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.

Life---Natural Green Food Coloring--COTM CANCELLED

Yes, so it's true I have made it through the month of February without doing cupcake of the month. And honestly I don't think I have failed, as life just got in the way this month. And since it's snowing outside and my cable went out I thought I would blog tonight, but then I realized I have not updated things in awhile.

So life is just sucking right now! How I would love to go to sleep and wake up to 1-1-2013 and start the year all a-new again. But I can't, I have to wake up every morning and deal with what is on my plate.

On my plate is; my father in law not doing well at all. My mother is freaking out because she is in early renal failure and thinks she is dying. Planning a rummage sale for the school. Working on our garden. Hubby not doing so well health wise and will be going in for an iron transfusion soon. I have a son that has had so many food issues lately that it just seems like I can not get a grip on things with him.

Speaking of food issues. Now I have done my research on crappy foods. I have looked into food colors, I have researched until I was so very sick and just could not read anymore. It's just sickening. I often wonder how can a parent give a child this crap, because it's not food, and then expect this child to behave? They can't. Bodies can not absorb crap, they reject it and that is where you see the acting out. Seriously google FD&C red 40. Google the coloring they use in go-gurt it's not pretty. Why can't we follow Europe's lead and ban these food colors?

A parent can do this because they don't do the research. They "trust" companies that put out food they buy to pack their children's lunches with. HA! And then because this parent gives their child crappy foods the body can not accept and the body (child) acts out, people start to wonder what is wrong with this child? The parent gets tired of hearing bad school reports, can't get the child to behave at home, takes them to the doc to drug the child, because it's the child, it can't be the food I feed the child? Then a child is put onto a roller coaster of uppers and downers. And did the parent read the fine print to these drugs? It should be law that a parent MUST read the fine print. Did they read all the side effects? Including could cause death? So parents would rather chance death then remove all the crappy foods from the child's diet? I'm very confused over this?

Now back when every doctor wanted to drug my child with adhd drugs I kept saying no. One night was so very bad I was about to give in and call the doc in the morning. But that night I researched adhd drugs. I was sickened by what I read. I was in tears on how bad things have become in the drug world. After all these years and all of research I don't think there is something called adhd, I do think there is an underlying cause. You just have to dig, and often parents and especially doctors are too lazy to look for the underlying cause, because removing crappy foods from a child's diet doesn't pay the bills, giving the child drugs, drugs and more drugs pay the bills.

So I have been on a quest to find good natural food coloring. So in place of cupcake of the month, I give you a natural green food coloring. Now I'm not over joyed thrilled with this green no. BUT it's a green and it's natural and kids won't be bouncing off the walls when they eat my cupcakes. Plus my green comes with health benefits!

So here is my baby, I made these for Valentines day. I think they looked pretty cool?

So Friday is Dr. Seuss's birthday we celebrated early at school. The blue and red food colors came from natural candy store dot com. The recipe is from Cybele Pascal here, I will tell ya if the house was burning and the kids were safe I would grab this book before leaving the house. Every recipe has been amazing. This is her white cake.

Followed by Cybele's vanilla icing. I used the blue and red here, looks more like purple and peach?

And here we have it. Natural Green Food Coloring....Green Tea Powder. I went to our local tea store after researching last night and got me a container. I wanted to practice because we have St. Patty's day coming up. Plus we have a birthday tomorrow so this works. With every child's birthday in my son's class I always make a batch of cupcakes so my kids have something safe to eat. Plus many kids in the class really enjoy my chocolate gluten free cupcakes. (even better then gluten ones) So I'm more then happy to make them.

Allergy Free Wacky Cake

Totally Cool and Awesome....I was attempting this for Dr. Seuss's birthday party coming up. Just to see if i can really pull this off. Well I think I can pull it off, not to mention 3 boys ate half a cake in one setting...Poor cake never saw it coming!

Wacky Cake
By Marcie Dingerson

1 Cup coconut milk mixed with 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar set aside
1 tablespoon egg replacer mixed with milk and set aside

5 minutes later

Mix together

1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla
1 cup sugar (I used 3/4th's cup)
1/4 cup coconut oil melted
Coconut mixture
Egg Replacer mixture

Mix then add in

2 Cups Bob's All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Mix.

I took about 1/4th cup out twice into two separate bowls. I turned one bowl blue and one red. I poured the white batter into the cake pan. I then put in drops of colored cake batter in and swirled around. I baked at 350 for 25 minutes.

I got these colors at The Natural Candy Store they are crap free...We like crap free around here. First time testing the blue. Very happy with it.

The New Fence

Pictures are not great...BUT...You get the picture...Get it you get the picture. We took a fence along the back of our property. Giving us about 20-25 feet more of growing space. We will put 5 more trees back there. One reason the rush was on, we will be getting the trees soon. Goats like to eat trees.

This is on the inside of the fence these beds are over 30 feet long. These are Cherry Trees. I should get Cherries this year.

This is a LOT of extra room.

These are pear trees I think I will be doing a blueberry patch here as well. Need to think on that. My Raspberry bed is here also.

My new double gate. Pretty.

So this was done in one day...Still have clean up to do. Need to go back and add is some missing screws and make sure everything is buckled down. We will work on that over the week. But latches are on and goats have not snuck through yet. 

Money Update

It's been a long couple of weeks in our lives. Family issues, snow, lights going out for weeks on end. Expanding the garden, getting ready for spring. And then there are the money issues.

First we were all set to re-fi the house, rolling the van loan into the Mortgage in turn saving us over 300 a month. BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT apparently the housing market has tanked and our appraisal came in so very low. And I mean low. So in turn we are doing a streamline, basically a loan without an appraisal it's a loan for those, who have made all their house payments, who will continue to make them, but want to capture the low rates on the market now.

In turn we can not roll the van loan into the Mortgage. So doing this will save only about 100 a month, giving us a little breathing room every month paying that Mortgage payment. We still have a van payment every month. So now we have a new goal of paying off the van this year.

Taxes are done and it's just enough to pay the school what we owe for the year and calling it good. I am Thankful for that, but things have changed from last year and we are not seeing what we got the year before. Which sucks because we could use that money, but yet Grateful we can pay the school, so I'm not complaining.

So I now need to sit down and re-work everything about our budget. Come Friday we start to use our new pre-paid debit cards. Should be interesting since I have never used one, let alone a credit card. I think I will like not having to go to the bank 2-4 times a week. Saving me from dealing with a bank I really don't like, and gas money driving there. It's a trial, nothing set in stone. So we will see what happens there.

So our current money goals are...

Paying off the van currently at 4169.42

Increase money going into mutual fund

Open a Roth IRA for retirement

Fund the garden expansion

Get a few dollars saved. 

Well the power was out for a week, and I was stuck here in the freezing cold I dove into my new book, (well new to me)(Thanks Goodwill) Dave Ramsey The Total Money Makeover. I have to say we have been through hell and back with money and medical bills and doing everything we can some months to pay the Mortgage. There were times we had no TV or lights (during the summer)(camping at home) to pay the Mortgage. But I worked 60 plus hours a week to get those medical bills paid off. I really didn't learn too much reading this book. But I do highly recommend everyone reading this book. I do understand his steps. I also highly believe his course needs to be taught in schools. I think high school kids can get a LOT out of Dave Ramsey. We were pretty much on a good track. We do a weekly budget, I keep track of every penny. But I believe in teaching kids early. How many kids are not taught about money before leaving High School and then you get into College, and then a job and marriage and you know NOTHING about money. That is what sinks you. I know NOTHING. I was taught NOTHING.

Kids need to be taught the value of a dollar. They need to be taught about not going into debt and paying cash and saving. They need to be taught this and that before going into the world. And sadly I don't think anyone is teaching kids anything about money and so in turn failing in this department. I know my parents failed, and I am refusing to fail my kids.

 So we will pay off the van, and work on Mortgage and work on retirement. I'm not trying to worry about College. That will come another day. I think it's more important to pay down the house. What a dream that would be to pay that off. It would be nice to retire one day so we need to work on that as well. Hitting small goals, but keeping an eye on the big picture.

On that note, I showed Ethan a math problem in the Dave Ramsey book. Basically you take x amount of money over a working career so every month for 40 years and 12 % interest you would have x amount to retire on. That number was freaking big. He saw that number and was like OMG. So we had a chat about saving allowance and how we will match his savings and add it to his account every month. He has a mutual fund opened. Of course Tucker heard everything and must of course beat Ethan at this. Ethan has a goal to be at 500 by the end of the year, he has like 200 and something. Tucker has a goal of 600 he is currently at 300 and something. Trying hard to out do his brother. We will see what happens here. Nothing like Brotherly Love right?

Later....

COTM: Allergy Free Devil's Food Cupcakes

CUPCAKE OF THE MONTH IS HERE!

NEED I SAY MORE?

Seriously that is one happy kid, he was going through some of my books and came across a Devil's Food Cupcake with white icing. Well needless to say the white icing BOMBED. It's a seven minute icing and we can't do eggs, so I tried to whip up some coconut, but that BOMBED. So I added powered sugar and that BOMBED. Tell ya my kitchen is a mess. I gave up and thought I need a white chocolate, well that ain't happening being allergy free. So what about chocolate? Nah too pricey for me to break into my enjoy life. WAIT I just canned chocolate, I wonder if that would work? A few seconds in the microwave and yeah it worked. It worked GREAT. So the icing is my canned chocolate here. These are for Tuckers tea party at school on Monday...Very exciting he has had a say in nearly every step of the way on making (and eating) these.

Allergy Free Devil's Food Cupcakes

by More from Magnolia

Converted by Marcie Dingerson

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups Buttermilk (coconut milk with vinegar set aside for about 5 minutes)

1 cup pumpkin

1/2 cup organic sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup coconut oil melted

Mix

Add in

2 Cups GF all purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)

1 Cup cocoa

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix and pour into cupcake pans. I used mini bunt pans. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Cover with chocolate or icing of your choosing and enjoy!