as I am a firm believer in giving Thanks for all that we do have. However the day brought bad news on 3 levels. The worst being Deans grandma had a stroke and wasn't found for about 16 hours (they think. We didnt find out about this until Friday morning). The other two news tidbits were enough to make this non-cryer cry more than a few tears.

Life is a struggle at times and times like this really get a person down. We have spent more than a few hours in the last 2 days coming up with a game plan. We are exhausted, emotionally drained and without a lot of options.

However, even in all this stress and uncertainty I will say this.......

I am so Thankful for my beautiful family and for this life I am blessed to live. What a wonder life is and although its hard I look forward to many more blessings and trials.

I am blessed and I am Thankful!

Snowed In

2010-11-23T20:34:00.000-07:00

The wind was fierce last night. Every time I woke up the house seemed to be shaking because of the wind. We woke this morning to find a region wide blizzard alert in effect. Basically said that no human should be outside unless their life depended on it. So we hunkered down and spent the day inside....except for my brief foray into the wind (and 20 seconds of sunshine) for a few pictures.

{This is the view that made me bundle up and go outside. If I could have taken a deep breath I would have soaked it up. However the wind was so fierce I was trying not to choke!}

{This drift winds itself around the entire west and south side of our house.}

{A relatively small amount of snow considering our door faces west, the way the winds blow.}

{Marigolds that until last week were actually still looking a little happy.}

{These last two pictures are to share with everyone just how drafty/windy our home is. The top here is the plastic on the inside of the front room window. If you look closely you can see it is pushed out at good 6-8 inches from the window frame. The bottom picture shows the front door. Notice the snow on the right hand corner? This is taken after the kids went out and ate most of it. The snow this morning went from one side of the door to the other. It was about 4 inches deep and came away from the door about 3 inches. Gotta love a nice square door and the gaping holes (that even weatherized) still let everything in. This door/porch is #2 on our to-do list next spring.}

Hope you all are enjoying the weather wherever you are!

Seasons first snow

2010-11-21T21:04:00.000-07:00

I always look forward to the first snow of the season as do the little ones in the house. We had a dusting a few days ago but yesterday we woke to find everything covered in the most perfect snowball type snow. I didn't waste anytime brushing my teeth or eating before I grabbed the camera and headed outside. It was cold and brisk and felt so incredible I didn't mind that I couldnt feel my fingers. It was snowing while I walked around the yard and I felt like a kids all over again. I wanted to make snow angels and stick my tounge out to catch a few snowflakes.

{This old grain silo is one of my favorite things on the property.}

{After seeing this picture I had the strong desire to plant hollyhocks in front of the barn next spring. Oh the photo ops I would have with that combo!}

{Each morning I walk to the kitchen sink and just take in this view. Each time I am filled with peace for some reason. It calms me and I feel like (briefly) that I can tackle what ever comes my way each day. At night, when the moon is bright, the scence is breathtaking and I don't mind having to be awake at 2 or 3 am. In fact I look forward to laying Laina back in bed and grabbing a drink of water. Just so I can look at the mountains.)

Gratitude

2010-11-17T09:34:00.001-07:00

Gratitude is always on my mind this time of year. I always have an internal list going of what I am thankful for. I used to have a list posted on here as a way to remind myself exactly how blessed I am. I took it off months ago because it was starting to frustrate me! (Hows that for thankful huh?!) At the time I was having a very hard time coming up with anything new I was thankful for and honestly I had a really crappy attitude that really wasn't thankful for much. Ever get the have-nots? Yeah it hit me hard. Anyway I took the list off after I saved it and haven't thought too much about it since. I still have the list running inside me and until tonight that is where it was going to stay. However tonight I sat with a bunch of women and heard a talk about gratitude. The talk was simple and nothing profound was shared but I felt like crying! Right now life is beyond stressfull for us, it has been for months, and I am desperately missing "home". Yet I do have so much to be thankful for. My life such as it is, is filled with amazing people and experiences. I need to be thankful for those each and everyday, especially when I don't think I should be.

So I have started the Gratitude list for myself. I plan on changing it every week so it is always fresh to me. I don't want my thanks to become stale, after all there are new things everyday to be thankful for.

{Sweet baby, nearly a year old! Where has the time gone?}

Putting the fields to sleep

2010-11-16T22:34:00.000-07:00

The harvest is over and most of the fields around us lay quiet now. There is still some field work to be done but most have finished. We are surrounded by an alfalfa field right now. A couple of weeks ago they were still watering the fields and now all is put away. The winds have come and with it a bone chilling cold. This old house creaks and moans like I have never heard before. The windows rattle with each pounding the wind gives. And yet oh how I love autumn!

{The wide open space here is quickly becoming something I look forward to seeing in the morning.}

{Fallen leaves outside my door make me smile. We never rake because I love fallen leaves. The winds have scattered the leaves every which way now. I love watching them dance and fly in the wind!}

Caitlins Scripture Bag

2010-11-15T15:11:00.000-07:00

Caitlin will be turning 8 in December. For her birthday/baptism present we bought a set of scriptures for her. I checked out the bags when I bought the scriptures but they were Blah! (a huge understatement actually). So I picked up fabric and made my own. I love they way it turned out, and oh so very Caitlin.

Weekend crafting

2010-11-15T10:15:00.000-07:00

This weekend I spent some time with the sewing machine. I have been trying to sew at least a couple of times a week for the sake of my sanity! Last week I went to an estate sale and picked up a few odds and ends. Among them were some awesome vintage cloth napkins and tablecloth sets and some old apple bushel baskets. I had no idea what my plans were for the baskets but at $1 a piece I couldn't pass them up. Also last week my grandma sent two boxes of fabric my way (Thanks again Grandma!). Enter the sewing projects.

We decided to use cloth diapers again so I needed a place to store the diapers and covers. I grabbed some fabric from grandmas boxes and made some inserts for the baskets. Viola! Instant storage (for the sock basket too!). Super easy and quick project and I love the way it turned out. I have a few smaller baskets around that house that I plan on making inserts for also. These will hold wipes, diaper cream, and other odds and ends. I attached the basket(s) to the wall above the dresser. That way I can just grab and go and the kiddos cant get into the baskets and play.

{Green polka dot cotton fabric for the sock basket.}

{Diaper basket: Solid pink cotton with yellow pinwheel flower trim. If I had thought about it I should have added some rick rack trim at the seam here for added cuteness!}

{PUL diaper covers in a variety of fabrics with fold over elastic binding and matching snaps. LOVE these on Laina's chunky little bum. Seriously one of the cutest things you ever did see!}

{And just for a smile, Caitlin's cowgirl outfit. This is one of her favorite combinations to put on. Dean was lucky enough to catch it on film. The top is a purple and white gingham type check print and the skirt is rose colored with old fashioned cowgirls riding bucking broncs. She thinks this outfit makes her a cowgirl too. }

Hope everyone has a great week!

On being a man

2010-11-11T21:29:00.000-07:00

Ian has very clear ideas about what makes a man a man. First they must know how to chop firewood, shoot a gun, screw things real good (his words for using a drill!! Get your head out of the gutter! lol), uses man wash (body wash that smells like cologne) and likes very specific types of food. He is very eager to learn these skills and tastes. In fact he is dang proud of himself when he does. He practices being a real man whenever he can, ".......cause mom, real men are cool. They know how to do all lot of great stuff. Mom am I ready to be a real man yet?" "Hey mom, when I become a dad (aka a man) will I be able to take apart everything and put it all back together?) These are common questions that need to be asked at least once a day.

I told him it is his job to be my escort whenever we go out (said jokingly at the time) and now this little man boy holds my hand everywhere we go to make sure he is being a good escort "....cause mom, real men like to hold hands with girls they love right?"

This sweet boy just melts my heart.

The warmth of fall

2010-11-08T20:57:00.000-07:00

~ Everything about fall warms my heart. This morning I woke to snow on the mountains and fog floating over all the fields. It was so calm and beautiful.
~I mowed the lawn this weekend for the last time this year. The light rain make everything smell sweet.
~ I stood in the middle of the pasture area and mentally planned the garden for next spring. I felt that little prick of excitement hit me, I can't wait to curl up with gardening magazines, seed cataloges, and a notebook this winter. I get to plan and dream up what will grow in the garden.
~Our wood has been split and stacked and just staring at it makes me happy.
~My mental picture of home is always fall, with a fire burning away, leaves flitting across the ground, cloudy grey skies in the distance, a chill in the air, and that fresh clean smell of everything winding down.

~ Today without even trying, it felt like home.

Superwoman no more

2010-11-07T21:22:00.000-07:00

There are so many times I find myself checking out the blog world and thinking "Man I wish I could do all that." or "I wish I had great ideas like that.". I know I am not the only one who does this, I think it is a flaw most of us have.

I headr a quote months and months ago that was something along the lines of "We compare our faults to the strengths of others. As women we need to use our strengths for the good of others." I don't remember where I heard it or how it went exactly but that little thought has come to my mind over and over as of late.

I try to be superwoman everyday. I have lists and lists, thoughts, ideas, projects, etc that pile up in my mind. Ask me to prioritize and I can't. I want to do everything and do it brilliantly and now. I want my house to look great, my kids to behave all the time, my food to be fantastic and yard well kept. Not to mention be creative, spiritual, on time, organized......the list goes on and on. I see other women who can do all these things so I should be able to right?

Nope no one woman can do it all. It isn't possible. There are times when I get down and think "Well so and so does this, I must really suck." (or some variation of that theme). We all have special talents and strengths, why do we waste time lamenting what we don't have or can't do?

I have made a new pact with myself this weekend, I will honor what I can do well and forget what I stink at. No more fretting about it, why waste the time. Instead I am choosing to embrace my talents and let someone else be superwoman.

Just my deep thoughts for this beautiful fall night. Have a great week!

The Life of Jesus Christ

2010-11-07T20:16:00.000-07:00

As most of you know we have another website Sacred Grove Press. While we specialize in providing support and resources for the LDS homeschooling family, we also offer resources for families in general regardless of denomination.

Our first endeavor geared for any family is The Life of Jesus Christ. The Life of Jesus Christ is a family study program that will cover the life and ministry of Christ begining with his birth to the resurrection. The program covers 18 weeks starting on Christmas Eve and ending on Easter Sunday. If you are interested in the program I encourage you to head over to Sacred Grove Press and sign up.

Caitlin and school

2010-11-03T21:12:00.000-06:00

You may have noticed that the blog is lacking much school info on the kiddos these days. We have had so many changes around here that I have not been able to keep on everything.

Last month we enrolled Caitlin in public school. I know shocking huh? It really is. However it was a needed short term change. We were beginning to wonder if Caitlin had some severe learning disabilities like dyslexia. We really wanted to have a second opinion to make sure we were seeing what we thought. So in she goes. I met with her teacher after the first week and sure enough the teacher thinks that there is a learning disability going on. We will be having her tested at an independent learning center near our home.

However it seems in the last 2 weeks or so Caitlin has jumped forward and is working her way out of the same issues she was struggling with last month. I have no idea what to think. Tomorrow is parent teacher conferences and I plan on talking with her teacher. I know what I am seeing at home, I want to make sure these same things are making an appearance at school also.

Now I have to say this is a very short term thing. She will not be staying in school. Now I am not against public schools at all. I think they need to exist for a multitude of reasons however for our family they just aren't the thing. Now that we have had a child in the school system I can tell you that homeschooling holds an even more important part of my thoughts on education. I have many many reasons why I love homeschooling and what I think education should be but I am horrible with words so I wont attempt to communicate those things. But I will share with you what I have not liked about public schooling and why it has made me like homeschooling even more.

1. Caitlin is not allowed to read what she wants. Yup, not allowed. This is because she has to read 92 words a minute before she can go onto the next level. She is a slow and deliberate reader. She reads 50 wpm. Therefore she is only allowed to read beginning 1st grade books. Books like Dick and Jane. However at home she easily reads books on a 3/4 grade level. Slowly yes, but she reads and enjoys them.

2. Part of her school work is on the computer, up to a couple of hours a day. Not a big one right, I mean everyone spends hours online. Yeah true, however first thing, I don't believe computer, video game or TV time are beneficial to kiddos at this age. Secondly, multiple studies have been done that have found that kids with brain damage, autism (all along the spectrum), ADHD, and other issues react negatively to the stimulation on a computer/TV screen. In fact there have been documented cases where the images, colors, and brightness have caused these special kids to have seizures. For what ever reason these kids brains short circuit when they are exposed to computer/TV. I know this is very true with Caitlin and her behavior.

3. Recess is lost when work is not done fast enough. There is no reason why a child should have to finish an entire math sheet in 10 minutes. The focus should be on mastery not speed. Taking away exercise from a child is one of the worst ways to encourage academic success (yes its proven!).

4. This year for Caitlin is focused on practicing and preparing for the big test they have to take next year. This is the reason they have to read the 92 words per minute. It will ensure they are able to pass the test next year. Now I am anti-testing on principle alone but I am thinking they are missing the big picture. Isn't the point of going to school to learn information for later retrieval throughout life? Isn't it to build a foundation of information in which to higher your knowledge and reasoning abilities? Then why in the world do these kids have to practice going fast for an entire year? Going fast may work for some, but for most this is not the way to ensure mastery. I know this to be very true for Cailtin. She is methodical about everything. Timing her does not improver her comprehension nor her mastery. She does not retain the fast information, so basically we are wasting a year just so she can fly through random information next year.

Okay so now all those anti homeschooling out there can say "Hey life stinks and you can't coddle her. She has to learn to test, speed matters in the work place and computers are essential to our lives. She needs to learn these things." True, these skill are essential in society and I am in no way saying that she shouldn't learn these. However I am saying that to become an intelligent, thoughtful, educated person she must have a strong foundation and a sense of personal achievement under her. You can not fly through med school for a reason, you must know the little things to get to the big picture and you must gain the confidence in your abilities before you go around diagnosing patients.

So a very long winded post later, Caitlin will hang out in school until Christmas break. After that she will be coming back home where the plan is to read whatever we want, learn as much math as we can master and tackle all those little things (like science, history, art and music) that the school just doesn't have time for because they aren't on the test.

Rant over, off the soap box.

Colors of Fall

2010-10-25T08:42:00.000-06:00

Fall seems to be leaving as quickly as it came. Many of the trees around us are nearly bare and the nights are downright cold. The smell of wood burning is in the air and the fields have been cleared and put to rest for a season. This is my favorite time of year. I find the winding down and tucking in to be just what I need. There is something relaxing and soothing about preparing for winter. One of my favorite sounds is of the ax splitting wood. Everything about this time of year makes me think of home, warmth and laughter. The colors bring joy to my heart. They offer me some sort of peace that I really can not describe. Every autumn I feel like I am home and I belong.

When I was a kid I spent a lot of my summer hanging out with my grandparents in Island Park, Id. We would make the trip up a couple times over summer break. We would got to West Yellowstone, where I would always get a mood ring, rock candy suckers and eat at a place called Chris's. I loved spending those summers with my grandparents. We would spend hours driving around with my aunt and uncle. My aunt would bicker and complain for what seemed like ever. It became a soundtrack to the trip and still to this day when I drive those streets I hear her voice talking to m y grandma. I see my grandpa sort of staring off into space and I see my uncle bouncing his leg and fidgetting. But the thing that always stands out to me in every single memory of Island Park is Indian Paintbrush. My grandma loved the flower and would make us stop our drive so she could photograph it with her awesome (to me) Nikon. I squealed when I saw these two flowers swaying under a tree. I gave everyone a heart attack when I squealed. It was my grandmas flower, I had to take a picture....or two....or maybe 10. Grandma taught me you can never have too many pictures of Indian Paintbrush.

Have a beautiful week everyone!

On my mind

2010-10-21T11:46:00.000-06:00

This sweet cheery girl has been on my mind for quite some time now. She has the unfortunate experience of being our first child and therefore our guinny pig. I have found myself over the last few weeks examining how we get to be who we are. I can tell you a handful of childhood/young adult experiences that truley shaped me as a person. Many of them were situations out of my control yet had such an intense impact on who I am today. While my parents have never been the kind of parents I needed, they did the best they were willing to do. I often thought when I was a kid that they were just making do until we were out of the house. Sometimes I still think that but as I look back I see two people who had a lot going on (6 kids!) and who weren't really ready(or willing) to be parents.

However when it comes to our family I don't want to just get by. I really want to be the very best parent I am possibly capable of being, trying everything I can to help shape these little people into outstanding people. To me mothering is an intentional act. Some women are inately a mother but most of us have to try and be the mother we wish to be. As I have pondered our family and that sweet girl above, I realize that I have floated through this parenting maze with my head just barely above water. There is so much to know and I feel so ill-equiped with thte knowledge. For me, having a child who is different than what I thought she would be, this has intensified the drowning feelings. I sometimes (okay very often) end my days with tears in my eyes because I fear I have failed this child.

Over the years we have dealt with many different issues that have come up and sometimes I wonder if I have started to see only the "issues" instead of the little girl. Sometimes my mind is so filled with "what will work?", "how can I fix, change, help, etc?", "what can I do?" that I have forgotten the very most important thing that I as a mother can do. I must make my deep love of her known. No matter what "problems", "differences", or "issues" come up I fear I have forgotten to let her know that I love her no matter what. I love her for all her quirks. I have forgotten that she is not an "issue" to be fixed but a gentle, loving little girl.

So in the last few weeks I have been thinking how I can show this to her and accept her more. As I ponder this more and more I have noticed that I am dealing with her differently. I am seeing some of the old habits and frustrations slip away. I am enjoying her for who she is instead of what I can fix. (Can you tell I am a total type A, first born, personallity here, nope didn't think so!) Things are much smoother around here and oddly enough I am less inclined to change her and more inclined to embrace her differences, to view them as strengths rather than faults.

In the coming months I hope to see some positive changes in her but more importantly in Me and my expectations of our family.

Anyway it was just on my mind.

Yellowstone Weekend

2010-10-19T23:34:00.000-06:00

This past weekend we decided to pack up and head to West Yellowstone. We left Friday night and crashed at my sisters place. Saturday we headed up the mountain. We stopped in West Yellowstone to grab a whopping $30 worth of candy! (Who knew fudge was worth $30!!) and then headed into the park. The day was cold and rainy but very beautiful. For most of our drive fog surrounded everything. The sky was gray and it was a chilly 36 degrees. It was wonderful.

Over the course of a few hours we saw many elk, including a massive bull (seen below), a Trumpeter Swan (either that or a Tundra Swan), Canadian Geese, bison, a coyote, ducks, squirrels, prong horn, Sandhill Crane (also pictured below), and a million ravens. We made a game out of finding different animals. Ian had a blast, Caitlin had a breakdown, and Lauren had a nap. Dean and I enjoyed it and wished we could have stayed longer.

Bathroom Makeover

2010-10-17T16:51:00.000-06:00

Here are the first in the house makeover photos. The bathroom if you remember was one of the worst rooms in the house. To even move in, we had to rip out flooring, plumbing, fixtures, etc. The only things that stayed in the room were the walls and the window (for now).

So here you are, the bright, happy, mold free bathroom! ;)

We have a big storage cupboard behind the bathroom door but its a little too far to store shampoo and conditioner. I hung up this little shelf about the tub and it works perfectly. I have an idea based on a picture I found at Home and Harmony. Isn't her laundry room (and home) a dream! Anyway for now this little shelf works just fine.

I took a couple of broken frames and had Caitlin paint them up really quick (in fact they are wet in this pic!). I was going to insert fabric in them but in the end I left them be. I like their simplicity.

I love this curtain fabric! I picked it up at the very best fabric store ever. Its part of the Bliss collection if you that means anything to you. It has flecks of blue in it, that while a different color than the walls, work really well with the whole look. I love, love, love this fabric!

The flooring has been the very best improvement so far. To be able to walk in the room without shoes on has been a blessing (who knew!). This is a simple sticky back tile that can actually be grouted. We plan on grouting it but for now this works.

One last shot. I am loving the blue, which is saying a lot since I am a warm color/tones kind of gal. This room is like being on the beach, without the glaring sun.

Just a little different than the other bathroom huh? If all goes well, kitchen pics are up next.

This Moment

2010-10-15T08:32:00.002-06:00

~This Moment~ A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Check out Soulemama if you want more awesome moments!

Have a fantastically wonderful weekend!

Around the farm

2010-10-13T19:52:00.000-06:00

So technically we live on a farm. The property is part of over 300 acres Deans grandpa owns. This is the original house built somwhere around 1900 or so. Rambling on the property are a barn, lopsided tack shed and a grainery. We have taken the grainery and converted it to house our nearly 50 chickens. The tack shed is something we don't know what to do with and the barn is a dream in progress. Assuming this house starts to feel more "us" and we decide we do want to buy it, we will do a major overhaul of all the buildings as well as the land. But for right now.....you can have a peek at what we have out the back door.

Fabric Inspiration

2010-10-09T10:35:00.000-06:00

I have been trying to get a few projects done this week. Here is a little look at what I have going on.

**Wedding dress that I have been altering. We took off the original top and added the one shown above. Were adding buttons on the back and a beautiful sash. Below is the tulle overlay that covers the bottom portion of the dress.

** This is part of the hair peice. She will be wearing her hair in a soft romantic bun on the side and she wanted a simple understated flower to put in her hair.

** A couple of fat quarters I picked up. I am planning on making a pattern to sell on my etsy shop with these quarters.

**These are the different fabrics that are going into our quilt I posted about the other day. These are so far from my normal color choices but I am loving them! I cant wait to see how it turns out.

**Lots of choices here, all for different projects. Starting on the left: Bench seat fabric, skirt for Lou, apron for me, throw pillow, kitchen curtains, and a skirt for Caitlin. Most of those projects are completed so I will be posting pictures soon.

I will be spending the weekend sewing and getting things pulled together. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Lesson learned

2010-10-07T23:19:00.000-06:00

One should never blog when they are down in spirit! Today as I wandered around in a haze (I have a horrible sinus infection that has about knocked me out) I started to notice some of the little things around here that really are "us". I think that I am so overwhelmed by the task before us that I can not see past it. While this house does not feel like home right now, I can do the little things to help make it a home.

(PS Yes I am aware of how bi-polar my posts are right now. It is rare that I am overwhelmed and stressed out, I have reached my breaking point this last month. Have patience with me.)

The mighty fantastic fabric store had a sale last week. I went with the plan of purchasing a horrible amount of fabric for a million and a half projects. I somehow managed to restrain myself and came home with only a couple of projects worth of fabric. It was delightful just being around all the patterns and smells of fabric. The only thing more inspiring to me are books. Between books and fabric I can happily live and create a world of wonder! Anyway I walked away with curtain fabrics for the girls room and my bedroom, fabric for napkins, and a quilt for our bed. My first real quilt. I am so excited that I smile every time I see it stacked on my dresser.

I first planned to follow a pattern found in the book Material Obssession called the Avalon. It is a simple straight forward quilt using 18" blocks. But true to my "cant follow directions, patterns, rules etc." nature I decided to tweak and twist it. Now I will be making my own version of this simply and beautiful quilt and in the process I am going to learn how to hand quilt. This will be big for me because I am not very patient and I dont care for tedious (perhaps this is why I stink at knitting? hmmmm) work. However, I love the way hand quilting looks so I am going to give it a go.

So up to this point I have tackled the bathroom curtains and kitchen curtains. Still to go, 3 bedrooms, front room, dining room, master bedroom and front porch. Most of those will be simple and straightforward however I am leaning to a roman shade for the front porch. We'll see how ambitious I get. I will share pictures of the house, fabric and what not tomorrow. But until then.....

::A little look at the kitchen. This is a vinyl piece I picked up on Etsy from A Lucky Horseshoe ::

Finding home

2010-10-05T22:09:00.000-06:00

Its been on my mind lately how things work in life. How one discion can impact everything in your life while another doesn't even ripple the surface. We have had so many HUGE things go on in the last few weeks that my mind is reeling. Most days it seem a small miracle that I even get through it all. I am the positive polly in our house. I try to see the good in all things but sometimes I wonder if there is anything positive. Sometimes its a real stretch to find the positive, but I try. One day I am sure we will look back on this time in our lives and shake our heads and wonder if we were crazy.....right now I just feel crazy.

The house is an insane mess with the list growing day by day. We don't know what the purpose to this whole thing has been. We have felt for 3 years we needed to come here, to this house specifically and yet it is not home. I dont know if it ever will be. While we love the structure (much to the dismay of others lol!) the house is not our home, this town is not our town. We have this sinking feeling that this isjust a pit stop on our journey. We don't have any idea what is in store for us in the future and that is unsettling. We really thought this is where we were going to be for a long time. Now though, we aren't so sure. While some may think this funk is because of the list of things that must be done, we know otherwise. We love to tackle a list, we love remodeling, we love finding what a space wants to become, we look forward to those things.

However this place just isn't home and who really wants to tackle those things when it feels so temporary. We are trying to be positive, well I am anyway, that there really is a purpose to this, but secretly I am faltering. I am ready to throw the towel in, pack it all up and move on.

So here we sit in this really weird limbo with no where to really soothe us. So in the meantime I will make yet another list, this one is full of all that I am thankful for and hopeful for.

(In no particular order)

1. Its fall and beautiful.
2. The fog made an appearance today and all seemed right with the world for a short moment.
3. A house, while it may not be home it does shelter and for that I am greatful.
4. A sister I can laugh hysterically with.
5. Coughs, bathroom cabinets, and zits......you just had to be there but its for the aforementioned sister! ;)
6. A wonderful beautiful family, that while drive me to the brink of insanity, but also ground me more than anything in the world.
7. Prayer
8. Really great music
9. Crockpot cooking because the smells make me feel all warm and gooey inside.
10. Fabric because it inspires me to create the world that I want to see.

Enjoy the beautiful fall that is upon us, and if you have "home", say a little prayer of thanks and count your blessings.

The befores.......

2010-09-26T19:06:00.000-06:00

This is the front porch. This was actually the cleanest room in the house when we got here. There were a few odds and ends left but nothing to outrageous. The corners were covered in sipiderwebs and dust but that probably had a lot to do with the open window.

This is the front room. I guess I didn't have the camera with me when we first walked in so I cant share the horror with you. This is after we cleared out all the room, bleached the floors for the first time and had swept. We had started peeling off the cracked plaster on the walls and ceiling to fix it (the pile under the window is the begining of said work).

Front bedroom: This room was covered in dog hair. It was about 4 inches thick in the floor vent and coated all the corners a good 2 inches. It stunk. Really no way around that, it just reeked! The window under the towel had a large gap in the frame. We replaced the window, painted a less glaring shade of yellow, bleach mopped, and this room cleaned up pretty good.

Middle bedroom: This room was oh so beautiful. Graffitti style art work (as seen in the photo) covered the walls and floor (He loved Katrina in case you are wondering). It wasnt too bad for dirt but still stunk. The window is broken (still waiting for replacements) and there were dirty stinky clothes left every where in the room.

Middle bedroom floor: This floor was apperently a favorite for artwork. It was covered in random designs, graffitti, and other odds and ends.

Back Porch: This room was the most foul smelling room I have ever ever ever had the displeasure of smelling. It was horrible. There is nothing to even compare it too! It was covered in dirt, dog hair, cat pee/feces, and to top it off, thousands of pigeion feathers. Millions of flies covered every surface and you could hear them humming as you walked through. Even typing this makes my stomach turn, that is how bad it smelled. Oh and graffitti boy got his hands on the back door also.

A plant that apprerently was as cared for as the rest of the house. Great view of the mountains out that window though. Can not complain about that!

Kitchen cabinets: The kitchen was coated in a dirt/grease/filth mix so heavy that TSP, bleach and a putty knife were the only ways to get rid of it. Every single nook and cranny was covered in this thick paste of smelly smelly stuff. Dog hair was stuck everywhere, the walls were splattered with wet dog, mice droppings covered all the abandoned can goods in the cupboards. It. was. disgusting. No other way around it.

The broken kitchen window was taped in some spots until something happened and the whole window came out (except this small corner) so the tenents put a sheet of duct taped plexi glass in the hole. It was too small and this is the point of entry for the million flies. Because of this window, water entered the house and the countertops were rotted and molded.

The bathroom: This room has been the most insanity inducing rooms in the house. We had to tear out the floor, replace the bathtub plumbing, replace the toilet and the sink and lighting. This picture shows you the beautiful mosaic of mold that was under all the tile. The tile could no longer stay down because of the amount of warping and mold on the subfloor.

This was the fresh water damage we found under the tub. When I stuck the screw driver in the sub floor it sunk about .5 inch. The floor was saturated and leaking downstairs.

Tearing out the floor went pretty quick. We had to cut out the floor boards around the toilet because of the rot damage.

Front of the house: After spending so much time on the inside, the sad and neglected outside looks welcoming! We switched out the front door with the old original door (original door in photos) because the other door leaked air like mad! Plus as with everything else, it stunk!! The house had a tree growing right at the foundation and was starting to cause some damage. Dean took a few minutes one day and cut it down.

No more tree. The two windows on the front will be replaced. One is currently duct taped so it will be replaced here within the next week or two. The outside of the house needs some love but the inside is our priority right now. Hopefully by next summer I can put my grand plans for the exterior into action.

Well there are the few before pictures I took. I wish I had taken more but we sprang to action so quick that I didnt even think about it. I do have a pic of the dumpster that took the toxic waste away. I'll have to share that one next time along with the after pictures of each room.

HUGE transition for us

2010-09-22T22:08:00.000-06:00

A couple of months ago I hinted at a big change coming our way and I mentioned a remodel. Well both of these things have happened. Three weeks ago we moved out of our very first home and moved to a city nearly 2 hours away. We did this for many reasons and it was not an easy choice to make. We had lived in our old house for 5 years and we were very happy there. However we have felt for a while that we needed a change. Boy have we gotten a change.

First the house. Oh boy the house. Where to even start. Some of you already know about this because you have had the unfourtunate experience of hearing me rant and rave. Sorry for the repeat. But for all others here you are. We moved into a hundred year old farm house that we have been in love with for years. It is about twice the size of our old house. Its brick which reminds me of my favorite house a kid and its set up similar which just makes me smile every time I walk through the house. However that is where any sort of sweet feelings end. When we walked into this house 3 weeks ago we were greeted with filth that I have only seen in the movies. It was disgusting and the smell about knocked you out. It was filled with furniture covered in 5 inches of dog hair and pee. It had splatters all over the walls in who knows what. The bathroom floor was rotted to the floor boards, the kitchen was missing half the linoleum (it was torn off I guess), leaking water, and about a million flies (that is only barely an exageration!). The downstairs was filled with dog feces, urine, a tom cat, and walls molded half way up from the 3 windows that were broken and leaking everywhere. When I say this house was trashed, it is in no way an exageration and when I say it was filthy I am not kidding. For 2 weeks Dean and I worked 12-18 hours a day, gutting, painting, cleaning, bleaching, cleaning, painting, gutting......everything in this house. We finally felt like it was okay enough for the kids to come in, but only with shoes on. Seriously it was horrible.

However the good news is we have finally finished the most crucial of issues. Now all the stuff that has to be done are more like preferences. We now have a mold free kitchen, bath and (almost) downstairs. We had someone come out and check the mold, it was just surface and easily elimintated. The insurance adjuster came out and we will be replacing the 9 windows that are broken. We have already replaced one and have windows for another 3. We have used a total of 10 gallons of paint, 7 rollers, 5 paint brushes, 2 gallons of bleach, 5 gallons of TSP (reconstituted), 1 windex, and we filled a construction site sized dumpster with garbage. It has been a back breaking 3 weeks. We have both lost weight and barely sleep. Tonight is our first night that we have taken off.

So why was the house this bad? Renters. The house has been a family rental for about 20 years. The rent has been nearly nothing and this is one of those "You get what you pay for" situations. The last renters were the worst in 20 years. They did more damage in 2 years than anyone else had inflicted in 100! But here we are. Looking to the future with a heck of a lot more elbow room. We have a list a mile long of things that need to be done, a list just as long of things that we want done, and another list of wish list items that will only happen if we purchase the place.

The new town is ugly. Come on you knew I was going to say something about it right? If you have been reading this blog for any time you know that I am a sucker for trees and charm. Well I have to say that this city is just nasty. Really. I reminds me of the worst part of the town I grew up in. Just dirty. The upside however, I am only 12 miles from a fabric store! WOOT WOOT. Hey you gotta make lemonade out of the lemons right. In fact I have 2 fabric stores within 15 miles. One is like heaven.....anyway I am trying to get used to the new city (and city it is, its nearly 3 times our old town population.). I love that we live about as far away from it as you can get and still be in the city limits. I have a view of the mountains outside the (new) kitchen window, and get this, they actually have trees. We have 5 HUGE trees on the property, a barn, chicken coop, and endless farming "treasures" for the kids to find.

Another great bonus.....In the 6ft tall weeds was an entire garden. It was doing great with tons of produce. Peppers, tomatoes, beans, corn, cucumbers and strawberries. It was a very welcome sight. A little slice of normallacy in spite of the hurricane of choas. The garden has finished for the year, a hard freeze came though and took everything out. But while it was here it was fantastic!

So another thing here since I am rambling.....our church is huge. We finally made it today for the first time. Now only is the building set up crazy maze like but there are so many people! I miss our old ward and all the familiar faces. I kept noticing people and thinking "Oh here comes so and so. Oh wait so and so doesn't live here." It was so sad to be that out cast newbie again. I hate that feeling. It reminds me of the time my best friend and I had to make a bet to see who could make a friend faster because we were going to get seperated during lunch breaks in 4th/5th grade. (Remember that Nicole????) It doesn't help that I don't really come across as a warm and friendly person until you get to know me a little. SIGH, it will get easier the more comfortable we get but right now I just feel off kilter and out of sorts. I know all will be well but I sure hate the wait until that day comes.

So just to let you know we haven't fallen off the face of the planet. We have only switched to a new one! Things are getting back to normal. And as soon as I unpack the USB cable for the camera I will treat you to some really great before and after pics!

Introducing Sacred Grove Press!

2010-08-18T09:19:00.000-06:00

The story:

When we started thinking about homeschooling I consulted my best friend Google for all manner of information. I was able to find the method that fit with our educational goals (Classical Education), I was able to find the curriculum that we would use, and I found a great forum of other parents that were educating within the Classical Model (WTM forum, link on the right). I cam across many, many, MANY sites for Christians of all kinds to find support, curriculum suggestions, etc. The one thing I did not find however was a interesting, often updated LDS homeschooling site. They are few and far between. There are a small handful of email lists and websites, most not being updated since 2005 or so. This presents a problem when a parent wants to connect with others of like mind to find out whats working and whats not.

So nearly a year ago I had this idea to create our own website for LDS homeschooling parents. I wanted the site to be pretty, encouraging, inspiring and helpful. I wanted to offer advice, suggestions, and a forum to LDS families no matter where they are on the homeschooling journey. We purchased the website domain a couple of months ago and we have been working on ideas here and there. A couple of weeks ago we launched into full development mode.

I will admit my brain is totally fried, I dream of HTML and widgets, but it has been fun to see what we could come up with. The website isn't totally finished yet. Dean has been writing a curriculum for families, I have been designing a fancy planner and we have a couple other ideas in their infancy stage. The forum isn't up yet but in time that will come. Things aren't quiet finished but we are on schedule and that is a good thing.

I know most of you who read this do not homeschool and even fewer are LDS but you should still head on over and just see what we have done. The site isn't professional but I think its a great start to something that is going to be a really great resource. If you notice anything not working right please leave me a comment so I can fix it. :)

And now the link.........check it out!

Sacred Grove Press

Slow summer days

2010-08-15T17:05:00.000-06:00

Life has been so busy the last few months that I haven't been able to breath. Then all of a sudden everything has come to a screeching hault. Well for at least a week anyway. School starts up again in a week. I start the 23rd (I think) and the kiddos will start after labor day. I have yet to even get some of their curriculum but it is on my to-do list this next week.

With the summer winding down I have to admit I am sad. I have done little to no canning, jam making, gardening, etc. It makes me sad. Since the garden was such a horrible flop this year I am going to try a winter garden. I picked up a few windows a couple years ago that I am going to use as a cold frame. I want to try for some kale and other hardy greens. If things continue to go as they have, that ambition might be put off though. ;) We'll see.

I am looking forward to autumn. It is my favorite season and on that is so short lived. I cant wait to see fog again, smell all the wonderful sweet earthy smells, and see the leaves change. Something about the season just makes me want to cook, laugh and knit (lol I don't even knit!). It makes me want to be home with my family and eating popcorn. It reminds me of rollerblading with my best friend as kids, sleepovers, and pencils.

Anyone else love that line in You've Got Mail.... "I would send you a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils...." or even better when Meg Ryan sniffs the scotch tape? I love that scene and starting in August it plays over and over in my mind. I smile when I walk by pencil displays......I would send myself a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils and you can guarantee I would be sniffing them. And construction paper....oh don't get me started on construction paper.....

Okay this post has turned up very random but since it is me that isn't to abnormal! :) I will leave you with this....

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." ~George Eliot

Have a fantastic week everyone!

The Well Adjusted Child

2010-08-12T16:11:00.000-06:00

I picked up this book at the library the other day and started reading it today. Its all about socialization (the big "S" word in homeschooling circles) as that is a major concern people have with homeschooling. I have seen it posted all over the web "Oh I would homeschool except I would hate being stuck in the house" or "I would homeschool but then my kid wouldn't have any friends." or "Well they have to learn those skills somehow and they can't do it with just family." and lastly "My kid has learning/behavior/insert issue here and they really need to learn how to work with other kids."

Time and time again it has been discussed that kids have to be in school to learn how to deal with others. In "The Well Adjusted Child" the author discusses why homeschooled kids are actually at a better advantage because they have to learn to deal with ALL ages rather than just those in their peer group. Homeschooled children learn to deal with all different types of social situtations beacuse they are not stuck in a classroom everyday. In fact colleges will seek out homeschooled students because they are able to handle the stress of college life better than their public schooled peers.

Anyway the book is a good read if you are thinking of homeschooling, think homeschooling is nuts, or if you are a homeschooler yourself. Give it a try.

***I am not against public education in the least. I think for a lot of people it is the best option. I do however think that more children could succeed if they were to learn in a home enviroment.***

Happy Anniversary!

2010-08-05T23:12:00.000-06:00

Today we celebrated our 11 year anniversary. Who knew that the longer two people are together the more in love they could be. It hasn't all been sunshine and rainbows but that just makes it all the sweeter. So here I sit, in love with the man I will have forever and I have to think, I am freakin' blessed! :)

So here is to the next decade of our lives. May they be filled with many more surprises, late night revealing talks (hint hint), hand holding, fantastic smooches, passion (you know, the good kind!), and most importantly, love that eases all sadness, brightens all joy, calms all fears, and just keeps on growing.

I love you, babe, you rock!!

Life

2010-07-29T11:47:00.001-06:00

Last weekend Dean took the kids to an air show. They thought it was awesome of course. They were able to watch different planes doing all sorts of stunts for nearly 4 hours. The best part about it though, the cousins were there! The kids adore their older cousins and they all get along so great. They all had a lot of fun and talked about it for days.

This next week for us will be big. We have a lot of big changes coming soon that we are trying to prepare for. Everyone is a little on edge right now, me probably being the worst. I have had to purposefully find the good in each day which is a total switch from my almost always optimistic self! I have made it a point to listen to uplifting music because anything remotely melancholy or angry just fans the flames! These are the times when I most need to remember the following prayer:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change;

Courage to change the things I can;

and the wisdom to know the difference.

This is something that plays in my mind often but in times like these I need to really remember it. I have the tendency to try and control everything I can when I feel things are going wrong. There comes a point when I know I have to say no more. Today is one of those days. I can not control everything (much to my dismay at times!) and I have to accept what is.

So with that thought I hope you all have a great weekend. Ours will be filled with cleaning, gardening, cleaning, and more gardening. Its a vicious yet lovely cycle!

Deyhdrator Q & A

2010-07-22T10:26:00.001-06:00

I posted a couple days ago that I was planning on using a dehydrator to store my onions this year. I shared this idea with Gina from Home Joys and she asked for more info.

Well I will help with what I can. First off I read different articles listed on line (google searched) and in Mother Earth Magazine. Mother Earth has archives that can be searched which is really helpful. Then I purchased the book Preserving the Harvest. This book has sections for canning, storing, dehydrating and freezing. There are a lot of useful tips and ideas in the book so I definitely recommend checking it out.

In the past I have dried the left over fruits from my canning endeavors. I have tried apricots, strawberries, watermelon, raspberries, apples and bananas. All have turned out really great except the bananas. I have also made fruit leathers and yogurt leather (oh so good!!). The kids have devoured everything I have dried within a few days.

The above picture is the dehydrator that I use. I picked this up at Wal-Mart for $50 dollars and a second one at a thrift store for $3. While this is a decent dehydrator if you are going to just give dehydrating a try, it really is inefficient for any sort of bulk quantities. The main issue with this type of dehydrator are:

1. The location of the fan. Because the fan is located on top the racks do not dry evenly thus making it necessary to rotate the racks.

2. The amount of heat this baby puts out is horrible. I can not use it in my house because it will quickly raise the hit 10 degrees. Therefore I leave it outside on the step, which means I forget about rotating the racks. :)

3. It is small. I give dry foods as snacks to the kids and we can quickly go through the amounts this dehydrator can dry.

The major positive about this dehydrator is its portability. It can easily be moved around and easily stored on a shelf out of the way.

Okay so the dehydrator I want? Oh this is a real beauty!

A good friend of mine purchased this from Cabala's a couple of years ago. She has raved about this more than once and has nothing bad to say about it. The positives to this machine:

1. The fan is located at the back of the unit. This allows the air to circulate evenly throughout for even drying.

2. Its size allows for A LOT of food to go in at one time.

3. It has an automatic shut off if the internal temperature gets to high. This is a great feature as it keeps from drying the food to a crisp!

4. It has a timer.

The two drawbacks are its size and the cost. It is about the size of a small wine cooler so you must have a place to store it. The price tag on this is definitely an investment but if you plan on using it often it would be worth the price.

Now if you really want to get into dehydrating you can build your own. This has been on my to do list for a couple of years now and I keep putting it off. There are some great designs located on the Internet. Do a google search for "Solar dehydrator plans" and you will have pages to wade through.

Well there is some starter information for you if you are interested. If you have any questions just ask me and I will see what I can do! If you have any helpful information please share it!

Garden Goodies Tonight

2010-07-21T21:46:00.000-06:00

Everyone crashed tonight except Caitlin and I so we grabbed a bowl and headed to the garden. The prize?? A cabbage, 4 onions, 3 broccoli heads and 2 peas. I told you it was slim pickin's this year. ;) Regardless of how little the harvest was all of it is beautiful. Check these babies out.....

Okay I just had to share because everything looked so pretty. And the spell was just as fantastic! Good night all.

Food Storage on my mind

2010-07-21T14:34:00.003-06:00

Food storage has been on my mind for a while now. We have had to be very frugal in our spending for the last year because of unemployment. To say money has been tight is a gross understatement! I have always tried to keep a well stocked pantry but last summer I kicked into hyper drive. I bought TONS of food in big 25lb bags with the intention of storing it. I started buying extra of everything and because of this I have a very stocked pantry and storage room. I was having a conversation not long ago with a friend who wanted to get her pantry/storage system going but had no idea where to start. I thought I would pass on what I have learned if it will help someone else.

About a year ago a friend of mine called to say she stumbled onto a great site for couponing. She was getting into couponing at the time and thought I would be interested also. I checked out the site and while I liked the whole coupon idea I still haven't implemented it into my normal routine. However the site she shared was a real gem for something I do make part of my everyday life. Food Storage. I know for some of you this wins me the dork of the year award but really it is something that I wouldn't be without. This great website is actually ran by three friends who all specialize in one part of food storage. Here check the site out so you know what the heck I am talking about. Food Storage Network

Food Storage Made Easy

Since I am a planner at heart my favorite part of their site is Planning It. Shortly after finding out about the site I decided to purchase their planner because even though they send out free emails I couldnt wait to get started. Yes I know, anxious dork now. :) So anyway I bought their planner so that I could get a (cute) start on everything. I wanted everything broken down so I knew just what I needed to do and how much to buy. I had looked at other online calculators in the past and while they were helpful they were also daunting. I mean who really looks at the need of 600lbs of wheat and is comforted! That is a big tast to purchase and store that much food! Anyway Jodi and Julie have made some freaking awesome calculators for planning. They have a 3 month calculator that I adore. Seriously if I could I would marry it. Its that awesome. By using their calculator last month I was able to purchase an entire 3 month food storage for $250 bucks!!!! Yup $250. Check out the link for the 3 month calculator HERE. There are YouTube videos and other helps on that page.

Another site that can be helpful is Simply Living Smart. I found this site over a year ago and it has changed A LOT. They have quite a bit of information available to help get you motivated but you do have to create an account for free or purchase a membership.

One last site that has been helpful at times (including her awesome list for pantry items) is Crystal at The Family Homestead. Crystal is the mom of 8 kids and lives in beautiful western Washington. She has great articles on making bread, yogurt. using beans, buying in bulk etc. One of my favorite things on her site is her meal planning calendar. I go to her site once a month and print it out. Very simple. I printed out her Whole Foods Pantry list and keep it in my food storage binder.

Okay those have been the most helpful sites for me. I hope that those will help everyone out in their planning a little. Good Luck!!

Canning '10

2010-07-20T22:34:00.002-06:00

Every year I do a running tally of what I have canned from our garden and other finds. This year sadly, I have nothing to work with. So much of the garden has been a flop and I have had little luck with finding other sources. The onions of course are still doing amazing and after reading Karls post about deydrating, I think I will give it a try this year. Normally the dehydrator is filled with apples, apricots, and fruit leathers but so far nothing has gone in there. Tomorrow we will have a few cabbage heads ready to harvest, after that its only the waiting game with potatoes.

So sad that they garden has been dismal this year. I am hoping to get my hands on a few bushels of tomatoes, beans, corn, cucumbers and some peppers. Any fruit would be great but with late frosts this year that might not happen either.

So for now all I have is 4 quarts of freezer jam. We dont even like freezer jam that much but there just wasn't enough fruit to warrant heating the house up for the hot water bath. Wish me luck on scoring some great produce this year! :)

The first few weeks of July

2010-07-15T16:10:00.003-06:00

Dean started a new job this month (woo hoo!) so we spent a few weeks in Portland Oregon. Portland is my favorite city so far. It gorgeous, green and laid back. Seriously the city for me. If I were ever to move back to the city it would definitely be Portland. We had a friend watch our garden while we were gone. Things really exploded, including the weeds. The grass totally died which breaks my heart but at least the veggies did okay. Here are the beautiful onions. These babies dont look all that fantastic but let me put it into perspective. I am 5'2 and these onions are as tall as my chest! Seriously fantastic to check these out!

The broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage did really great. We came home to a huge harvest of both broccoli and cauliflower. The cabbage needs a little longer but it shouldn't be but a few days before it is ready too. The sunflowers are as tall as me and going strong.

Here is the whole view of the garden this morning. Its looking a little shabby and honestly it isn't really pretty right now. Everything is crowded by weeds and looks a little dry and blah. I have been watering all day so I am hoping everything perks up tonight.

This is my sister and her youngest baby. We stayed with them while we were in Portland. The kids had a ball and my sister and I spent many hours laughing and being dumb.

Caitlin and my niece. They were inseparable during our vacation.

Lake Oswego. This is where we spent the most disappointing 4th of July to date. There was supposed to be a huge fireworks show over the lake but for whatever reason it didn't happen. So we saw a few from over the lake/mountain and that was it. The kids still thought it was awesome so that is all that matters.

All the kiddos before we went to the fireworks.

4th of July parade in Lake Oswego city. We picked this town celebration because it was billed as family friendly. What that meant was filled with families. Seriously the entire parade was a bunch of families walking down the street. It was actually comical to sit there for 45 minutes while family after family walked by. This is a picture of the only non family related selection in the parade. I think that was the mayor.

The kids ready to watch the parade. The anticipation was building. :)

Overall our vacation was good. We cut it short because Caitlin was just about to hit anxiety mode which is never pleasant. We are all home and doing well. The garden is recovering, the grass is not, the house is a mess and the kids have been outside for hours everyday. Life is back to normal and everything is just swell! :)

Garden and Grins

2010-06-27T20:33:00.004-06:00

We have an awesome friend who is getting experience before opening up a photography business. She called the other day and asked us to come over and let her have a go with our kids. I was game and here are just a few of the shots we got that day.

We had our first garden goody today. We harvested enough broccoli to have with pasta for lunch and a small head of lettuce. Everything is looking so incredible (well as long as I ignore the tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, melons and squash). The onions are taller than Ian and nearly as tall as Caitlin. Cabbage is looking nice but I am sort of concerned. All the heads are really loosly formed. I dont know if this is how these varieties are or if the weather has turned to hot to fast and they aren't going to grow right. I suppose I will see here in a while. The peas are incredible! We have hundreds of little pods covering the plants. There are still tons of blooms. I think we will get an awesome harvest which makes my heart pitter patter.

Broccoli, cabbage and carrots

Peas and sunflower

Sunflower, cabbage, broccoli, and carrots. I let this broccoli plant go to seed so I can save for next year.

This little baby was delightful for lunch!

I should have supported the peas long ago but honestly I didn't expect them to live this long! They are climbing their way up each other and have created a tight little block of peas.

Leisure time

2010-06-16T10:04:00.002-06:00

The nice weather has finally come (well except today that is!) and we have spent most of out time outside. Everyone but me (the families pet albino) has tanned up nicely with sun streaked hair. Its been wonderful. Last night we spent some time with friends. Caitlin is obssesed with horses and they happen to have three. Her day was made when she actually got to ride one around for a while. Here a few shots from their place....

Yesterday evening Cailtin came in the house shreiking about the cool thing they found. She wouldn't say what it was only that we MUST.COME.NOW. So out we went. Here is what we saw......Know what that is? Its about a million spider babies! Unfortunately because they are so small I couldn't get a good picture. So all the little tan specks? Yeah those are creepy crawly spiders.

Sunday evening we took a little drive around the area. I wanted to get a couple of great pics of the local birds but no such luck. Instead I get shots of things that dont move, like sagebrush.

In case you are one of the lucky ones that lives in an area of the world that is not familiar with the sage brush sea here is a wonderful pic of it. This is the view that stretches F.O.R.E.V.E.R. Its sad but there you have it.

We are planning a trip to Portland Or next month. Dean will start a new job and needs to spend a month up there. Dang. Its my favorite city so it will definately be torture to have to see green trees and flowers and such. I am heartbroken that we have to go somewhere so lovely. I think I will recouver though don't worry. The awesome things about it is my sister lives there also so we will get to hang out. Parks, yard sales, cooking, yes it will be fun! After Portland we will be switching things up with a little re-decorating, rearranging rooms, etc. Just wait till you see the before and after pics of that one!

Sunday Snapshots: Rain Rain

2010-06-06T17:25:00.004-06:00

To say we have had rain as of late is an understatment! Everyday it has rained for hours on end. Everything has grown by leaps and bounds because of all this extra moisture. It really has been wonderful even though I have complained a couple of times!

The grass out front has gone wild. Dean mowed it last week in a brief dry sunny moment. However it didn't last long enough to weed eat.

I love these rocks! I have taken many pictures of them in different light and conditions. Who knew a pile of rocks could make a girl smile?

My neighbor has an entire corner of their lot covered in wild roses. They come through onto our yard just a little. Every year they bloom in a riot of yellow. They always make me smile. These two little roses were hidden down in the brush.

The Irises are loving the rain. I think they look spectacular wet!

Another favorite of mine. Wet logs and weeds. Something about them makes me think of spending my childhood summers in Island Park Idaho with my grandparents. Makes me think of them everytime!

Okay, hopfully you see this Mr.H......what kind of mushrooms are these babies? They are growing everywhere we put mulch down and along side the garden beds where the soil and wood meet. Are they edible?

Remember that patchy grass a few weeks back? Here she is now. Seriously, the grass has gone crazy!! Most of it comes up to my ankles now. The kids are in heaven with so much play area!

More little shrooms growing in the broccoli bed.

Our first head of broccoli. If the weather holds we should be able to get a couple nice sized heads. If it freaks and get hot really quick....well then we will eat this little guy.

This is the garden looking west. Top are peas, potatoes in the corner, broccoli and cauliflower in the foreground and onions on the other side. Everything looks wonderful in the rain.

You might be wondering what this sad little thing is....its actually one of our best looking tomatoes. Like every year the weather has switched and killed the tomatoes. I planted this on a day it was nearly 80 degrees. The next day we had a huge hail storm and nearly constant rain since. We have had a couple good frosts too. While most of the garden has loved this, sadly the tomatoes have not.

The cucmbers didn't care for the weather either. I have yet to grow a cucumber. Sad.

The load of weeds I cleaned out of the strawberries and mint today. It was raining and I was soaked and muddy but it felt wonderful. Everything smelled so alive and wonderful!

Have a great week everyone!

Garden Sunset

2010-05-28T11:29:00.004-06:00

Last night the sunset was amazing. The yard was covered in shadows, from what I couldn't say. It was beautiful to say the least. The sunset reminded me of a Thomas Kincaid painting. While his work is amazing, nature has him beat hands down!

Peppermint plant in the garden. The flies were a total bonus.

The peas are loving the cool weather. I am loving the fact they actually have come up!

I planted a few onion sets from last year with the hopes they will go to seed. I plan to save the seed for next year. So far all the old sets are starting to flower so I think my plan will work out.

The raised beds. Most are planted now and everything is looking fine, despite the hail storm that hit yesterday.

Sweet little tomato plant. This baby is an heirloom of some variety. I lost so many of my starts that I no longer know which plant is which. All I care is that they all grow into wonderful tomato filled vines! This year I am trying a red plastic mulch from Gardens Alive. This is supposed to produce greater yields, stronger vines, and more vigorous plants.

The back tree that will soon meets its demise. We love this tree but it is dying a very fast death caused by wood borers. We had a tree guy come out and look at it. Three years ago he gave it 5 years max before it was dead. This year there are only a few leaves on the whole tree. So sad.

In my yard today.....

2010-05-19T12:37:00.002-06:00

I love this little red flower!

We seeded the back pasture a few weeks ago. The amount of weeds that grew in this space was outrageous! The grass is taking pretty patchy right now. We are hoping that it will continue germinating and will fill in before the weeds make a comeback.

Fruit trees that we bought a few weeks ago. Two are doing great while 3 are not. The nectarine and peach trees just dont seem to be taking well. I hope that we are able to save them. I plan to get some fertilizer (organic of course) and see if that will help.

Saskatoon Berry bush. I ordered these from Gurneys last year because they were advertised as a great blueberry for Western Regions. Later on I found out by reading Subsistence Pattern
that they aren't like a blueberry at all. However they do make a wonderful pie so I am okay with them sticking around. ;) We did plant some bluberries this year but so far it doesnt look like they will make it.

Ahhh yes the chickens. This picture was taken last night after a special treat was given to the chickens. They were such happy little buggers. Now.....well they were dog food last night. Our neighbors dogs have managed to kill 95 birds over the last 3 years. He refuses to do anything about it. Last night, not only did they kill the remaining 6 (of an original 30) but they also tore apart the fencing and managled the lid to the nesting boxes. Dean called the sheriffs department and was told to "bait em', trap em', and shoot em'." Because we live in the county there is no action that can be taken except by us. So.....

We planted these onions from sets. There are a few thrown in that were from last year (I grew those from seed). The old ones are already starting to flower out. I plan to let them go and save the seed for next year. My hope is to let a few plants of everything go to seed so that I can begin saving seed.

This is the first year that I have managed to get peas to grow! WOO HOO!! Dont mind the weeds, thats on todays agenda. In this bed are also some lettuce and radishes that havent germinated much yet.

Our local organic strawberry farm has experienced some issues with crop this year. It looks like they will have a limited crop available (such was the case last year too). So it looks like the only strawberries I will be getting will come from our garden. That is a bummer since I lost about 50 plants this year. I will have to see if I can track down a lot more plants.

I can say a lot of negative things about the land here but the sky never fails to amaze me!!

The veiw straight back. Normally this is knee high weeds by now. This is a welcome change! The area in the foreground will become an area for BBQ, fire pit and picnic table. Once the grass takes, I will have Dean make some raised beds for herbs and flowers.

Backyard Nature Day

2010-05-17T21:34:00.004-06:00

Today we moved our wood pile to make room for a future fire pit and other things. We also had a bunch of old building materials that we needed to get moved. Dean happened to pick up a peice of plywood that had been lying down for some time. Underneath we found a mouse nest. We both glaced at it and made a "oh look a nest" comment and moved on. Ian however decided to look a little closer and he found the nest filled with babies! We had the mother mouse totally freaked out and it caused her to mover her babies to another location. We got the whole thing on video. It was pretty cool to watch. What amazed both Dean and I, was how quickly she got over the instinct to run and instead focused on the instinct to save her babies. It was pretty interesting to watch.

Here is the second nest we found. This one was hidden under some old firewood. This mouse didnt have as far to go to move her babies. There were actually two mice coming and going from this nest, although only one is actually moving the babies. One of the babies was left behind for some reason.

***OKay I tried to load the 2nd video for 2 hours tonight. It isnt working. I will try again tomorrow!*****

After this we found a squirmy nest of some nasty little bug. I took a video but it didnt turn out all that great. Then we found a big frog inside some black plastic wrap. The morning started out with seeing a cream and black snake in a friends driveway and ended with seeing a jack rabbit in the same driveway. Overall it was an interesting day filled with animals of all sorts. The kids were in heaven and we had a fun time seeing all these different critters.