3-23-12

Tell ya since I have boxed up any and all drama. Life has been so much better. Still getting hit with a lot of stuff. But there ain't no Drama in my life. Been working in the garden, expanding one 30 foot bed of Strawberry's into 3-30 foot beds. Setting up my beds out back getting ready for dirt. All of the fruit trees are planted. Ours and our neighbors. Raspberries are planted. If we get some donated great, if not we are still looking good.

My father in law is not well at all. The kids want to see him so we are heading up Sunday. The picture below was taken today, it's sitting at Costco for me to pick up and frame and take it up Sunday as well. Because it may be awhile before they see him again.

Truck fund is taken care of. And we have a few pennies in savings. It will never be enough, but I can sleep at night. Now working on the van where we can, and out back expanded garden area.

Our anniversary is coming up. I was able to get hubby a portable DVD player, he has one, but it dies on him, it won't play some DVDs. He uses it weekly. One came up on Amazon hot deals and I got it. What I like about it, is we will be able to use it in the van on our trip this summer. I am not one for running a DVD in a car. BUT when you are taking a trip that may last about 10 hours....

So when or if hubby remembers it's our anniversary, I will be asking for a fort...I want the backyard all snazzy for the kids. So they can go out and play, rather it be fall, winter, spring or summer. A fort is the first step. I'm simple right?

So I've been doing OK with my one a day photo challenge. I've only missed two days...OOPS...But my youngest is loving this. I've been printing them about every three days, I have dates on the back of the photos, and will start the book soon. I'm really excited about doing this project.

3-13-2012

I got up at 7am, opened my eyes to snow. I asked the kids if this was a joke? They said no. I went back to bed. I utter assumed school was late or cancelled. OOPS. Olympia barely got snow and school was on time. Well anywho I wasn't driving in this.

Kids had fun.

Mock Mrs. Dash Seasoning

So I don't believe you have to spend a lot to eat crap free good foods. I highly believe if you invest in good tools, then you are half way there. About a month ago I bought this pedestal and mortar. After some researching I found an all granite one piece was the way to go. And because I'm soon to have a really big family, the bigger the better. This is a 3 cup. It's heavier then Coleson. But this is something I will have forever. I absolutely love it.

A few months ago I played with making my own seasoning. I printed off a mock Mrs. Dash and expanded from there. I don't usually measure when I'm in the kitchen and this is no exception. Just dump to your liking.

Last summer when I planted my herbs, my goal was to one day make all my own seasonings. So I picked and dried everything I could. I will now be expanding my herbs this year so I can expand what I can do in the kitchen. I will tell ya my season mix just rocks. And I no longer pay 3 dollars plus in the store for a tiny little bottle of seasoning.

I usually cook my chicken in a cast iron with some olive oil and top with some seasoning. Or if I do chicken stock. This is a great seasoning for just about anything.

So to save money I plan my garden around what I do in the kitchen. I have two great dehydrators, with plans to expand that. My storage sucks, but I with what I have.

I dump in all the ingredients.

When seconds I got this.

Marcie's Mock Mrs. Dash
By Marcie Dingerson

1/4 cup onion flakes
4 teaspoons vegetable flakes (I tossed in tomato (lots of tomato), carrots, broccoli (smells amazing), celery)
1 tablespoon garlic powder (get real I dumped I LOVE garlic)
1 tablespoon orange peel
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried savory
1 teaspoon dried thyme (I use lemon thyme)
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon dried mustard
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1 dash dried rosemary

Crush and store. Don't go by the extract recipe, get into the kitchen and play. I love using tomato. The broccoli smelled amazing. Make your own dried tomato powder, I just slice a tomato and dry, and grind when they are dry and store. Enjoy.

Never again will I buy another seasoning...Never again will I worry if it's allergy free....

Drama

DRAMA: My life is so full of drama right now. And honestly it just sucks the life out of me. I do not understand drama. I have come to realize people are forgetting about the important things in life. These little critters we call kids. The critters we carry for a long nine (nearly ten) months and birth from our bodies. It's our job to raise them, and teach them. Teach them how to how to behave, how to grow, life. Show them LOVE. How to be HAPPY and to just enjoy life.

Today was a weird day. We are in the midst of a storm, lights were going off and on and we decided to stay home from school. The kids went wild. My odd kids cleaned the playroom (so they can walk around in the dark????) then they did Spanish for a few hours. Odd. Then Ethan got out his sewing machine and sewed all afternoon. He sewed himself a pillow, and a blanket. Whatever, but he is loving his new sewing machine, I love how easy it is for him to use. He can do the bobbin and thread it all himself. He didn't ask me for help once. Although nothing is straight. But do I care? NOPE.

Tomorrow is 3-13-2012 mommy gut is going off and it's telling me my life will be changing tomorrow. Something big is going to hit. What? I don't know, but I feel like it's one of those things that come out of nowhere and just smacks you one. I have so much on my plate, from school, to in laws, to goats, to kids, it could be anything. Or it could be nothing.

In thinking tonight and realizing that how utterly sick I am of drama. I am a BIG believer of what goes around comes around. And if you go looking for Drama or trouble you will find it (I'M NOT LOOKING LEAVE ME ALONE!). I also believe if you give, you will get back. So yesterday when Chip was stuck, I didn't think twice about asking the neighbor for help. She came racing and between the two of us we unstuck this 200 pound goat. There is give and take, I would in a second stop what I'm doing and go and help her. In fact just about a month ago I did. I saw her dog out running loose, my kids jumped out of the van (I did stop first) and chased the dog all the way home and got her into the house.

I know I'm off and rambling. I ramble I have a lot on my mind tonight. I also don't want to go and do the laundry!

But tonight I challenge myself. Kids grow too fast. You don't get this time back. Once today is gone it's gone and they are another year older. My babies are 8, 7 and 5. I have NO idea how that happened. How does 8 years just go by that fast? It's like I blink and he was 8 years old. I know Ethan and I have been through hell and back health wise, and as we still continue on that road as we have set backs with diet and such. But I will tell ya if chaos hits, like it hit yesterday, I can yell commands and he doesn't ask questions he just does it. My babies are hard workers, which I'm very proud of.

When I was young my parents would donate me, I remember one summer, a couple cousins and I and other family members were camping on a family members campsite. It was a bad winter, and many trees came down and we were going to clear the trees and burn. So we had about 4 good burn piles going. Two cousins were running the chain saws, and i was getting branches and tossing them onto the fire. What were the adults doing? Sitting and watching and drinking. See my parents like to donate me to do the hard work. Which don't tell them, I like working hard!

Yes, still rambling.

So here is the challenge to myself. My babies are growing so very fast. So Starting on 3-13-2012 I will take a photo of each of my kids every day for one year. I will capture them, I will watch them and see them grow and I will have the photos to prove they are growing. Even through I take a lot of photos, I don't take enough photos. So on 3-13-2012 that will change.

I'm putting Drama into a box, and I'm putting a lid on it. No more Drama. I'm going to focus on the joy of my kids. This time right now is all about them. If anyone has Drama in my space, then take a number and I will get back to you...Sometime in the year 2022. Until then...Smile and make people wonder what you are up to! Or do what Cole does, make brownies and then lick the bowl clean.

LIFE CHANGES SUCK!!!!

Seriously Life changes just SUCK, you know the BIG changes, the ones you and your hubby have to debate and debate and debate. And honestly you don't know the outcome until it has been debated to death.

Well we hit one of those decisions this week. I saw it coming but I didn't see it coming this fast or this hard. See our kids go to a small private school. One I adore. But by the time you pay for them to go to school and the gas to drive from there and back daily, sometimes twice a day, things add up and we are spending nearly 10k a year. 10k we really don't have. But yet I adore the school, I love the teachers, I like how the classes are small. I like all I do for the school. Seriously I get to make costumes, and help run the library.

But in the end 10k is a LOT of money and it uses up our tax return every year plus some and that is money we really could use for other things in life. On that note I have always wanted to home school. But with Ethan and I fighting, he wanted to learn how to read, and I apparently couldn't teach him. Plus pressure from the in laws, who are public school teachers and believe public school is the only way to go. We put the kids in school, just on my terms. They accepted it because after all at least I'm not homeschooling. They are those believers, who believe home school kids are not socialized. SERIOUSLY. If I hear that one more time, then watch out because I'm smacking someone! Home school kids are socialized Good Gravy. There are plenty of home school groups in the area, there is boy scouts, which I might have time for now, plus 4H.

With Ethan's food allergies, and his sensory issues it's time to bring him home. He came to me last week and said "Mom, next year I want to be home schooled" we had a serious long talk to be sure he know what he was saying. I said we would talk to dad. Dad agreed. But Dad was stuck on the other two, and honestly so I'm I. Cole fought so hard to get into that school, and I know how much he adores it. But in the end to save that much money and to do some serious damage to our bills and such would be awesome!

So we have finally agreed to try it for one year. Hubby's biggest worry is we won't stay on track. Hum lets see you follow the schedule and once you are done you are done. Well except I will have bonus subjects for the boys. Like typing, cooking and such.

So I have been planning out next school year, and buying a few things now, because they are much cheaper now, then in July when others are planning for their new school year. I will also be signing up for a course about home schooling, I took it as a sign the day it landed in my in box and they are finally having a class in Olympia. All the classes are usually north. Not to mention I can get some sleep now. How I hate getting up so very early in the morning, having to open my eyes, and be on the road by a set time. I will now be getting up at 9am, making the kids a Hot breakfast and starting school. Hoping to finish up the main subjects by lunch. After lunch will be the fun stuff.

On top of this major decision, there is still so much on my plate. It's amazing it's not cracking yet. Father in Law has been living in a rehab place, and it's hard to say when he might be coming home, it has been one set back after another after another. In the midst of maybe adopting have a placement coming they had to move quick, but apparently quick to dshs is a couple of months? IDK. We have been trying to set up a first meeting for two weeks. I tell them to pick a day and time and I will clear my calendar. See this is a life decision, but it was an easy one as I have always wanted 4 kids, just a bonus we get 5th.

I tell ya, when you are a teenager, your parents don't tell ya being an adult is HARD. Being a parent is even HARDER! There are times I'm so tired, it's not from lack of sleep but making so many decisions and having so much tossed at you and you forgetting to duck!

We are in pay down mode for the van. I'm trying to send it everything I have weekly. We are hurting, especially with gas prices right now. But I hope the suffering is worth it? What I can't wait is until we are saving to expand out the house. We are all so excited about this major project. And saving the 10k a year will certainly be going towards this project. Van is sitting at 3,877. Really hoping to be under 3,500 by the end of the month.

Another major expense right now is the expanding of the garden area out back. We have bought 7 new trees. Which are now planted. 10 new blue berry bushes, with 2 pink lemonade's. So now I have a blueberry patch. We've been buying the brick which I will fill the holes with dirt and then grow my herbs here. I need to buy dirt next, we are hoping to get our first 10 yards next week. With another 10-15 to follow. We planted seeds this week and they are going in the green house. Ground seeds to follow soon. Neighbor has a total of 8 new trees, which we will plant for her the second we have a minute around here. See another thing we are NEVER home so everything gets put aside until we have time, well we never have the time. So now hubby will have the time in the mornings to do some projects well I'm home schooling.

So I will try and get through the next couple of months. Somehow? Working on the garden as much as possible. I have costumes to make for an upcoming play. Transition from having 3 kids to having 5. Transition from school to home schooling. The garden. Trying hard to hang on money wise.

So here is the new blue berry patch. Isn't it something??? OK well it will be one day.

One of the new trees, I can not tell you how excited I have been to get 7 new trees. 3 apple, 3 peach and 1 pear, to add to the 2 pear and 2 cherry we have. We have an apple tree out front, and after much debate we will add yet another apple tree soon.

Two of my new beds, the one on the right is well over 30 feet. We still need to tear up the grass and fill with dirt. But two new beds are good, hoping to add at least one more for growing season this year. On the other side I have room for 3-4 more beds, but not sure money wise if we will get to them this year? Might be a project for next year, plus there is an area around the cherry trees that I need to redesign this year so there will be no growing in those beds.