Life

Sometimes what we have to do gets in the way of what we want to do, and sometimes that's a good thing.  Sometimes we're waiting for the perfect set of circumstances to start this or do that, when we realize that the circumstances will never be perfect and we need to make the most of the moments we're given.

This is very easy to type, but putting it into practice is challenging for me.  I've long held this notion that if everyone would just stop for a couple of days, I could get my act together and then things would run more smoothly and we'd enjoy life more.  Of course we all know that we can't snap our fingers and cease time while we do this, so what's a wife and mom to do?

I'm still working on it.  I do notice that we go through seasons, not just the 4 on our yearly calendar, but phases in which some activities are easier to accomplish than others.  As Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes chapter 3, there is a time for just about everything.  As I seem to get one set of circumstances or a situation under control, a new series appears.

That would explain my long absence from writing here.  Nearly a year and a half!  It would take me that long to write it all out, so I will simply summarize.

1. Finalization of the adoption of our two youngest children.
2. Crazy summers in which we try to continue lessons in our homeschool AND enjoy all the activities offered in our community (summer reading programs with awesome field trips, vacation Bible schools, Jr ranger camp and an assortment of other fun things).
3. A brief period in which I felt we were settling into a new normal.
4. A good upheaval when we welcomed another foster child into our family, and the adjustment period that goes along with that (such as figuring out how 6 people were going to fit into the space that a couple of years ago was seemingly inadequate for just 3 of us).
5. The holiday season-rehearsals for the church Christmas program, preparing for Thanksgiving and Tony's birthday, days away cutting firewood for the winter, furniture rearranging so that a Christmas tree can be put up and decorated, and the celebration of TWO birthdays right after the new year starts.
6. Another new normal that includes 4 children and Tony working out of town (and sometimes even out of state!) for days at a time.
7. A not so good upheaval when said foster child was relocated.
8. Spring on the farm and the anticipation of new baby farm animals!  We missed the births of all of them, lost a couple during labor & delivery, and had to bottle feed one.
9. With spring comes little league baseball, which rolls right into summer vacation and another crazy fun summer similar to number 2.
10. Which brings us to the period we're in now-a new first for all of us-youth football and cheer leading, with practice 3 nights a week and games on Saturdays.

In my attempts to bring order from chaos, I've decided I need several things, and one is a creative outlet, so here I am again.  The ideas swirling in my head may now have a chance at making their way out, and that, I believe, enriches the brain, exercises it, making it stronger for those things that need to be done.  When those things get done, there is more time for intentional, authentic living, and that has been my aim for quite some time.  Thank you for taking the time to read and I hope to 'see' you again.

Here and There in the Blogger World

I read a lot more blog posts than I write.  I probably even comment more at other blogs than write original posts on mine.  This week I was quoted at SteadyMom.  She had written a brief story about achieving peace.  My comments were quoted in her next post about What Choosing Peace Does Not Mean.  I was pretty excited about that!

Then there's the grain debate that's so popular right now.  I've read a bit on both sides.  I whole-heartedly agree that processed white flour should be avoided, but I don't come to the same conclusion with whole grains.  I know that gluten intolerance is on the rise and many people are avoiding wheat and other gluten containing grains.  I don't notice any symptoms though, in myself or my family.  The debate regarding whether humans should even eat grains is a very interesting one and you can find a lot of info on both sides.  I have an online friend that removed all grains from her diet (and subsequently her family's diet) and they are all doing wonderfully.  But they had issues prior.  One blogger has tried a few of the grain free approaches and still has the same symptoms, so it clearly isn't a one size fits all resolution.  I appreciate her willingness to take up the pro-grain side of the story and show that it's not a demon for everyone.  I encourage you to read her post, but be warned-there are nearly 300 comments!

There's also Kelly the Kitchen Kop writing a story in support of healthy grains.  I left a comment that sparked interest for another commenter and we had a respectable discussion that I found refreshing and interesting.  You can read it here.  It seems rare (for me anyway) to be able to present and discuss opposing viewpoints without it breaking down into heated debate.  In my experience, people don't like to have their opinions questioned.  I say-how do you learn something if you don't ask questions?  I ask nicely, never resorting to name calling or belittling, but I still get those that get all riled up simply because I asked to know more about their point of view.  Oh well, I digress.  Take the time to read the other posts and let me know what you think on both of the issues.

Social Media Sites

You know the drill.  You can "like" something on facebook or tweet about things.  Now I'm hearing about one called pinterest which looks like a visual bookmark page, as far as I can tell.  I don't see the attraction at this point though.

I had a facebook account a couple of years ago.  The young moms in my MOPS group said it was great-find old friends, keep up with new friends, play games, share pictures.  So I tried.  I didn't like it.  I think I had my account for close to a year.  It was a time sucker that didn't give me anything positive to show for it, so I disabled it.

I've never tweeted, and as mentioned, don't see the attraction to pinterest.  However, it's getting harder and harder to get some of the wonderful things bloggers offer unless I have a facebook account, so I'm considering getting one somewhat incognito.  Perhaps using my blog name as the log in account, and then only using it to access updates from other bloggers, etc.  Yeah, I think that's what I'll do, but someone needs to keep me accountable to ONLY using it for those purposes.  I've been reducing screen time and want to stay on that trend.

How about you?  Do you enjoy the social media sites or find them overwhelming and time consuming?

This is a neat idea!

I just read this-from a link in another blog I follow.  Sounds interesting so I thought I'd share.

Bartering Bloggers

MIA

Where does the time go?  I haven't blogged or read my favorites for weeks!  We've been searching for a new house and it has seriously eaten into our available time.  We made an offer today, but we aren't the only ones to do so.  Now it's the waiting game and I'm just not good at that.

I've become so focused on it that I can't even "think outside the box" right now and come up with anything exciting to share with you.  Maybe in a couple of days I'll be back with the proclamation that our offer was accepted and we'll be moving soon!

Weekly Wrap Up Feb 19th

I just finished reading a story that has disappointed me.  The Dervaes Family was awarded a trademark for the term Urban Homestead (and others).  Click the link to see more about it.  I'm headed to their site now to cancel my subscription.

Goober Gus caught whatever Tony had last week, but I'm happy to report that he fought it off much better.  He slept most of yesterday (oh wow, was that ever nice!) and is chipper and chatty today.  We started on the elderberry lozenges as soon as Tony started feeling bad, and I think that's what helped Gus to fight it off so quickly.  When we ran out of the lozenges, we made our own syrup from Herbal Nurturing. 

It's raining in AZ!  We've had about an inch of rain fall since the wee hours of the morning, which will hopefully give the grass a head start on growing, which means less money spent on hay!  It's been an indoor day except for the short time it stopped raining and we milked the goats.  Cream is ready to be milked, and she's got a great temperament for a milk goat, but she's holding back her milk.  We brought Spice up to the milkstand with her today but she still didn't let down.  I'll just keep trying!

For dessert tonight we made shakes from:

• 3/4 to 1 cup raw milk
• 6 scoops of Blue Bunny All Natural Vanilla ice cream
• 2 bananas
• 3 eggs
• 2 T raw, organic cacao powder
• 1 T ground maca root

Oh my were they ever good!  That will have to be a weekly treat!

Wednesday evening I was preparing to take hay to Elsie & crew and noticed one of the barred rock hens standing peculiarly.  I watched for a moment and out pops an egg!  It was a softshell-like she laid it 12 hours early or something.  I saved it to show at our homeschool play date on Thursday.  It felt like a water balloon.  I haven't seen any others, and hope it was just a fluke.  We crush and feed their shells back to them, so I'm guessing they get enough calcium.  Oyster shells if I find more?

Melody at Laughing Duck Farm had goat babies born on her farm recently too, if you need another dose of goat baby cuteness!  Ours are almost a month old and I need to take more pictures.

For Valentine's Day we went to a community event/round table discussion about the needs of local farmers and local food venues and how to bring it all together.  I'm glad we went and am eagerly awaiting the arrival of notes from the night via email, so that I can share with you what transpired, without having to type it all out!  Basically we shared (the panel and audience) the problems facing growers and then potential solutions.  The problems were many but came down to two basics:  community education and less government regulation.  The solutions sounded good, but I wonder just how well many can be carried out. 

We booked a trip on the Grand Canyon Railway for March 18th.  We bid on tickets last April at a benefit auction and are now taking the trip (because the tickets expire on the 18th!)  Goober Gus will love it!

For those so inclined, last Sunday's church service is available here.  Facing truth in life.  Good stuff!

Want to win a whole gallon of olive oil?

The good stuff?  Grown on a farm that uses no chemicals, but does use integrated farming methods, like brush removal by goats and fertilization by goats, cows and chickens?  Check out the 2011 Weight Loss and Wellness Challenge for more details.

A Plan for the Blog This Year

When I started this blog, it was on the recommendation of a friend as a place to record my private thoughts.  I quickly decided I liked having comments and the privateness never really happened.  I usually just post about what's happening in my life, and not on a regular basis.  The name was meant to be all encompassing so that I wouldn't be restricted by it.  With my 1 year blogging anniversary approaching I've decided to be a bit more routine in posting.  This is my posting plan: (Did you know you can schedule when a post goes live?)

• Sunday Scripture-whatever God has laid on my heart.  Those Scriptures that have deeper meaning in my life in general or for the current season of life.
• Wednesday Wellness-our ongoing efforts to clean up what we eat, what's in our household cleaners and what we use for personal care.
• Friday Favorites-web sites, stories, etc that have caused me to save to Favorites or sing up for email updates, and why I like it so much.
• Saturday Farm Report-wrap-up of the week.  Items of interest that maybe weren't enough to warrant a full post.

I also think I want to participate more in the sites that invite readers to post links to their blog if there's an associated story, and maybe  even host some.

Next task-to see if there's a template to introduce those days so that I don't have to type it every week, or even copy/paste it.

My Friend Karrie

We've never had the pleasure of meeting in person, but we do keep in touch online.  She's an amazing photographer and has been toying with the idea of turning her work into a marketable product.  She recently took the leap of faith and has posted her work in her artfire store.  Take a look and let her know what you think-she'd be grateful to read your encouraging words.  It probably wouldn't hurt if you wanted to buy something too.  ;-) 

I won, I won! Again!

Some of you might remember when I won the Chico Produce Bags, and then the very next day I won a book, The Town That Food Saved.  I've entered plenty more give aways since then, and just won again!  I won the Herbal Nurturing eBook from Michele at Frugal Granola.  You can see the post here.

Here's the table of contents.

I can't wait to get my link to download my free copy and try the Mama's Passion Bath Salts!  I've been wanting to learn more about natural care remedies and now I'll have this handy little book!

The Look & Feel of a Blog

I liked the old Blogger design tools better than the new system.  What I'd like even better than that is the knowledge to make and create blog backgrounds and layouts.  Some of the blogs I follow are so nicely layed out. 

Amy, at Homestead Revival has a very homey and welcoming blog.
At A Wise Woman Builds Her House, the site is beautiful and the music complements the blog substance.
At Keeper of the Home, Stephanie has a clean, crisp look.  Here's another at Small Notebook.

I like my blog to be welcoming, pleasing to the eye, and easy to navigate.  It's also a source of reminders for me, like the side bar constants that I just cleaned up.  I used to have a home business teaching and training home users and small business owners how to use their computers.  In all that time I never learned even basic HTML.  I've tried a few times, but it just doesn't make sense to me.  I'd love to create a look for my blog that truly represents me and my goals.  Got any suggestions?

Cod Liver Oil

Yes, cod liver oil, or CLO for short.  I've been reading about its health benefits, and even tried to consume it daily, but just couldn't get past the ick factor, regardless of the health that might come from it.  I'm encouraged to try again after reading this review at Kitchen Stewardship, but the giveaway would be helpful.  The good stuff is expensive, so it makes it harder to part with the cash and then not be able to "stomach" it.  Her review is funny and uplifting, so take the time to read it.

In my defense, I am taking a high Vitamin A capsule daily, and that's one of the nutrients in CLO.  What about you?

One Deal, One Giveaway, and Then She Found More

I love winning free stuff, don't you?  Since there's usually just one winner at a giveaway though, discounts are a nice consolation prize, right?

The first giveaway is the book, "In the Kitchen-Real Food Basics eBook".  I read the six page preview and ordered it!  It's only $5.21 with the current promotion.  If I win, she'll refund my purchase price.  Now that's good business sense! 

How about a wholesome family skincare goodie basket?

At another blog I follow there's a discount for Family Fun magazine.  It's 30 Minute Martha and the price is just $3.75!

I just found this while exploring this evening.  For the Love of Pie free eBook download.  Or Fun, Fabulous and (mostly) Free Preschool Projects.

Another Tattler Lid Giveaway

Don't ya just love a good giveaway?  I won two things from blogs, back to back, think I'll win again?

Here's the link to Keeper of the Home and the giveaway.

Want some free bakeware?

Then visit The Food Renegade.  She has a giveaway that ends this Saturday.  Paula's Bread is giving away the stainless steel muffin pan and jelly roll pan.  Why are you still here?  Follow the links and enter the contest!

Time for a Change

I'm just not satisfied with the tools available to change the look and layout of my blog since they added the new template designer.  It's probably because I don't understand HTML and really need drag and drop capabilities to do it easily.  I think I managed to give my page a new look though.  I don't have time to teach myself all these cool things, and really shouldn't be sitting here right now! 

I have company coming for dinner and the house needs to be cleaned.  So what do I do?  Clean out the cabinet where my plastic containers are kept.  Yeah, that's a priority when visitors are coming!  It's done though and I'm glad to mark it off my mental "to do someday" list.  Maybe now I'll sleep at night, lol!

We've been busy driving around neighborhoods within about a 90 minute radius of us, and it's crazy how much time it can take to peruse a neighborhood.  We stumbled across a great deal online recently and have put in an offer.  I'll come back with details when we get word of acceptance (or not).  Trying not to get my hopes up just in case the offer isn't accepted.

OK, I need to walk away from the computer.  Hope you're all having a great day!

I'm Back!

Maybe.  Well, OK, I am back from vacation, but I don't feel like I'm back in the groove.  Did I ever have a groove?  My goal while gone was to create one, but that didn't happen.  We plan to start our homeschool year on September 7th and I want to have some good routines in place and have an obtainable rhythm figured out by then.  I see so many things I want to do. 

A member at GNOWFGLINS posted a question about making sourdough english muffins and her pictures were enough to make me want to do that tomorrow morning!  I'm reading Health Bread in Five Minutes a Day right now and like the theory.  I barely started reading it though, so not ready to try it out.

We want to get a second round of seeds into the ground this week too, and take two of the goats to the pasture where our buck is so they can be bred.

There are some "back to school" sales and events coming up too.  I'm really looking forward to this Scholastic Book Fair Warehouse Sale.  Barnes and Noble also have some educator activities and kid stuff.

Now that I'm back, I can't wait to catch up on all the blogs I missed!  I glanced thru the list once when I managed to get online and I've been missing some fabulous posts.  Blogland, here I come!

Disconnected

I know I rely heavily on my computer and access to the internet for many things, but it's really highlighted when that access is cut off.  I've been away from home since evening time on July 30th.  We left our home to go spend the night at my parents house so we'd be closer to the airport for our Saturday morning departure, plus mom was going with TJ and I.  We got to Idaho mid day and left Sunday for a 4 night camping trip up in the mountains.  Didn't even have cell phone service there!  I thought once we got back to the Boise area I'd be able to spend some time at the local library or McDonald's to use their wi-fi while TJ played.  Friday morning we headed out, ordered food that I didn't really want, TJ started playing, just to find out that their wi fi had issues.  I could connect to any of the 3 networks available, but none of them allowed me to actually use the internet.  Big let down!  So I found a coffee shop and sat in the car (to me, coffee smells like skunk spray, so I wasn't about to sit inside) to upload 2 posts I had written the night before.

My aunt has internet access for her computer, I just can't connect it to mine, and there are things I can't do w/o my laptop, or just simply prefer to do with my own computer, so I've been able to check email, but not really read all the newsletters I get, or connect to my dashboard here, or other forums, because I don't want to take up that much time when we should be visiting.  This morning my mom and I decided to go looking for a place where I could do some of the things I was hoping to do while gone-namely planning.  So I've been sitting on the patio of a coffee house for over an hour and the only real planning I've done is to decide which children's books are going to be the weekly focus for the first 4 weeks of homeschool.  I logged in to my library's web site (something I couldn't do easily on someone else's computer) and placed holds on the books we don't already own, and on accompanying items like books on tape and video.  Since my mom is with me, and she's already drank a cup of espresso and had biscotti and read the local paper, I guess it's time to go.  She's getting bored.  My aunt kept TJ with her, so at least he's not here slowing down progress.

A good portion of the planning I want to do can be done without internet access, but it's so nice to have it just in case!  I could sit here all day (well, not really cuz there's not an outlet and the battery won't last that long) and plan, read blogs, reply to email, watch video's from online classes, and call it a great day!  Maybe when I get home Tony will give me that gift before we get back into the rhythm of life at home.  My goal while gone was to have assessed what's working and what isn't in order to create better harmony at home for all 3 of us.  Maybe I can still do it.

Down Time

I hope to spend some time over the next few days praying and coming up with a schedule that allows for housework, exercise, animal care, home schooling and fun time. This might help me have relaxing time on a daily basis and get closer to good health. I’d like to be able to implement it shortly after returning home, with schooling starting the day after Labor Day.


While out camping, my aunt brought paints and wood crafts for all of the little kids to paint. TJ hasn’t been interested in that kind of thing in the past so I was curious to see his response. He chose to paint a door hanger in the shape of an elephant and actually did a pretty good job. Then he wanted to paint a bird house and covered it quite well too. Then some of the older kids started looking for rocks to paint and he found one that looked like an alligator and painted it green, and gramma put wiggly eyes on it. On the last day he found a stick that he called a “soldier gun” so that got painted brown and green in an attempt at camo design. Now I’m glad that we bought him a couple of simple wood models to paint and a set of paints at the back to school sales. Hopefully I can continue his interest in crafts after we get home.

My down time will hopefully consist of some blocks of internet time (if you’re reading this, I at least got a few minutes of internet time-I’m writing at another aunt’s house, but she only has dial up and I don’t think my laptop even has a dial up modem); some time wandering at the farmers market Saturday; and some planning time. I think I operate better when I can take periodic breaks to assess the current system and make necessary changes. Right now I think a lot of changes need to be made, and being away from the normal daily routine should help highlight those things.

I miss my CaféMom friends and blog land. If I get at least one block of internet time I’ll be able to do a little catching up. I’m thinking I can take TJ to a McDonald’s that has a play place and internet access and both of us will get to do one of our favorite things!

This Heat is Killing Me!

Maybe not literally, at least not yet, but I can hardly do anything!  I don't even have the energy to prepare meals, so I'm doubly knocking myself out.  It's a downward spiral, that's for sure!  My head is heavy and groggy, my thoughts are fuzzy, my ears are ringing more than usual.  But I don't sleep well because there was hardly any physical activity during the day, and that adds to the trouble too. 

Fridays are my new "afternoon off" according to Tony.  He said he'll give me time off every Friday from 3-5, and today I'm thinking of taking the laptop to some local place that has free wi-fi, where I will either begin planning a routine to fit in more essentials and fun stuff, or just read blogs and catch up on stuff like that.  So I'm thinking I ought to go force feed myself (did I mention that besides not having the energy to prepare food, the heat also kills my appetite?) so I will have the energy and brain power to enjoy my time off.

There's a heat advisory in effect here today.  Telling people to stay inside with air conditioning and drink plenty of fluids, and check on elderly family and neighbors.  Tony won't care and might still try to take our son out to do something so I can just stay here, but I think it would be better if they had a cooler place to hang out.  I say cooler because we don't use the AC from noon til  because the rate goes up during that time.  However, even my cheapskate-ness has limits and if it gets too hot inside the AC's going on!  It's hard to say what temp that is, as our thermometer is not accurate, nor is the inaccuracy consistent.  We've tested it against a digital thermometer and when it's cool in here-like winter time, the temp can be off by as much as 10 degrees (reads high).  But in the summer it can show 90 and be 86.  So I just don't trust it, and go by feel most of the time.

This sure turned into a long post for someone who hasn't done much this week, therefore doesn't have much exciting to share.  Tomorrow I will go to the farmer's market and trade a pound of cheese for a few pounds of plums, see what other deals are out there, and then go to a used curriculum fair for homeschoolers.  Next week we go to the statewide homeschool conference, with lots of vendors and more workshops than I can fit into the time allotted.  Speaking of that, perhaps I'll pour a cold drink, grab some cheese and finally choose just which workshops I'll go to!  Stay cool, everyone!