I have a goal to have home grown carrots to eat during the winter months... I also have a goal of wasting as little as possible during the whole process.
During the week we (Brittany and I) scrubbed, cut the tops off, peeled, blanched, cooled and vacuum sealed. And we totally kicked butt in our "wasting as little as possible"! Our bunnies will have carrot greens to feast on for a few days... they were all washed and packaged and placed in the downstairs fridge to be distributed to our furry friends! All of the peelings and some of the carrot tops were put in the food processor and chopped up for our chickens and ducks to feast on! They LOVED it!!! Sooo... very little actually went to the compost! Which isnt a waste! That will all help next years garden grow!
Tomorrow I hope to be able to get to the 4 dozen ears of sweet corn that need husked, scrubbed, blanched and frozen.
I have also started my first batch of pickles of the season. It is a 7 day process...and I will be making a few batches of them this year. They seemed to be the ones everyone enjoyed the most.
For some reason I decided to rip out my herb garden. It was looking a little "sad". The soil wasnt the best and my herbs were just not thriving the way they did in previous years. I wish I would have done it at the beginning of the season... but, better late than never. I had Stacy shovel the dirt out.. after I pulled all of the existing herbs and weeds. Once we had the tub emptied some, we filled in with 2 5 gallon buckets of rabbit poop... then filled in with the dirt. I redid my herb arrangement and reseeded. Now... hoping for the best.
I managed to get Courtney to go to the Anime Class at the Art Assoc of Harrisburg!! I kind of tricked her... but she had a GREAT time and is currently on a mission to get this weeks assignment done! I am super proud of her... and I cant wait to see how she does in the weeks to come.
All three of the kids picked classes there for the fall session.
I am looking forward to week 3 of the parenting class I am taking! I like that the instructor has us really taking a look at ourselves. It has brought to light that I do too much for and with my kids. My life revolves around my family and home. I am constantly taking care of their needs and wants... that my own get forgotten about. Time to make some changes in that department.
My garden is still in full swing... and I am about sick of the daily battle with weeds! LOL They grow 100 times faster than anything else! I fertilized and reseeded the carrot bed with more red beets. The pumpkins are taking over and I broke down and cut some of it off... hoping for the best with that, not sure if I will kill the whole vines or not. I just didnt want it to strangle out my tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. Time will tell.
Let's see...
I have another busy week ahead of me. Errands... appointments... meetings... and a list of things here at home that need done.
I started getting things ready for the up coming school year. I wanted to get a jump on our spelling flash card and all of our vocabulary lists. Those are the things I tend to let slide because I am either tired or I run out of time. NOT THIS YEAR!! Stacy and I also started our supply shopping! Let's hope I can stay ahead of things this year!
Stacy and I let Brittany go to an under 21 party last nite... we also did the dropping off and picking up... ALL THE WAY IN POTTSVILLE!! We took advantage of the visit and hit up some old cemeteries while we were there. We also tested out the new tripod I got for my camera! LOVE IT!!
After spending some time at the Art Assoc... I have decided to take a stab at some different types of art! Stay tuned for updates!! LOL
OK... I guess that wraps up my update for now. My allergies are killing me... and I just want to go to bed. I didnt eat anything remotely good for me today... and I am really feeling it. BLAH!
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Monday, July 16, 2012
Over flowing...
I havent blogged lately. I have been so busy with so many things, and I always feel like I am playing "catch up" lately.
My garden is doing great... and I have been spending a bunch of time daily tending to it and watering it. I find that time... is MY time and I usually am able to clear my head while I am out there. And really, it is the only peace I have lately.
I have started my "canning season"! Blueberry jam and Raspberry jam are both DONE... and YUMMY!! I am pulling cucumbers off the vine now... so next will be pickles! I am going to invest in new crocks for the ones that need to age for days at a time. I wanted to make that investment last year... and it just never happened.
As I posted on FB... Izzy was snatched up by a cat. It utterly broke my heart. Since, I had another hatch... "Ozzy". And we are on our way to some good human/duck bonding! Ozzy def has a different personality... but still likes to follow me around, and I am hoping soon he will be helping with the bug population in my garden.
The ducks up in the coop are now enjoying a bigger pond... with filter!! Stacy put that in a few weeks ago... and they seem VERY pleased with it. They enjoy sticking their heads under the pipe where the water comes out of the filter and back into the pond... I guess that is their version of a shower...LOL!
They are also laying on another bunch of eggs. Two big black snakes scared them out of the first nest... so they just decided to start over. Cant say I blame them! I am pretty sure we did get both black snakes... and they wont be returning.
It is hard to believe that the summer is half over!! I am already starting to get my school plans together for next year. The kids curriculum has already been delivered!!
The kids and I have been faithful with our weekly library trips!! I am pounding out a novel every week! This is HUGE for me... I am making sure I at least take that little bit of time for myself... to escape into a book! (I guess my garden isnt my only "me" time)
Oh... Stacy and I also got into taking the kids "Ghost Hunting"... we LOVE these family adventures!!! We gear up with our video recorder... and head out to local cemeteries once the sun goes down! It is so great to see what the kid's imaginations can "hear" or "see" while we are out there... and just how creeped out we can get ourselves! Sometimes I really wonder!!
I dont think ANYONE realizes or understand what it is like to raise a special needs child.
It is FAR from easy!!!
I am really upset over today's Domestic Relations conference with Courtney's sperm donor!!! I think he is such a waste of oxygen.
It really hurts me to see just how much he does not care about his own child. Courtney (and my other kiddos) are my world. I go without so much... just so they can have extra things that will enrich their lives. And to see him try so hard to get out of the piddly amount he is ordered to pay... UNBELIEVABLE!!!
Right now... I am fighting tooth and nail to get Courtney added therapies. The mental health side of things views Courtney as an "adult"... but the Autism side of things dont recognize her as an adult until age 21. So we sit in limbo until her 21st BDay...??? Does the sperm donor, or his FB stalking family know, realize or care about any of that?!?!? HELL NO!!! They just want a way to not put $200 towards her care every month... all while I am trying so hard to come up with extra money to get her involved in different activities, that we just cant afford right now! And, in addition... I bet I put more than $200 in gas in my car a month to get Courtney to all of her therapy appointments and "group" meetings!!! I do not have any type of personal life outside of what I do for my kids... but of course, no one realizes that! Sperm donor wants to sit and try like hell to make me look like a bad mother... with LIES!!! Which just creates more work for me... and I seriously just dont have the time for it.
It is absolutely heart breaking!!
UGH. My plate is overflowing!! And I am just so sick and tired of ppl making life even harder for me!
It is so sad that we dont have a supportive family... But I am so very thankful for the supportive friends we are blessed with!
My garden is doing great... and I have been spending a bunch of time daily tending to it and watering it. I find that time... is MY time and I usually am able to clear my head while I am out there. And really, it is the only peace I have lately.
I have started my "canning season"! Blueberry jam and Raspberry jam are both DONE... and YUMMY!! I am pulling cucumbers off the vine now... so next will be pickles! I am going to invest in new crocks for the ones that need to age for days at a time. I wanted to make that investment last year... and it just never happened.
As I posted on FB... Izzy was snatched up by a cat. It utterly broke my heart. Since, I had another hatch... "Ozzy". And we are on our way to some good human/duck bonding! Ozzy def has a different personality... but still likes to follow me around, and I am hoping soon he will be helping with the bug population in my garden.
The ducks up in the coop are now enjoying a bigger pond... with filter!! Stacy put that in a few weeks ago... and they seem VERY pleased with it. They enjoy sticking their heads under the pipe where the water comes out of the filter and back into the pond... I guess that is their version of a shower...LOL!
They are also laying on another bunch of eggs. Two big black snakes scared them out of the first nest... so they just decided to start over. Cant say I blame them! I am pretty sure we did get both black snakes... and they wont be returning.
It is hard to believe that the summer is half over!! I am already starting to get my school plans together for next year. The kids curriculum has already been delivered!!
The kids and I have been faithful with our weekly library trips!! I am pounding out a novel every week! This is HUGE for me... I am making sure I at least take that little bit of time for myself... to escape into a book! (I guess my garden isnt my only "me" time)
Oh... Stacy and I also got into taking the kids "Ghost Hunting"... we LOVE these family adventures!!! We gear up with our video recorder... and head out to local cemeteries once the sun goes down! It is so great to see what the kid's imaginations can "hear" or "see" while we are out there... and just how creeped out we can get ourselves! Sometimes I really wonder!!
I dont think ANYONE realizes or understand what it is like to raise a special needs child.
It is FAR from easy!!!
I am really upset over today's Domestic Relations conference with Courtney's sperm donor!!! I think he is such a waste of oxygen.
It really hurts me to see just how much he does not care about his own child. Courtney (and my other kiddos) are my world. I go without so much... just so they can have extra things that will enrich their lives. And to see him try so hard to get out of the piddly amount he is ordered to pay... UNBELIEVABLE!!!
Right now... I am fighting tooth and nail to get Courtney added therapies. The mental health side of things views Courtney as an "adult"... but the Autism side of things dont recognize her as an adult until age 21. So we sit in limbo until her 21st BDay...??? Does the sperm donor, or his FB stalking family know, realize or care about any of that?!?!? HELL NO!!! They just want a way to not put $200 towards her care every month... all while I am trying so hard to come up with extra money to get her involved in different activities, that we just cant afford right now! And, in addition... I bet I put more than $200 in gas in my car a month to get Courtney to all of her therapy appointments and "group" meetings!!! I do not have any type of personal life outside of what I do for my kids... but of course, no one realizes that! Sperm donor wants to sit and try like hell to make me look like a bad mother... with LIES!!! Which just creates more work for me... and I seriously just dont have the time for it.
It is absolutely heart breaking!!
UGH. My plate is overflowing!! And I am just so sick and tired of ppl making life even harder for me!
It is so sad that we dont have a supportive family... But I am so very thankful for the supportive friends we are blessed with!
Monday, June 18, 2012
Switching back... LOL
Ok, I have decided to go back to using my original blogging site. I dont like change and this one is just far easier for me to use.
Anyway...
It has been quite awhile since I have blogged last!! So much has been going on, I am not even sure where to start.
Courtney is back home... which has been a big adjustment for all of us. And I am determined to make sure we dont go down the same path as before!!
June is our busy vacation month!
We have already spent 3 weekends straight camping. We got a pop up camper...which is AWESOME!!! It is so much easier on my back!! Plus the A/C is really nice... although we have only really been using the fan feature, and we have already used the heat!! LOL
There was a HUGE confrontation with my asshole "mother" about 2 weeks ago... when Courtney called me expressing that my mom was keeping her isolated from me and she wanted to come home. Of course... she showed her true colors and hopped on Courtney getting SSI and bullied her way onto Courtney's bank account. All things I wont relive here again. The bottom line is, once again, she is dead to me and I will be just fine if I never have to see or hear from her again.
During that confrontation... she said some pretty awful things to Brittany... and I am sure it will take some time for Britt to heal from those things.
Today is the first day that I wasnt on some sort of "schedule" to get ready for or unpack from camping!!
I still have the laundry to get caught up on... and some cleaning around the house to get caught up on... BUT, I decided to take some time to catch up with my "BFF" and then spend the afternoon at the library with the kids! I signed everyone up for the summer reading program and I am hoping this will get their heads out of the electronics!
Next week I think we will check out some "How To" books for some craft or another! Then we can spend some time working on that next week!
Stacy managed to get the pool up and running!! Yesterday and today hasnt really been warm enough for them to enjoy it...but they have tried!! LOL!!!
It is suppose to hit some high temps this week... I know they will be happy in the pool then.
Thursday is the first of a few foot surgeries for Courtney. Of course I am worried about that. But, we will manage through it. No camping trips planned for the next 2 weekends... so we will be home starting the healing process... AND I plan on having Stacy get our porch on!!!!! I am sick and tired of NOT having a damn porch now... it has been over a year!!!!
The trouble is... the man hates asking for help! So I have simplified it. NO root cellar or coal bin... just a porch. Now, lets see how it goes.
We have 2 of our 3 agreed upon camping weekends in July already booked. Soooo.... this porch project needs to get DONE! LOL
This coming weekend is my shop weekend! I really do LOVE my shop weekends! I like seeing all of my faithful clients... and getting to know new ones!
Let's see--
OH... the garden!! This years garden is KICKING BUTT!! I have soooo many raspberries this year... it is my best year yet!
I also have everything finally planted in my "3 sisters" bed. I am really excited to see how it all turns out. I have been really keeping up with weeds so far this year. I try to get out there every day we are home. And I stress about losing raspberries when I am not home to pick them...LOL!
I havent decided if I am going to make raspberry jam, or raspberry wine this year. But I am getting quite the stock pile in the freezer waiting for me to decided! Maybe I will get lucky and end up with enough to do both.
Izzy duck is getting really big! She thinks she owns the world! Her tail feathers are starting to come in... I am sooo excited to see what she ends up looking like. Right now she is solid yellow... no black or chocolate markings. I have a few more eggs in the incubator now... I have to build our flock a bit.
Saturday nite Stacy and I took Brittany ghost hunting!! HILARIOUS!! We have it on video too. OMG... it was sooooo fun. We visited some local cemeteries... late at nite. She insists she saw a ghostly shadow... and boy I was waiting for her to pee her pants!!
We are such strange parents... but we all had fun! AND... added bonus... it didnt traumatize her to the point she needed to crawl into bed with us! ;-)
We signed Nathan up for a summer math program. Offered through CCA. I am hoping we can work on building his math skills... since he has some trouble sometimes.
AND.... BOTH NATHAN AND BRITTANY MADE HONOR ROLL FOR THE LAST SEMESTER!!! I AM SOOOO PROUD OF THEM BOTH!!!
I am also pretty proud of all of my kids for remembering Stacy on Father's Day!
Josh sent him a text early in the day and the other 3 had me drop them off at Walmart where they shopped for Stacy on their own! They picked our a really nice watch for him... since his broke about a week or so ago. They did good!
I guess that about sums things up around here. I am sure I forgot a bunch of stuff... but, I hope not to go as long between blogs from now on.
Time to get my supper started... Stacy is on his way home from his first day back at work after vacation!
Anyway...
It has been quite awhile since I have blogged last!! So much has been going on, I am not even sure where to start.
Courtney is back home... which has been a big adjustment for all of us. And I am determined to make sure we dont go down the same path as before!!
June is our busy vacation month!
We have already spent 3 weekends straight camping. We got a pop up camper...which is AWESOME!!! It is so much easier on my back!! Plus the A/C is really nice... although we have only really been using the fan feature, and we have already used the heat!! LOL
There was a HUGE confrontation with my asshole "mother" about 2 weeks ago... when Courtney called me expressing that my mom was keeping her isolated from me and she wanted to come home. Of course... she showed her true colors and hopped on Courtney getting SSI and bullied her way onto Courtney's bank account. All things I wont relive here again. The bottom line is, once again, she is dead to me and I will be just fine if I never have to see or hear from her again.
During that confrontation... she said some pretty awful things to Brittany... and I am sure it will take some time for Britt to heal from those things.
Today is the first day that I wasnt on some sort of "schedule" to get ready for or unpack from camping!!
I still have the laundry to get caught up on... and some cleaning around the house to get caught up on... BUT, I decided to take some time to catch up with my "BFF" and then spend the afternoon at the library with the kids! I signed everyone up for the summer reading program and I am hoping this will get their heads out of the electronics!
Next week I think we will check out some "How To" books for some craft or another! Then we can spend some time working on that next week!
Stacy managed to get the pool up and running!! Yesterday and today hasnt really been warm enough for them to enjoy it...but they have tried!! LOL!!!
It is suppose to hit some high temps this week... I know they will be happy in the pool then.
Thursday is the first of a few foot surgeries for Courtney. Of course I am worried about that. But, we will manage through it. No camping trips planned for the next 2 weekends... so we will be home starting the healing process... AND I plan on having Stacy get our porch on!!!!! I am sick and tired of NOT having a damn porch now... it has been over a year!!!!
The trouble is... the man hates asking for help! So I have simplified it. NO root cellar or coal bin... just a porch. Now, lets see how it goes.
We have 2 of our 3 agreed upon camping weekends in July already booked. Soooo.... this porch project needs to get DONE! LOL
This coming weekend is my shop weekend! I really do LOVE my shop weekends! I like seeing all of my faithful clients... and getting to know new ones!
Let's see--
OH... the garden!! This years garden is KICKING BUTT!! I have soooo many raspberries this year... it is my best year yet!
I also have everything finally planted in my "3 sisters" bed. I am really excited to see how it all turns out. I have been really keeping up with weeds so far this year. I try to get out there every day we are home. And I stress about losing raspberries when I am not home to pick them...LOL!
I havent decided if I am going to make raspberry jam, or raspberry wine this year. But I am getting quite the stock pile in the freezer waiting for me to decided! Maybe I will get lucky and end up with enough to do both.
Izzy duck is getting really big! She thinks she owns the world! Her tail feathers are starting to come in... I am sooo excited to see what she ends up looking like. Right now she is solid yellow... no black or chocolate markings. I have a few more eggs in the incubator now... I have to build our flock a bit.
Saturday nite Stacy and I took Brittany ghost hunting!! HILARIOUS!! We have it on video too. OMG... it was sooooo fun. We visited some local cemeteries... late at nite. She insists she saw a ghostly shadow... and boy I was waiting for her to pee her pants!!
We are such strange parents... but we all had fun! AND... added bonus... it didnt traumatize her to the point she needed to crawl into bed with us! ;-)
We signed Nathan up for a summer math program. Offered through CCA. I am hoping we can work on building his math skills... since he has some trouble sometimes.
AND.... BOTH NATHAN AND BRITTANY MADE HONOR ROLL FOR THE LAST SEMESTER!!! I AM SOOOO PROUD OF THEM BOTH!!!
I am also pretty proud of all of my kids for remembering Stacy on Father's Day!
Josh sent him a text early in the day and the other 3 had me drop them off at Walmart where they shopped for Stacy on their own! They picked our a really nice watch for him... since his broke about a week or so ago. They did good!
I guess that about sums things up around here. I am sure I forgot a bunch of stuff... but, I hope not to go as long between blogs from now on.
Time to get my supper started... Stacy is on his way home from his first day back at work after vacation!
Thursday, April 19, 2012
"HP" update
Here is what I have so far!!! Subject to change!!! This is my first draft.
My personal commandments:
1. Always be AMY!!
2. Say what I mean... Mean what I say.
3. Act exactly how I want to feel.
4. Be more flexible.
5. I am in control of my life.
6. Find fun everywhere I can!!
7. Speak with confidence... no matter what, or who.
8. Take time for "me"... and relax.
9. Dont take it personally.
10. Make time for excercise and always eat healthy.
My personal commandments:
1. Always be AMY!!
2. Say what I mean... Mean what I say.
3. Act exactly how I want to feel.
4. Be more flexible.
5. I am in control of my life.
6. Find fun everywhere I can!!
7. Speak with confidence... no matter what, or who.
8. Take time for "me"... and relax.
9. Dont take it personally.
10. Make time for excercise and always eat healthy.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Happiness Project
I have decided to begin my own "Happiness Project".
I will spend the next few months setting up my goals and my own personal commandments. Setting my goals into action. Committing to resolutions and sticking with them. Finding insperations and the secrets to adulthood!!
I am actually pretty excited about this!!
I have come to realize that ther are still so many things that I want to experience and accomplish. And well, it isnt just going to happen sitting back and waiting!!
My first big step is committing to my diet. I have been doing good with the calories side of things... and I will admit, "My Fitness Pal" and my "pals" on there have been great!! Since starting less than a week ago... I am down a pound.
Now... to make sure I do the excercise side of things! I am signing up for my belly dancing classes! I am soooo excited about that. I am sure I will make an ass out of myself... but I dont care. I will imbrace my jiggly, foolish self and have a good time with it!
So keep checking out my blogs for my "HP Updates"!! I will be finalizing my personal commandments in the upcoming days and sharing them!
Now, I dont want ppl to misunderstand what is happening here. My first and most important personal commandment is "To always be Amy"
So if ppl are reading and hoping that this in some way was going to change who I am... WRONG!!! ;-)
OK... that is really all I have time for tonite. I have to go and get animals in for the nite and rotate eggs and all those other nite time "procedures" I have...LOL
More on this later!
I will spend the next few months setting up my goals and my own personal commandments. Setting my goals into action. Committing to resolutions and sticking with them. Finding insperations and the secrets to adulthood!!
I am actually pretty excited about this!!
I have come to realize that ther are still so many things that I want to experience and accomplish. And well, it isnt just going to happen sitting back and waiting!!
My first big step is committing to my diet. I have been doing good with the calories side of things... and I will admit, "My Fitness Pal" and my "pals" on there have been great!! Since starting less than a week ago... I am down a pound.
Now... to make sure I do the excercise side of things! I am signing up for my belly dancing classes! I am soooo excited about that. I am sure I will make an ass out of myself... but I dont care. I will imbrace my jiggly, foolish self and have a good time with it!
So keep checking out my blogs for my "HP Updates"!! I will be finalizing my personal commandments in the upcoming days and sharing them!
Now, I dont want ppl to misunderstand what is happening here. My first and most important personal commandment is "To always be Amy"
So if ppl are reading and hoping that this in some way was going to change who I am... WRONG!!! ;-)
OK... that is really all I have time for tonite. I have to go and get animals in for the nite and rotate eggs and all those other nite time "procedures" I have...LOL
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
HOT!
I can not believe how hot it got yesterday!!! WOW!!
Things have been hectic, as usual, around here. We surely wouldnt have it any other way... LOL
Stacy spent the weekend putting down our new hardwood bedroom floor! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!!! Of course, it made the ugly wall paper look even worse... so Britt and I ripped it down! :-) Yesterday, while down in Harrisburg for PSSA tests... I ran to Home Depot and had paint mixed. I opted for the master bedroom color I had in my old house... I really liked that green. I also picked a nice trim color that should really accent the floor!
I am even more irritated over my mother lately. Having to see her around every turn SUCKS!!! Plus knowing she is trying to leach off my grandparents makes me want to PUKE! GET A JOB ALREADY! Ah, wont even go there.
Courtney has been up to her usual self lately... It has been "painful" around here in regards to her... to say the least. I am not sure what is going to happen with her as the year comes to the end... but I do know I cant continue like this for much longer.
I have to focus more attention on Nathan lately. His ADD and learning disabilities have been taking alot of energy... from me. I started putting together his lessons... and printing everything on blue paper. The blue paper has really helped... and I am noticing blue letters on white paper dont make much of a difference. Such a learning process for ME! LOL!!
I just want him to succeed... even if I have to give up hours on my weekends to put together his week of courses and work. Small price to pay in the big picture!
Now to find a better way to do vocabulary... but I think I dug up some ideas. Will give it a try once I have some time to sort it out.
Stacy and I have been going back and forth lately about our future goals and how to obtain them. This is going to get interesting! LOL!! But, in the end... I KNOW we will be where we want to be! :-)
I am sure it will piss some ppl off in the process... but I dont really care.
We are still hatching duckling!! Filling orders as they pop out! LOL!!
I think more privacy fence is in our future! The neighbors are still having issues staying out of OUR space... even tho we made damn sure we dont touch THEIR space!! Unbelievable that a 6 ft privacy fence isnt enough to keep the crazy out!!! I will be updating the look of our fence sometime in the near future. ;-) I want to fence in the upper yard next... so I know my ducks and bunnies are safe. I just dont trust them... plus they have weird rodents living in their falling down garage up there!
Oh... more things have been added to CL!!
The extra bronco seats we have will FINALLY find a new home!! I want to clear shit out of here!
OK... I guess that sums up life around here.
I am ready for a little bit of rain... all of the wild fires we have been having are sad and scary!! Plus it will be motivation to get some things done IN the house!!
Things have been hectic, as usual, around here. We surely wouldnt have it any other way... LOL
Stacy spent the weekend putting down our new hardwood bedroom floor! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!!! Of course, it made the ugly wall paper look even worse... so Britt and I ripped it down! :-) Yesterday, while down in Harrisburg for PSSA tests... I ran to Home Depot and had paint mixed. I opted for the master bedroom color I had in my old house... I really liked that green. I also picked a nice trim color that should really accent the floor!
I am even more irritated over my mother lately. Having to see her around every turn SUCKS!!! Plus knowing she is trying to leach off my grandparents makes me want to PUKE! GET A JOB ALREADY! Ah, wont even go there.
Courtney has been up to her usual self lately... It has been "painful" around here in regards to her... to say the least. I am not sure what is going to happen with her as the year comes to the end... but I do know I cant continue like this for much longer.
I have to focus more attention on Nathan lately. His ADD and learning disabilities have been taking alot of energy... from me. I started putting together his lessons... and printing everything on blue paper. The blue paper has really helped... and I am noticing blue letters on white paper dont make much of a difference. Such a learning process for ME! LOL!!
I just want him to succeed... even if I have to give up hours on my weekends to put together his week of courses and work. Small price to pay in the big picture!
Now to find a better way to do vocabulary... but I think I dug up some ideas. Will give it a try once I have some time to sort it out.
Stacy and I have been going back and forth lately about our future goals and how to obtain them. This is going to get interesting! LOL!! But, in the end... I KNOW we will be where we want to be! :-)
I am sure it will piss some ppl off in the process... but I dont really care.
We are still hatching duckling!! Filling orders as they pop out! LOL!!
I think more privacy fence is in our future! The neighbors are still having issues staying out of OUR space... even tho we made damn sure we dont touch THEIR space!! Unbelievable that a 6 ft privacy fence isnt enough to keep the crazy out!!! I will be updating the look of our fence sometime in the near future. ;-) I want to fence in the upper yard next... so I know my ducks and bunnies are safe. I just dont trust them... plus they have weird rodents living in their falling down garage up there!
Oh... more things have been added to CL!!
The extra bronco seats we have will FINALLY find a new home!! I want to clear shit out of here!
OK... I guess that sums up life around here.
I am ready for a little bit of rain... all of the wild fires we have been having are sad and scary!! Plus it will be motivation to get some things done IN the house!!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Another home school day in the books
(I started this alot earlier today... Just never got it finished or posted)
We finally finished up the school day. We had a lot on the schedule today... so it took a bit longer than usual. PLUS, Nathan visited Grandma Sarah... and his Dad says candy at Grandma Sarah's is a-ok...GRRR!!! I guess he forgets what Nathan is like on artificial colors!!!! Lucky me... day from hell!
Seriously, no one could ever understand all I go through with these kids. Constantly researching and reading up on things to do and try... to help in some way.
Printing his work on blue pages or in blue ink seems to be helping a lot! Now the problem is getting him to use the blue 'filter' when he has to read out of his text books.
I am also having an issue with out side interferences. Today he insisted on wrapping a blanket around him while doing his work... NEVER again. He just couldnt focus on his work... the blanket was too much of a distraction. So we had a 10 minute ordeal when I told him to go put on socks and a sweat shirt!!
Tomorrow I will make sure he is dressed in a way that is comfy for him temp wise, before he even starts his school day.
It is seriously hard for me to remember ALL of these little bits and pieces of things from day to day.
I cant complain too much... Nathan had a SUPER day yesterday!!! Just wish we could have more days like that.
Courtney's day wasnt that great tho. I picked her up and took her over to the CMU for the Jeremy Project meeting. She is still fighting it every step of the way. But she knows she does not have an option... just wish she would put on a happy face and suck it up! LOL... I guess I ask for too much!!!
After her goal meeting... as I was leaving... I had the unfortunate 'pleasure' of seeing my 'mother'... BLAH BLAH BLAH... Again... I HATE that she is living up here!!!!! And this county is not nearly big enough for the both of us!!!
That is all I am going to say about that topic.
My head is NOT happy with all of the ham intake this week. I am about sick of the migraine!!! It sucks... because I really do love ham... it just doesnt like me one damn bit. Easter is probably about the only time I make ham all year... and boy, I make sure to hit every recipe possible with the left overs! LOL!
Sprocket managed to "steal" my cups that I started my corn in!!! Dirt all over... cups out in the dog yard! He is soooo bad... it is a good thing he is cute!
We should have ducks hatching sometime this week into next week!! I have the broader box all cleaned out and set up... waiting for them!
I also found the "sock diaper" diagram to try with which ever duck will be chosen for our house duck! Hoping my allergies will allow it.
Ok... time to get this day over with!! I need some cuddle time.
We finally finished up the school day. We had a lot on the schedule today... so it took a bit longer than usual. PLUS, Nathan visited Grandma Sarah... and his Dad says candy at Grandma Sarah's is a-ok...GRRR!!! I guess he forgets what Nathan is like on artificial colors!!!! Lucky me... day from hell!
Seriously, no one could ever understand all I go through with these kids. Constantly researching and reading up on things to do and try... to help in some way.
Printing his work on blue pages or in blue ink seems to be helping a lot! Now the problem is getting him to use the blue 'filter' when he has to read out of his text books.
I am also having an issue with out side interferences. Today he insisted on wrapping a blanket around him while doing his work... NEVER again. He just couldnt focus on his work... the blanket was too much of a distraction. So we had a 10 minute ordeal when I told him to go put on socks and a sweat shirt!!
Tomorrow I will make sure he is dressed in a way that is comfy for him temp wise, before he even starts his school day.
It is seriously hard for me to remember ALL of these little bits and pieces of things from day to day.
I cant complain too much... Nathan had a SUPER day yesterday!!! Just wish we could have more days like that.
Courtney's day wasnt that great tho. I picked her up and took her over to the CMU for the Jeremy Project meeting. She is still fighting it every step of the way. But she knows she does not have an option... just wish she would put on a happy face and suck it up! LOL... I guess I ask for too much!!!
After her goal meeting... as I was leaving... I had the unfortunate 'pleasure' of seeing my 'mother'... BLAH BLAH BLAH... Again... I HATE that she is living up here!!!!! And this county is not nearly big enough for the both of us!!!
That is all I am going to say about that topic.
My head is NOT happy with all of the ham intake this week. I am about sick of the migraine!!! It sucks... because I really do love ham... it just doesnt like me one damn bit. Easter is probably about the only time I make ham all year... and boy, I make sure to hit every recipe possible with the left overs! LOL!
Sprocket managed to "steal" my cups that I started my corn in!!! Dirt all over... cups out in the dog yard! He is soooo bad... it is a good thing he is cute!
We should have ducks hatching sometime this week into next week!! I have the broader box all cleaned out and set up... waiting for them!
I also found the "sock diaper" diagram to try with which ever duck will be chosen for our house duck! Hoping my allergies will allow it.
Ok... time to get this day over with!! I need some cuddle time.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Back to "the grind"
Here we are... Easter break is now officially OVER and we are back to school and day to day chores and chaos!
It has been a fairly quiet morning so far. Nathan and Brittany are both hard at work on their lessons and I am taking a moment to blog! LOL!
Yesterday was an eventful day. I listed a bunch of things on CL and FB yard sales. I managed to get the old bathroom vanity sold... and waiting for pick up. If they dont get here soon... I will be moving on to the next person on the list!
We moved the chicks up to the coop yesterday too. We ended up losing 2 since getting them... hoping that will be all we lose!! They really seemed to like the 'freedom' of the coop, compaired to the brooder box! I have the heat lamp up there with them for now.
HoBo climbed on the patio table yesterday and got ahold of Nathan's gum!! Sugar free, of course...which means TOXIC to dogs!! I swear, that dog is going to drive me crazy!!!!
We spent 45 minutes making sure he threw it all back up... what a fun time that was. Although, Nathan was adorable... trying to "talk" HoBo threw it!!! LOL!!!! He LOVES that dog.
I went and spent some time at the old house yesterday. Pulled weeds, raked leaves, planted some pretty flowers. I want to get some paint on the interior walls yet... and fix the 2 broken windows.
I spoke to the realtor yesterday... we some how need to figure out how to take a loss on that house just to 'unload' it. Time to get creative, I guess.
Once that house is gone... we can move foward on other goals!!! :-D I just want to be able to sit back and enjoy more time with my family... and doing things we all love to do! Property up north is so close... I can taste it!!!
I got some signs out yesterday. Time to take the shop up a notch. I think we are in a better place with schooling that I can give up a little more time to my shop!! Already the phone is ringing...which is so exciting!!! 2 little signs made an impact!! I really didnt think it would.
Now to figure out what other day I will devote to the shop. Hmmmmmm....
Today I will be making my ham and green beans! And clearing our some more clutter that has found its way to the corner of our dining room!! BLAH... clutter!!!
I was really shocked that EVERYONE finally got the hint about our thoughts and feelings on CANDY and our kids!!! I am sooooo thankful!!! It sucks being the bad guy and taking the shit and throwing it away. My kids just cant have it. The dyes and preservatives just arent healthy and have a negative affect on them. It isnt fair to them to give them stuff that makes them feel like shit! No brainer... really!!
Ok... time to move on with my day. I have been fighting the war on flies... and I think I am finally getting somewhere...LOL
Hope everyone enjoys the sunny day... while it lasts. We REALLY need the rain!!! I cant believe all of the mountain fires in the area lately!
It has been a fairly quiet morning so far. Nathan and Brittany are both hard at work on their lessons and I am taking a moment to blog! LOL!
Yesterday was an eventful day. I listed a bunch of things on CL and FB yard sales. I managed to get the old bathroom vanity sold... and waiting for pick up. If they dont get here soon... I will be moving on to the next person on the list!
We moved the chicks up to the coop yesterday too. We ended up losing 2 since getting them... hoping that will be all we lose!! They really seemed to like the 'freedom' of the coop, compaired to the brooder box! I have the heat lamp up there with them for now.
HoBo climbed on the patio table yesterday and got ahold of Nathan's gum!! Sugar free, of course...which means TOXIC to dogs!! I swear, that dog is going to drive me crazy!!!!
We spent 45 minutes making sure he threw it all back up... what a fun time that was. Although, Nathan was adorable... trying to "talk" HoBo threw it!!! LOL!!!! He LOVES that dog.
I went and spent some time at the old house yesterday. Pulled weeds, raked leaves, planted some pretty flowers. I want to get some paint on the interior walls yet... and fix the 2 broken windows.
I spoke to the realtor yesterday... we some how need to figure out how to take a loss on that house just to 'unload' it. Time to get creative, I guess.
Once that house is gone... we can move foward on other goals!!! :-D I just want to be able to sit back and enjoy more time with my family... and doing things we all love to do! Property up north is so close... I can taste it!!!
I got some signs out yesterday. Time to take the shop up a notch. I think we are in a better place with schooling that I can give up a little more time to my shop!! Already the phone is ringing...which is so exciting!!! 2 little signs made an impact!! I really didnt think it would.
Now to figure out what other day I will devote to the shop. Hmmmmmm....
Today I will be making my ham and green beans! And clearing our some more clutter that has found its way to the corner of our dining room!! BLAH... clutter!!!
I was really shocked that EVERYONE finally got the hint about our thoughts and feelings on CANDY and our kids!!! I am sooooo thankful!!! It sucks being the bad guy and taking the shit and throwing it away. My kids just cant have it. The dyes and preservatives just arent healthy and have a negative affect on them. It isnt fair to them to give them stuff that makes them feel like shit! No brainer... really!!
Ok... time to move on with my day. I have been fighting the war on flies... and I think I am finally getting somewhere...LOL
Hope everyone enjoys the sunny day... while it lasts. We REALLY need the rain!!! I cant believe all of the mountain fires in the area lately!
Saturday, April 7, 2012
My Birthday!
Yesterday was an absolutely AMAZING day!!!
I was a bit depressed to start out. The last think I wanted was another birthday! I have so many things I have yet to accomplish... and obviously, time isnt standing still.
Anyway...
Thanks to my awesome kids and hubby... it turned out to be one of my best birthdays yet!!
We packed up the truck and headed up to Sullivan County!! GPS in hand!
It is still a sad sight up that way... since all of the flooding. Some people have made their way back and are rebuilding... some are not, as you can see by all of the torn apart homes and buildings... wrapped with yellow caution tape. So unbelievable how hard they were hit.
We started off with a cemetary cache... our favorite!! Beautiful views from that one. Then we headed UP the mountain... OFF ROAD!! Yes, I LOVE my truck!!!! We ended up on the top of a mountain for cache #2... and finding away around a fence to get to it. LOL!! While we were up there, we decided to pull out our kites!!!! OMG... My kite is sooooo awesome!!!! I had so much fun!!!! My grandfather use to take me kite flying when I was a little girl... he would have been proud had he seen me yesterday...lol!
Once we had enough of that... we headed to cache #3 which was by a lake! There we had our first injurty of the day... that award goes to Nathaniel! He took a nice little slide down a big kill... just ended up with skinned up hands, he was lucky. We did find the cache... which was no where close to being where the clue stated... but it was soooo much fun finding it!!!
Then we decided to take a lunch/dinner break, since it was close to 2. FORKSVILLE GENERAL STORE!!!! I LOVE IT THERE!!! We totally recommend the 'Dirty Jersey Fries'! And shame on us for taking my truck through the covered bridge... we were cutting the weight limit kinda close. Oh, while we were there... I got new stickers for the truck and the car!! :-)
We went after a few other caches after eating... 2 we didnt find, and one we did. And we managed to set up the camera for a nice family shot.
I think we WILL be making another trip to find the Ogres and Trolls cache... but I am thinking that one got washed away in the flooding.
Our trip home landed us at a DQ... and looking at a HUGE full moon!!!
I am sore as hell today... LOL!!! I cant believe how sore my arms are from flying the kite!!!! WOW!!! I knew we were flying in some strong, gusty winds... but holy moly!!!
So, here I am today... reflecting on how much I LOVE my kids and hubby... and truck. How lucky I am to have what I have in my life... And it would appear that I have accomplished a whole hell of alot in my 36 yrs of life!!!
Stacy and I are strongly thinking about our next steps... where the next chapter will take us...
And we are all pretty excited about it!!! :-D
I was a bit depressed to start out. The last think I wanted was another birthday! I have so many things I have yet to accomplish... and obviously, time isnt standing still.
Anyway...
Thanks to my awesome kids and hubby... it turned out to be one of my best birthdays yet!!
We packed up the truck and headed up to Sullivan County!! GPS in hand!
It is still a sad sight up that way... since all of the flooding. Some people have made their way back and are rebuilding... some are not, as you can see by all of the torn apart homes and buildings... wrapped with yellow caution tape. So unbelievable how hard they were hit.
We started off with a cemetary cache... our favorite!! Beautiful views from that one. Then we headed UP the mountain... OFF ROAD!! Yes, I LOVE my truck!!!! We ended up on the top of a mountain for cache #2... and finding away around a fence to get to it. LOL!! While we were up there, we decided to pull out our kites!!!! OMG... My kite is sooooo awesome!!!! I had so much fun!!!! My grandfather use to take me kite flying when I was a little girl... he would have been proud had he seen me yesterday...lol!
Once we had enough of that... we headed to cache #3 which was by a lake! There we had our first injurty of the day... that award goes to Nathaniel! He took a nice little slide down a big kill... just ended up with skinned up hands, he was lucky. We did find the cache... which was no where close to being where the clue stated... but it was soooo much fun finding it!!!
Then we decided to take a lunch/dinner break, since it was close to 2. FORKSVILLE GENERAL STORE!!!! I LOVE IT THERE!!! We totally recommend the 'Dirty Jersey Fries'! And shame on us for taking my truck through the covered bridge... we were cutting the weight limit kinda close. Oh, while we were there... I got new stickers for the truck and the car!! :-)
We went after a few other caches after eating... 2 we didnt find, and one we did. And we managed to set up the camera for a nice family shot.
I think we WILL be making another trip to find the Ogres and Trolls cache... but I am thinking that one got washed away in the flooding.
Our trip home landed us at a DQ... and looking at a HUGE full moon!!!
I am sore as hell today... LOL!!! I cant believe how sore my arms are from flying the kite!!!! WOW!!! I knew we were flying in some strong, gusty winds... but holy moly!!!
So, here I am today... reflecting on how much I LOVE my kids and hubby... and truck. How lucky I am to have what I have in my life... And it would appear that I have accomplished a whole hell of alot in my 36 yrs of life!!!
Stacy and I are strongly thinking about our next steps... where the next chapter will take us...
And we are all pretty excited about it!!! :-D
Thursday, April 5, 2012
A moment of silence!
Ahhh... do you hear that??? No?!? Well, that is because there is NOTHING to hear at the moment!!! ;-)
The dogs are all laying down... napping. Stacy left with the kids. He and Courtney have hair appts, and after they are heading to the store.
This means I can enjoy some quiet time!!
We are all caught up on school work... and ready to enjoy a few days off for Easter break!
I have been taking full advantage of the awesome weather... and hanging out laundry every day. Today we stopped to get wood to make my new clothes props... my others are SHOT!
I really wanted to get started on clearing out some clutter we have sitting around... just havent gotten to it yet.
The stress level around here has been through the roof lately. I will be sooooo glad when Courtney graduates!!! Geez... you would think it was MY senior year.
I have my mind pretty set on shipping her off to college!! We have talked it over... and found a good program for her. And it will be another one of those "sink or swim" type experiences for her. She will have to put 100% effort into it... and do all that is expected. They will not baby her like the high school does.
I am just so ready to be done with this crap.
I got my hands on some lavendar/white, silver/white, and blue/white Ancona duck eggs!!! I got them in the incubator now! I am pretty excited to see what we end up with, when they hatch. I can guarentee I wont be buying from these ppl again... almost half of my eggs ended up cracked in shipping! They were not packaged well AT ALL!!! I order eggs and have them shipped all the time... this is the first time I have ever gotten a bunch with so much damage. They better hope to God that when I candle them in a week... I have baby ducks growing!!!!!!!
I also switched my 'first to hatch' group of eggs over to my hatching incubator. Yes, it is a bit early for that... but I needed the room in my other incubator!! LOL!
I am to the limit so far this year! So far it appears I will have ALL of them hatching... but, we still have to get through the actual hatching... and we usually lose some then.
We took the kids kite flying again the other day. It was so much fun!! No ticks this time...LOL!! They all got nice, new kites for Easter... yes, I gave them out early. I really have to get caught up on getting pics put on line.
Stacy, Josh and Nathan finished splitting wood yesterday. We are already all ready for next winter! WOW... this is a first!!! I am so proud. Our coal bin is mostly full too... so we are set!
I looked out in the field today... I think it is time to get the kids out picking Dandelions for our next batch of wine. I am determined to make jelly this year too!! THe kids arent real thrilled about picking... but too bad. I swear... they are just too darn spoiled!! Everyone got new hair styles... which wasnt cheap... Soooo... they can get their butts out and pick some weeds for us!!! LOL
Tomorrow is my Birthday. I guess we are going to do some hiking and geocaching. I am up for whatever adventure Stacy comes up with. I just want to be out... enjoying the sun... and not worrying about a damn thing that is going on at our house!!!
I guess I better use this quiet time wisely, and start on next weeks lesson plannning!
And I have to go out and chase our chicks to bring them in. I let them out in the yard during the day... since it has been so nice, and just bring them in over nite when it gets cold. I am hoping to soon get them up in the coop.
It is so unbelievable how far ahead we are this year... since it has been so nice! ALL of my garden plants have sprouted... even my pea bushes are coming up already! I am feeling rather accomplished on the garden end of things.
Well... I hope everyone has an awesome Easter weekend!!
The dogs are all laying down... napping. Stacy left with the kids. He and Courtney have hair appts, and after they are heading to the store.
This means I can enjoy some quiet time!!
We are all caught up on school work... and ready to enjoy a few days off for Easter break!
I have been taking full advantage of the awesome weather... and hanging out laundry every day. Today we stopped to get wood to make my new clothes props... my others are SHOT!
I really wanted to get started on clearing out some clutter we have sitting around... just havent gotten to it yet.
The stress level around here has been through the roof lately. I will be sooooo glad when Courtney graduates!!! Geez... you would think it was MY senior year.
I have my mind pretty set on shipping her off to college!! We have talked it over... and found a good program for her. And it will be another one of those "sink or swim" type experiences for her. She will have to put 100% effort into it... and do all that is expected. They will not baby her like the high school does.
I am just so ready to be done with this crap.
I got my hands on some lavendar/white, silver/white, and blue/white Ancona duck eggs!!! I got them in the incubator now! I am pretty excited to see what we end up with, when they hatch. I can guarentee I wont be buying from these ppl again... almost half of my eggs ended up cracked in shipping! They were not packaged well AT ALL!!! I order eggs and have them shipped all the time... this is the first time I have ever gotten a bunch with so much damage. They better hope to God that when I candle them in a week... I have baby ducks growing!!!!!!!
I also switched my 'first to hatch' group of eggs over to my hatching incubator. Yes, it is a bit early for that... but I needed the room in my other incubator!! LOL!
I am to the limit so far this year! So far it appears I will have ALL of them hatching... but, we still have to get through the actual hatching... and we usually lose some then.
We took the kids kite flying again the other day. It was so much fun!! No ticks this time...LOL!! They all got nice, new kites for Easter... yes, I gave them out early. I really have to get caught up on getting pics put on line.
Stacy, Josh and Nathan finished splitting wood yesterday. We are already all ready for next winter! WOW... this is a first!!! I am so proud. Our coal bin is mostly full too... so we are set!
I looked out in the field today... I think it is time to get the kids out picking Dandelions for our next batch of wine. I am determined to make jelly this year too!! THe kids arent real thrilled about picking... but too bad. I swear... they are just too darn spoiled!! Everyone got new hair styles... which wasnt cheap... Soooo... they can get their butts out and pick some weeds for us!!! LOL
Tomorrow is my Birthday. I guess we are going to do some hiking and geocaching. I am up for whatever adventure Stacy comes up with. I just want to be out... enjoying the sun... and not worrying about a damn thing that is going on at our house!!!
I guess I better use this quiet time wisely, and start on next weeks lesson plannning!
And I have to go out and chase our chicks to bring them in. I let them out in the yard during the day... since it has been so nice, and just bring them in over nite when it gets cold. I am hoping to soon get them up in the coop.
It is so unbelievable how far ahead we are this year... since it has been so nice! ALL of my garden plants have sprouted... even my pea bushes are coming up already! I am feeling rather accomplished on the garden end of things.
Well... I hope everyone has an awesome Easter weekend!!
Sunday, April 1, 2012
All about me!!! (LOL)
I have the house to myself today... well, at least part of the day. On the rare occasions that this happens, I tend to trick myself into thinking that I will have a day all to ME! But, in reality... it NEVER turns out that way!!!
The only thing for myself I have done so far today... after waking up before the sun to take care of animals... I went back to bed for 2 hours.
And for some reason that didnt turn out real good!!! I got back up to 3 chicks running around my house... they escaped the broader!! Amaruq destroyed my shop "catch all" basket and the roll of paper towels and everything else I had in it. Sakari threw up in her crate. And I remembered that I forgot to submit one of Nathan's portfolios... because we were having an internet issue!!!
So, see... just the thought and the small action of doing something for myself turns out horrible BAD!!! I have been punished! LOL
I decided that I will spend my afternoon doing laundry... and working on this weeks school plan. I have a few new ideas to try with helping Nathan with his school work!! I am pretty excited, and hopeful... especially after somethign I saw at the skatery with him yesterday!! :-)
I also want to figure out our Easter weekend plans. Friday is my birthday... and Stacy & the kids all have off. I want to take a road trip.
I am thinking it is really time to start thinking about the next chapter in our lives. Even if we have a few loose ends that need tied up before we can actually take steps... I want to start putting the thought into things. And planning the actions!
Courtney should be graduating this year. And the other 2 will be continuing in CCA. So we can end up ANYWHERE in PA... and we dont have to worry about crappy school districts or the kids changing school!
I am so ready to be FAR away from the insanity and stupid that plagues us around here! No more power trips or power struggles... no more guilt trips or blackmail!!! When will ppl learn that I always win, and guilt and tears mean nothing to me??
Anyway... I think my birthday would be a perfect day to start thinking of "what next"... I am surely not getting any younger!!! LOL
I am ironing out our Easter plans too. Stacy has to work on Sunday... so, I will have to work around that little detail. No biggy... since no matter what, our day will be spent doing our own traditional things. And we will be adding something new on Friday nite!! ;-)
We have been doing a pretty good job and doing ACTIVE things together as a family!! And, with that... I am down 3 more lbs in the past week!! GOOO ME!!!
It is so much easier to be active when I am doing it with my family! LOL!! I really thought the bike riding was gonna kill me... BUT, it was a GREAT time!! It didnt really bother my back much... but we did keep it on a mostly smooth surface. And the tennis was AWESOME!!! I think I laughed lbs off!!!! LOL!! I do hope we can get a good hike in this week... I miss our adventures in hiking! Maybe I can locate some good caches to hunt... hmmmm...
Other than that... things are going as usual around here. Our new kites are on their way... cant wait to get to play with them!!
Courtney over came a big obstacle yesterday with skating!!! I am so proud of her... and thankful for Stacy's patience with her! Of course I had to be the bad guy for awhile... but as usual, it paid off in the end! AND... she decided it was time for her to get a pair of skates of her own!!! I thought I was momentarily sent over to some sort of twilight zone... but Stacy and Mrs M. assured me it was all very real and happening!!!
I will also be taking up a great opportunity that Mr & Mrs M offered to me!! ;-)
I havent had time to sit down lately and finish the baby blanket I am working on. Honestly, I dont think I have spent much time at all in our living room! I am always sooooo freakin busy!! I started to wear a pedometer... I have a goal of 5000 steps per day... I have been hitting it!!! It is especially easy when I walk "my loop" during the day... LOL! Hopefully that killer hill bill begin to get easier...LOL!
I was really hoping to be able to spend some time on my butt today... crocheting... but, not gonna happen. Oh well... I am pretty sure I still have some time to get it done.
I guess that is really all that is going on in my world... or at least all that is worth mentioning right now.
Hope we all get to enjoy some sun today!!!
The only thing for myself I have done so far today... after waking up before the sun to take care of animals... I went back to bed for 2 hours.
And for some reason that didnt turn out real good!!! I got back up to 3 chicks running around my house... they escaped the broader!! Amaruq destroyed my shop "catch all" basket and the roll of paper towels and everything else I had in it. Sakari threw up in her crate. And I remembered that I forgot to submit one of Nathan's portfolios... because we were having an internet issue!!!
So, see... just the thought and the small action of doing something for myself turns out horrible BAD!!! I have been punished! LOL
I decided that I will spend my afternoon doing laundry... and working on this weeks school plan. I have a few new ideas to try with helping Nathan with his school work!! I am pretty excited, and hopeful... especially after somethign I saw at the skatery with him yesterday!! :-)
I also want to figure out our Easter weekend plans. Friday is my birthday... and Stacy & the kids all have off. I want to take a road trip.
I am thinking it is really time to start thinking about the next chapter in our lives. Even if we have a few loose ends that need tied up before we can actually take steps... I want to start putting the thought into things. And planning the actions!
Courtney should be graduating this year. And the other 2 will be continuing in CCA. So we can end up ANYWHERE in PA... and we dont have to worry about crappy school districts or the kids changing school!
I am so ready to be FAR away from the insanity and stupid that plagues us around here! No more power trips or power struggles... no more guilt trips or blackmail!!! When will ppl learn that I always win, and guilt and tears mean nothing to me??
Anyway... I think my birthday would be a perfect day to start thinking of "what next"... I am surely not getting any younger!!! LOL
I am ironing out our Easter plans too. Stacy has to work on Sunday... so, I will have to work around that little detail. No biggy... since no matter what, our day will be spent doing our own traditional things. And we will be adding something new on Friday nite!! ;-)
We have been doing a pretty good job and doing ACTIVE things together as a family!! And, with that... I am down 3 more lbs in the past week!! GOOO ME!!!
It is so much easier to be active when I am doing it with my family! LOL!! I really thought the bike riding was gonna kill me... BUT, it was a GREAT time!! It didnt really bother my back much... but we did keep it on a mostly smooth surface. And the tennis was AWESOME!!! I think I laughed lbs off!!!! LOL!! I do hope we can get a good hike in this week... I miss our adventures in hiking! Maybe I can locate some good caches to hunt... hmmmm...
Other than that... things are going as usual around here. Our new kites are on their way... cant wait to get to play with them!!
Courtney over came a big obstacle yesterday with skating!!! I am so proud of her... and thankful for Stacy's patience with her! Of course I had to be the bad guy for awhile... but as usual, it paid off in the end! AND... she decided it was time for her to get a pair of skates of her own!!! I thought I was momentarily sent over to some sort of twilight zone... but Stacy and Mrs M. assured me it was all very real and happening!!!
I will also be taking up a great opportunity that Mr & Mrs M offered to me!! ;-)
I havent had time to sit down lately and finish the baby blanket I am working on. Honestly, I dont think I have spent much time at all in our living room! I am always sooooo freakin busy!! I started to wear a pedometer... I have a goal of 5000 steps per day... I have been hitting it!!! It is especially easy when I walk "my loop" during the day... LOL! Hopefully that killer hill bill begin to get easier...LOL!
I was really hoping to be able to spend some time on my butt today... crocheting... but, not gonna happen. Oh well... I am pretty sure I still have some time to get it done.
I guess that is really all that is going on in my world... or at least all that is worth mentioning right now.
Hope we all get to enjoy some sun today!!!
Thursday, March 29, 2012
End of the 3rd marking period... already!
Time sure does fly when you are having fun!! I cant believe we have one more marking period left of the school year... and (hopefully) Courtney has only one more marking period of school... EVER!! Oh wow... 2 adult children!!! Makes me almost sick! LOL Goodness... my birthday is right around the corner too...EWE!
Yesterday was a pretty rough day. Poor planning on my part. But I managed to get through it.
I have decided with the 4th marking period there will be some changes in how we do things. Nathan has been struggling a bit and I think if tweek things a bit, he will function better.
The vet finally called about HoBo's lyme's disease. Poor guy has full blown lyme's... and we started a 28 day course of antibiotics. Keeping our fingers crossed that is all he will need. They will wait 6 months to redo the blood work to check. For the next 28 days... twice a day... HoBo will get a spoonful of peanut butter to help the medicine go down! LOL!! Spoiled boy!!! I guess he deserves a little bit of spoiling.
Last nite we went out for another game of tennis. ALL of the kids seem to enjoy it. Nathan has his usual grumpy times, and I am really having to crack down on those situations. He ruins his own fun... then tries to drag everyone else down with him... NOT gonna happen!!
We have a shitload of Ancona eggs in the incubator!! They are all doing well! Going to have to set up the 2nd incubator soon... for when they all start to hatch. Sooo exciting!! :-)
I guess that sums things up for now. Have to get back to work... Nathan is working on his Science test and I have chicken soup to make for dinner tonite! Then to do some more clutter control... too much crap sitting around!
Yesterday was a pretty rough day. Poor planning on my part. But I managed to get through it.
I have decided with the 4th marking period there will be some changes in how we do things. Nathan has been struggling a bit and I think if tweek things a bit, he will function better.
The vet finally called about HoBo's lyme's disease. Poor guy has full blown lyme's... and we started a 28 day course of antibiotics. Keeping our fingers crossed that is all he will need. They will wait 6 months to redo the blood work to check. For the next 28 days... twice a day... HoBo will get a spoonful of peanut butter to help the medicine go down! LOL!! Spoiled boy!!! I guess he deserves a little bit of spoiling.
Last nite we went out for another game of tennis. ALL of the kids seem to enjoy it. Nathan has his usual grumpy times, and I am really having to crack down on those situations. He ruins his own fun... then tries to drag everyone else down with him... NOT gonna happen!!
We have a shitload of Ancona eggs in the incubator!! They are all doing well! Going to have to set up the 2nd incubator soon... for when they all start to hatch. Sooo exciting!! :-)
I guess that sums things up for now. Have to get back to work... Nathan is working on his Science test and I have chicken soup to make for dinner tonite! Then to do some more clutter control... too much crap sitting around!
Monday, March 26, 2012
Awesome weekend!
I really need to find a better time to blog!
We had an amazing weekend this weekend. And we still managed to get some yard work accomplished!!
Friday I decided we would eat over a fire... so hot dogs and smores it was!! Sooo much fun!!! Once we were done eating we headed to the tennis courts!! Britt and I kicked butt!!! Even with a fractured spine... I still got it!! LOL!! The evening ended with Icee's, of course.
Saturday I woke up sore... but didnt let it stop me. The kids had their skating lessons... Stacy and I ran some errands. After their lessons we did some work around the house and Stacy, Nathan and I went back for the evening skating session! I really pushed my luck!! There was a kid that fell in front of us... needless to say I was done skating after that ordeal and almost needed to be carried to the car!! OUCH!!!
I really thought Sunday was going to be spent on my butt... WRONG!! I sucked it up (and pulled out the good pain pills)... we went to fly some kites... but the wind wasnt really cooperative. We made the best of it...and got A LOT of laughs...and TICKS in the process! After that we headed back to the tennis courts. We were all shocked at Courtney's tennis skill... AND she was giving everyone else pointers!!! Once the pain meds started to wear off... I was pretty much done for the day! It was a blast tho!!
Once we got home... I took on some seed starting... rabbitry time...and repotted some inside plant while the boys mowed.
After dinner we all hopped in the hot tub for a bit. My hubby thought it would be a good idea to take his phone in with him!! NOT!!! So, now he has no working cell phone! I told him I will gladly give him mine... and I plan on getting a new one! :-) Although... I really just want us both to do away with the smart phones and go back to basic talk and text phones. Time will tell.
I came up with a great plan to come up with the $$$ needed for new phones--- Starting to sell off all the extra bronco parts sitting in our garage and lean-to!! We have like 3 sets of back seats up there... One set I plan on keeping for the back of the Yota... but the other 2 can GO. We have a set of front seats too... which matches one of the back bench seats! There are all kinds of other parts sitting around... and I think it is time for some spring cleaning!!! ESPECIALLY if he ever wants to make room for the Escort... (we have an entire escort interior sitting in our garage too! lol)
It is time to let some of this shit go! We are all "grown ups" now... time to start acting like it. There is just too many other more important things to spend time on... like our FAMILY!
I dont know if we will ever make it back to another mud bog. But I do hope that we will make it to some trail rides. The Yota has been a joint effort for Stacy and me since we got together. I have no intentions of giving up on it yet. Even though it is now a home for ALL of the stray cats in our village... YUCK!!!
BUT... it is time to sit down and pick and choice our other projects. There is no way we will ever have enough time to make them ALL happen. Stacy gave up on ever having a restored Bronco... thank goodness!! Especially if he wants to keep his motorcycle AND the escort... AND all of the NEW toys he has acquired over the past 5 yrs!! TIME TO GROW UP... and who better to push him then ME!!! ;-)
Oh yes... I am sure this will be topic for some therapy sessions!!! LOL Poor guy will need some extra therapy!
Oh well... I guess that is all I have for now. I am in super spring cleaning mode!! Now if my back and fybro would just cooperate I may get A LOT done and out of here... and Stacy will be non the wiser since he has NO cell phone and cant access the internet!! (Insert evil grin here!!) LMBO
Hope everyone stays warm over the next few winter days!!! Get out there and cover those plants!!!
We had 3 chickens and our 3 'odd' ducks in the side yard all weekend... taking care of any bugs! They seem to like it here... but I think since it is suppose to get cold again, they will all need to head back up to their coops today.
Our duck eggs are incubating rather nicely! We will be splitting the Ancona coop to accomodate our "surprise" arrivals later in spring! I got pretty lucky on Friday... but I am not ready to share the info yet... cant count our ducks before they hatch!!! LOL!
Nathan and Brittany are still doing GREAT in school!! And we are still working through some issues with Courtney. I am soooooo glad we ALL had an awesome weekend tho... it was exactly what we needed
We had an amazing weekend this weekend. And we still managed to get some yard work accomplished!!
Friday I decided we would eat over a fire... so hot dogs and smores it was!! Sooo much fun!!! Once we were done eating we headed to the tennis courts!! Britt and I kicked butt!!! Even with a fractured spine... I still got it!! LOL!! The evening ended with Icee's, of course.
Saturday I woke up sore... but didnt let it stop me. The kids had their skating lessons... Stacy and I ran some errands. After their lessons we did some work around the house and Stacy, Nathan and I went back for the evening skating session! I really pushed my luck!! There was a kid that fell in front of us... needless to say I was done skating after that ordeal and almost needed to be carried to the car!! OUCH!!!
I really thought Sunday was going to be spent on my butt... WRONG!! I sucked it up (and pulled out the good pain pills)... we went to fly some kites... but the wind wasnt really cooperative. We made the best of it...and got A LOT of laughs...and TICKS in the process! After that we headed back to the tennis courts. We were all shocked at Courtney's tennis skill... AND she was giving everyone else pointers!!! Once the pain meds started to wear off... I was pretty much done for the day! It was a blast tho!!
Once we got home... I took on some seed starting... rabbitry time...and repotted some inside plant while the boys mowed.
After dinner we all hopped in the hot tub for a bit. My hubby thought it would be a good idea to take his phone in with him!! NOT!!! So, now he has no working cell phone! I told him I will gladly give him mine... and I plan on getting a new one! :-) Although... I really just want us both to do away with the smart phones and go back to basic talk and text phones. Time will tell.
I came up with a great plan to come up with the $$$ needed for new phones--- Starting to sell off all the extra bronco parts sitting in our garage and lean-to!! We have like 3 sets of back seats up there... One set I plan on keeping for the back of the Yota... but the other 2 can GO. We have a set of front seats too... which matches one of the back bench seats! There are all kinds of other parts sitting around... and I think it is time for some spring cleaning!!! ESPECIALLY if he ever wants to make room for the Escort... (we have an entire escort interior sitting in our garage too! lol)
It is time to let some of this shit go! We are all "grown ups" now... time to start acting like it. There is just too many other more important things to spend time on... like our FAMILY!
I dont know if we will ever make it back to another mud bog. But I do hope that we will make it to some trail rides. The Yota has been a joint effort for Stacy and me since we got together. I have no intentions of giving up on it yet. Even though it is now a home for ALL of the stray cats in our village... YUCK!!!
BUT... it is time to sit down and pick and choice our other projects. There is no way we will ever have enough time to make them ALL happen. Stacy gave up on ever having a restored Bronco... thank goodness!! Especially if he wants to keep his motorcycle AND the escort... AND all of the NEW toys he has acquired over the past 5 yrs!! TIME TO GROW UP... and who better to push him then ME!!! ;-)
Oh yes... I am sure this will be topic for some therapy sessions!!! LOL Poor guy will need some extra therapy!
Oh well... I guess that is all I have for now. I am in super spring cleaning mode!! Now if my back and fybro would just cooperate I may get A LOT done and out of here... and Stacy will be non the wiser since he has NO cell phone and cant access the internet!! (Insert evil grin here!!) LMBO
Hope everyone stays warm over the next few winter days!!! Get out there and cover those plants!!!
We had 3 chickens and our 3 'odd' ducks in the side yard all weekend... taking care of any bugs! They seem to like it here... but I think since it is suppose to get cold again, they will all need to head back up to their coops today.
Our duck eggs are incubating rather nicely! We will be splitting the Ancona coop to accomodate our "surprise" arrivals later in spring! I got pretty lucky on Friday... but I am not ready to share the info yet... cant count our ducks before they hatch!!! LOL!
Nathan and Brittany are still doing GREAT in school!! And we are still working through some issues with Courtney. I am soooooo glad we ALL had an awesome weekend tho... it was exactly what we needed
Thursday, March 22, 2012
This week
This week has been full of PSSA's... cleaning the old house... and an extra day spent with my hubby!!
Yesterday we took a road trip for a really yummy late lunch! We didnt make it to FRX... but that is ok. The weather was just too iffy.
After that... we went and spent some time at the old house cleaning up crap. 6 contractor bags full of garbage later... we have the main floor almost completely clean!
Tomorrow Josh and my grandmother are coming up to help clean... the kitchen will be first on the list!
I totally appreciate all of the bags of garbage left on the deck... they were there for awhile!! All kinds of nasty shit flew and crawled out of it!!! Added bonus was the nasty used cat litter bag that something ate threw! Have I mentioned I hate my "mother"...?!?!
The lovely thought of her still being up in this area makes me sick! I came up here to get the hell away from her... now I have to wonder if I will run into her somewhere. That wont be pretty!
Let me just say... that whatever the trash men didnt take of the shit she left behind... she will find it out next to her van in the coming days!!!
Nathan and Britt managed to make it threw PSSA's this week! Today is our first day back to our regular school routine. It isnt sitting too good with Nathan.
I have been overwhelmed with teaher emails and things to catch up on. We had to redo our schedule since we just missed 3 days of class time. Hopefully once lunch is here and gone, we will have some sort of 'normal' going on again.
I think Nathan needs an early bed time tonite... he seems awfully whiny and tired.
HoBo tested positive for Lyme Disease. I had him tested when I took him to be neutered. CHHHAAAAA-CHING!!! It could have been worse-- heartworm. But still not something we really planned on. It does make the aches and pains he whined about make sense, tho. Poor thing... not taken care of AT ALL!!
Well, his life sure has turned around! I know one 10 yr old lil boy who LOVES him more than HoBo could EVER imagine!! They seem to love eachother... because HoBo was really lost without him the past few days... he seemed soooo depressed! (and I am sure it had nothing to do with his surgery...lol)
I will be starting all of our garden seeds today... if we ever make it through school work.
Stacy and I were out pulling some weeds around the pond yesterday. Goodness, I can not wait until our root cellar and new porch are on!! Then I can have a nice looking house again! Anyway, we started on the pond area. I plan one pulling out a bunch of those moon flowers as they start to come up this year! Those things end up sooooo big and take over!
I am hoping we can get our first load of mulch some time next week. I am NOT playing the weed game this year!!! I may even mulch some of our garden beds this year.
Stacy is chomping at the bit for homemade salsa! I guess I didnt make enough last year...lol.
Duck eggs are "cooking" nicely. Should be ready to be candled in the next few days.
Ohhhh.... this morning we got up to a field of about 20 wild turkeys!! Brittany, my turkey hunter, was soooo excited!!! Britt and Nathan went out and "stalked" them for awhile... got some good pics in the process!!
Ok... I guess that is my update for now.
Let's hope for more sunny skies!!
Yesterday we took a road trip for a really yummy late lunch! We didnt make it to FRX... but that is ok. The weather was just too iffy.
After that... we went and spent some time at the old house cleaning up crap. 6 contractor bags full of garbage later... we have the main floor almost completely clean!
Tomorrow Josh and my grandmother are coming up to help clean... the kitchen will be first on the list!
I totally appreciate all of the bags of garbage left on the deck... they were there for awhile!! All kinds of nasty shit flew and crawled out of it!!! Added bonus was the nasty used cat litter bag that something ate threw! Have I mentioned I hate my "mother"...?!?!
The lovely thought of her still being up in this area makes me sick! I came up here to get the hell away from her... now I have to wonder if I will run into her somewhere. That wont be pretty!
Let me just say... that whatever the trash men didnt take of the shit she left behind... she will find it out next to her van in the coming days!!!
Nathan and Britt managed to make it threw PSSA's this week! Today is our first day back to our regular school routine. It isnt sitting too good with Nathan.
I have been overwhelmed with teaher emails and things to catch up on. We had to redo our schedule since we just missed 3 days of class time. Hopefully once lunch is here and gone, we will have some sort of 'normal' going on again.
I think Nathan needs an early bed time tonite... he seems awfully whiny and tired.
HoBo tested positive for Lyme Disease. I had him tested when I took him to be neutered. CHHHAAAAA-CHING!!! It could have been worse-- heartworm. But still not something we really planned on. It does make the aches and pains he whined about make sense, tho. Poor thing... not taken care of AT ALL!!
Well, his life sure has turned around! I know one 10 yr old lil boy who LOVES him more than HoBo could EVER imagine!! They seem to love eachother... because HoBo was really lost without him the past few days... he seemed soooo depressed! (and I am sure it had nothing to do with his surgery...lol)
I will be starting all of our garden seeds today... if we ever make it through school work.
Stacy and I were out pulling some weeds around the pond yesterday. Goodness, I can not wait until our root cellar and new porch are on!! Then I can have a nice looking house again! Anyway, we started on the pond area. I plan one pulling out a bunch of those moon flowers as they start to come up this year! Those things end up sooooo big and take over!
I am hoping we can get our first load of mulch some time next week. I am NOT playing the weed game this year!!! I may even mulch some of our garden beds this year.
Stacy is chomping at the bit for homemade salsa! I guess I didnt make enough last year...lol.
Duck eggs are "cooking" nicely. Should be ready to be candled in the next few days.
Ohhhh.... this morning we got up to a field of about 20 wild turkeys!! Brittany, my turkey hunter, was soooo excited!!! Britt and Nathan went out and "stalked" them for awhile... got some good pics in the process!!
Ok... I guess that is my update for now.
Let's hope for more sunny skies!!
Friday, March 16, 2012
A full week of "spring"...??
I have been LOVING this spring weather!!
Laundry drying out on the line... digging in the dirt... windows wide open... Chicks chirping in our brooder box... Bunnies are able to spend more time out in the grass!!
My seed order came today... guess what I will be doing this weekend?!? I already have my little green house space ready to go. Time to get some garden plant started!!! :-)
Today we will also be putting some Ancona Duck eggs in the incubator! They are all laying like crazy now! The spoiled things help themselves out of the coop and walk over to the creek, then go and snack in the field... then back to the coop area to lay eggs they go. It is like Easter up there... always a good time hunting their eggs!
I can only hope we dont end up with 10 inches of snow next week!!! LOL!!!
It really seems too good to be true tho. I want to put things in the garden... but I am just afraid we will get hit with some nastiness. UGH!
Sprocket has been doing good "warming up" to the agility equipment! I am proud of his fearless attitude...he will do anything for a treat! LOL
Nathan and Brittany have been doing GREAT in school! I am very proud of both of them!
Courtney has been doing her fair share of causing trouble. She is threatening to drop out of school DAILY... causing a huge rucus at school. Stacy and I are standing firm on if she quits, she cant live here anymore. I am just so done playing these games with her. I dont care that she is 18... or if she was 21 or 25 or 30. MY HOUSE, MY RULES!!! She is 18 now... if she doesnt like it, she knows where to find the doors! I can not keep up the CONSTANT, DAILY fighting. It is affecting the other 2 kids... and ME!
Life in my shop has been GREAT!
I got my shop order the other day. Converting ALL of my client files into "cards" to make accessing them much easier. Also plan on starting to use the software I got... but never took the time to figure out...lol
All of the new clipper blades I got DO NOT fit my iVac properly. But, I have had this trouble with my first order of blades with it too. I personally am not a huge fan of the iVac.... So, today I switched back to the original clippers I got in school. They are just much more comfortable in my hands... and I have never had any issues with them (knock on wood). I am liking my new choice of clipper blades!!
I think we are finally getting a good, solid school schedule going! And a 'system' that seems to be working for everyone! I am very lucky that I am able to work from home... and teach my kids at the same time!!
Dinner tonite is gonna be chicken on the grill!! YUMMY!
I guess that is all I have for right now. I have to go take care of animals. Stacy should be home any minute... it is his 'short' day! Hoping to have a weekend full of great weather to enjoy together. Maybe I will brave a motorcycle ride! :-)
Laundry drying out on the line... digging in the dirt... windows wide open... Chicks chirping in our brooder box... Bunnies are able to spend more time out in the grass!!
My seed order came today... guess what I will be doing this weekend?!? I already have my little green house space ready to go. Time to get some garden plant started!!! :-)
Today we will also be putting some Ancona Duck eggs in the incubator! They are all laying like crazy now! The spoiled things help themselves out of the coop and walk over to the creek, then go and snack in the field... then back to the coop area to lay eggs they go. It is like Easter up there... always a good time hunting their eggs!
I can only hope we dont end up with 10 inches of snow next week!!! LOL!!!
It really seems too good to be true tho. I want to put things in the garden... but I am just afraid we will get hit with some nastiness. UGH!
Sprocket has been doing good "warming up" to the agility equipment! I am proud of his fearless attitude...he will do anything for a treat! LOL
Nathan and Brittany have been doing GREAT in school! I am very proud of both of them!
Courtney has been doing her fair share of causing trouble. She is threatening to drop out of school DAILY... causing a huge rucus at school. Stacy and I are standing firm on if she quits, she cant live here anymore. I am just so done playing these games with her. I dont care that she is 18... or if she was 21 or 25 or 30. MY HOUSE, MY RULES!!! She is 18 now... if she doesnt like it, she knows where to find the doors! I can not keep up the CONSTANT, DAILY fighting. It is affecting the other 2 kids... and ME!
Life in my shop has been GREAT!
I got my shop order the other day. Converting ALL of my client files into "cards" to make accessing them much easier. Also plan on starting to use the software I got... but never took the time to figure out...lol
All of the new clipper blades I got DO NOT fit my iVac properly. But, I have had this trouble with my first order of blades with it too. I personally am not a huge fan of the iVac.... So, today I switched back to the original clippers I got in school. They are just much more comfortable in my hands... and I have never had any issues with them (knock on wood). I am liking my new choice of clipper blades!!
I think we are finally getting a good, solid school schedule going! And a 'system' that seems to be working for everyone! I am very lucky that I am able to work from home... and teach my kids at the same time!!
Dinner tonite is gonna be chicken on the grill!! YUMMY!
I guess that is all I have for right now. I have to go take care of animals. Stacy should be home any minute... it is his 'short' day! Hoping to have a weekend full of great weather to enjoy together. Maybe I will brave a motorcycle ride! :-)
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Been so busy!
I really dont think anyone can understand or appreciate ALL that I do in a day!!! Sometimes I feel as though I dont even have time to breath. It is a major task remembering or having time to do my hair... and most of the time I shower half asleep!!!
Homeschooling the kids takes a huge chunk of my time... and running my shop! I am finally getting a good schedule going in my shop... but of course with Spring coming, things will have to change to accomodate new training classes! Maybe some day I will learn to leave well enough alone... but I LOVE what I do and I cant help but to expand!!
In addition to those 2 big things...
I have our animals to take care of. Daily chores around the house... laundry, dinner, cleaning etc. Then of course I have a hobby or 2 I want to follow up with.
That doesnt include kid activities... and the daily high school drama with Courtney!
Some days I dont know if I am coming or going.... or up from down!!!
The kids are progressing well through their school work. Mostly A's!!! I am super proud of them!!! They spend an average of 6.5 hours a week on skates. We have come up with a better system of "earning" their extra's (electronics and cell phones)by making sure daily chores are done before they are allowed to pick them up from MY keeping!
We ordered our garden seeds for this year! I already have my 'green house' space readied up!! New chicks have made a home in the side kitchen for now... growing!!
Last weekend both the chicken coop and the rabbitry got a complete spring cleaning!!
My CRX is making progress too!!! I am soooo happy about that!!! New shocks and struts put on... new tires and alignment... found a back seat for it...
Next is an interior redo and an exterior paint job! I got to drive it around a bit last nite... LOVE IT!!!! I think Josh has a "fan club" from when he drove it... Stacy had some guy flip him off while driving it, for no reason. NICE, JOSH... THANK YOU!!!
Stacy fixed his bronco over the weekend too... again... lol. I think that thing is road worthy.
Our bathroom is just about complete... new toilet, and sink... installed! Floor is done and looking GREAT! Now just to finish up some patch work on the walls... where we took out the old vanity. Can not wait until it is done!!! So far we are all LOVING it!!!
Let's see... today--
Today is just another hectic, crazy day. Nathan and I have already worked through 3 math lessons. We are taking a break so I can blog and then get my laundry hung outside. I am really hoping the sun decides to come out!!!
Other than catching up on household chores... I have animals to take care of... and I am hoping find and decide on my paint job today!
I really do have THE BEST hubby... 90% of the time!!! LOL!!
Ok... that is all I have time for... gotta get some other things done that I am expected to do around here! If I dont do it... it doesnt get done!!
I hope every one is enjoying this beautiful weather as much as we are!!!
Homeschooling the kids takes a huge chunk of my time... and running my shop! I am finally getting a good schedule going in my shop... but of course with Spring coming, things will have to change to accomodate new training classes! Maybe some day I will learn to leave well enough alone... but I LOVE what I do and I cant help but to expand!!
In addition to those 2 big things...
I have our animals to take care of. Daily chores around the house... laundry, dinner, cleaning etc. Then of course I have a hobby or 2 I want to follow up with.
That doesnt include kid activities... and the daily high school drama with Courtney!
Some days I dont know if I am coming or going.... or up from down!!!
The kids are progressing well through their school work. Mostly A's!!! I am super proud of them!!! They spend an average of 6.5 hours a week on skates. We have come up with a better system of "earning" their extra's (electronics and cell phones)by making sure daily chores are done before they are allowed to pick them up from MY keeping!
We ordered our garden seeds for this year! I already have my 'green house' space readied up!! New chicks have made a home in the side kitchen for now... growing!!
Last weekend both the chicken coop and the rabbitry got a complete spring cleaning!!
My CRX is making progress too!!! I am soooo happy about that!!! New shocks and struts put on... new tires and alignment... found a back seat for it...
Next is an interior redo and an exterior paint job! I got to drive it around a bit last nite... LOVE IT!!!! I think Josh has a "fan club" from when he drove it... Stacy had some guy flip him off while driving it, for no reason. NICE, JOSH... THANK YOU!!!
Stacy fixed his bronco over the weekend too... again... lol. I think that thing is road worthy.
Our bathroom is just about complete... new toilet, and sink... installed! Floor is done and looking GREAT! Now just to finish up some patch work on the walls... where we took out the old vanity. Can not wait until it is done!!! So far we are all LOVING it!!!
Let's see... today--
Today is just another hectic, crazy day. Nathan and I have already worked through 3 math lessons. We are taking a break so I can blog and then get my laundry hung outside. I am really hoping the sun decides to come out!!!
Other than catching up on household chores... I have animals to take care of... and I am hoping find and decide on my paint job today!
I really do have THE BEST hubby... 90% of the time!!! LOL!!
Ok... that is all I have time for... gotta get some other things done that I am expected to do around here! If I dont do it... it doesnt get done!!
I hope every one is enjoying this beautiful weather as much as we are!!!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Headache Hell
I guess I am one of the unlucky ones that cant hide from life the moment a migraine rears it's ugly face!
I woke up fighting one of those annoying little headaches... that blow up into a full blown migraine by 3!
Needless to say, it sucks!!
I managed to get both kids through their school work, groomed a dog, went and picked up Courtney from school, took them all for icees... then, once Stacy got home and I got attitude when I asked him to make dinner because I couldnt even see straight, I got to lay down for a whopping whole 20 minutes... while Stacy pounded away in the bathroom and kept coming in and out of our bedroom looking for tools!
Ah, yes... my lovely life.
I think the whole headache thing started with having to pay bills. My favorite task... NOT!
The tension begins when we are on a 'spending freeze' because of the bullshit with my mother. Got to love paying a mortgage on a house for her to sit on her ass and watch unlimited cable TV channels. And I am sure she is cranking the electric heat... because what the hell does she care if we can afford to sent the kids to their extra activities...?!?! She is on her ass... planning her next 'major' health crisis... While we are trying to figure out how to pay the fines because of her bullshit!
Yes, this makes me quite hateful!!!
I love how she tells me I have never done anything to help her when it is my ass keeping a roof over her freakin head! And it is MY kids... her grandkids that ultimately pay the price because all of the "extras" are the first to go.
I think it is safe to say that I hate her. I think she is the most selfish thing to walk the planet. I cant believe she would put us through all of this, cost us a shit load of money... all to keep her ass on a couch and out of a workplace!!! And to think I was actually trying to help her!!! What the hell was I thinking!?!?
On top of paying bills I get the added bonus of a migraine. Hmmm.... and my mother tries to tell me I have no idea what a migraine is about. RIGHT!!!
Only, I dont have someone to watch my kids and take care of my household "duties"! Like she ever even had a household to take care of. Nope. And I am the clueless one.
Goodness... I live every day with some sort of pain... I have been blessed with Fibromyalgia... LUCKY ME!!! I have to SUCK IT UP... maybe some other certain ppl should give that a try.
Yes, I am super pissy.
Hopefully... once I am done doing my husbands work laundry and cleaning up from dinner... I will be able to find a dark, quiet spot to curl up and sleep... in hopes I wake up feeling better so I cant do it all over again tomorrow!
But ya know what...
I did have a few wonderful moments in our new bathroom with the kids!!! Nathan was hiding in the sink box. Brittany reached in a handle hole and poked him. Nathan stuck his hand out of the other handle and asked me to hold his hand because he was scared. I laughed so hard I thought my head was going to explode!!! I soooooooooo LOVE my kids!!! They make every day worth living even the most painful of ones!
Ohhhh....
Another awesome moment today--- Nathan "taking science to the kitchen" in a fun "chemical reaction" experiment!!! Oh yes.... baking soda and vinegar!!! LOL!!! I LOVE that thoughtful and excited expression he gets on his face!!
AND....
Walking into my shop to see Nathan all curled up with HoBo the beagle! I am so glad my son has compassion for animals in need!
PLUS.....
Our bathroom make over is about complete. Toilet is installed... not just any toilet, but a taller toilet so when I am having bad back days... going to the bathroom will be a bit easier! :-) Ohhhh the little things in life.
I am a very blessed lady. I thank God every day for putting me right where he did!! I know that there are times when I want to throw in the towel... or I think things just arent very fair. But, in the big picture... things really arent that bad!
Things with my mother... just another bump in the road. She will eventually, one way or another, be out of that house. And we will eventually sell that house.
THEN, things will be even better... and we can move on to writing the next chapter in our lives... and doing it a whole hell of alot less stressed!
Tomorrow-
Grocery list and grocery shopping... after a fun filled day of school with my kids!!! (We are learning all the ins and outs of decimals in math!!)
Maybe I will look at and compare grain mills some more... even though I cant buy one just yet. LOL!
I woke up fighting one of those annoying little headaches... that blow up into a full blown migraine by 3!
Needless to say, it sucks!!
I managed to get both kids through their school work, groomed a dog, went and picked up Courtney from school, took them all for icees... then, once Stacy got home and I got attitude when I asked him to make dinner because I couldnt even see straight, I got to lay down for a whopping whole 20 minutes... while Stacy pounded away in the bathroom and kept coming in and out of our bedroom looking for tools!
Ah, yes... my lovely life.
I think the whole headache thing started with having to pay bills. My favorite task... NOT!
The tension begins when we are on a 'spending freeze' because of the bullshit with my mother. Got to love paying a mortgage on a house for her to sit on her ass and watch unlimited cable TV channels. And I am sure she is cranking the electric heat... because what the hell does she care if we can afford to sent the kids to their extra activities...?!?! She is on her ass... planning her next 'major' health crisis... While we are trying to figure out how to pay the fines because of her bullshit!
Yes, this makes me quite hateful!!!
I love how she tells me I have never done anything to help her when it is my ass keeping a roof over her freakin head! And it is MY kids... her grandkids that ultimately pay the price because all of the "extras" are the first to go.
I think it is safe to say that I hate her. I think she is the most selfish thing to walk the planet. I cant believe she would put us through all of this, cost us a shit load of money... all to keep her ass on a couch and out of a workplace!!! And to think I was actually trying to help her!!! What the hell was I thinking!?!?
On top of paying bills I get the added bonus of a migraine. Hmmm.... and my mother tries to tell me I have no idea what a migraine is about. RIGHT!!!
Only, I dont have someone to watch my kids and take care of my household "duties"! Like she ever even had a household to take care of. Nope. And I am the clueless one.
Goodness... I live every day with some sort of pain... I have been blessed with Fibromyalgia... LUCKY ME!!! I have to SUCK IT UP... maybe some other certain ppl should give that a try.
Yes, I am super pissy.
Hopefully... once I am done doing my husbands work laundry and cleaning up from dinner... I will be able to find a dark, quiet spot to curl up and sleep... in hopes I wake up feeling better so I cant do it all over again tomorrow!
But ya know what...
I did have a few wonderful moments in our new bathroom with the kids!!! Nathan was hiding in the sink box. Brittany reached in a handle hole and poked him. Nathan stuck his hand out of the other handle and asked me to hold his hand because he was scared. I laughed so hard I thought my head was going to explode!!! I soooooooooo LOVE my kids!!! They make every day worth living even the most painful of ones!
Ohhhh....
Another awesome moment today--- Nathan "taking science to the kitchen" in a fun "chemical reaction" experiment!!! Oh yes.... baking soda and vinegar!!! LOL!!! I LOVE that thoughtful and excited expression he gets on his face!!
AND....
Walking into my shop to see Nathan all curled up with HoBo the beagle! I am so glad my son has compassion for animals in need!
PLUS.....
Our bathroom make over is about complete. Toilet is installed... not just any toilet, but a taller toilet so when I am having bad back days... going to the bathroom will be a bit easier! :-) Ohhhh the little things in life.
I am a very blessed lady. I thank God every day for putting me right where he did!! I know that there are times when I want to throw in the towel... or I think things just arent very fair. But, in the big picture... things really arent that bad!
Things with my mother... just another bump in the road. She will eventually, one way or another, be out of that house. And we will eventually sell that house.
THEN, things will be even better... and we can move on to writing the next chapter in our lives... and doing it a whole hell of alot less stressed!
Tomorrow-
Grocery list and grocery shopping... after a fun filled day of school with my kids!!! (We are learning all the ins and outs of decimals in math!!)
Maybe I will look at and compare grain mills some more... even though I cant buy one just yet. LOL!
Monday, March 5, 2012
Motoring right along...
We are continuing down our path around here. We were really enjoying the nice spring tease weather we were having!!
Our spring flowers are starting to pop up all over! :-)
I am extremely proud of my how well my kiddos are doing in school. Nathan seems to be grasping everything fairly well... We do have some extra work to put into long division... but I have a few tricks up my sleeve. I am so glad I am able to give them the extra attention to make this option work for us.
We found a beagle last week. It had been running Gratz for awhile. He had a bunch of ppl concerned... and it was a team effort on getting him 'caught'! LOL!
Anyway... he has some minor issues and I am hoping to get him into a good rescue that can do some work with him.
Stacy has been hard at work on our upstairs bathroom!!! Tile floor is laid and looking good!!!! We broke down and bought a new sink... not a vanity. We are going with a pedastel sink. I have some ideas on how I want to decorate... and cant wait to get to that point!
I also have to get around to ordering this year's garden seeds!!! Ugh... I keep putting it off... I am about to run out of time!!
We did end up evicting my mother. I wont get into it much more than that... since it is a serious legal matter for us right now.
Well, that is all I have time for. Nathan just got done with his St Patty's Day art work... now to get some PSSA prep work done before I have to go pick up Courtney from tutoring!
Our spring flowers are starting to pop up all over! :-)
I am extremely proud of my how well my kiddos are doing in school. Nathan seems to be grasping everything fairly well... We do have some extra work to put into long division... but I have a few tricks up my sleeve. I am so glad I am able to give them the extra attention to make this option work for us.
We found a beagle last week. It had been running Gratz for awhile. He had a bunch of ppl concerned... and it was a team effort on getting him 'caught'! LOL!
Anyway... he has some minor issues and I am hoping to get him into a good rescue that can do some work with him.
Stacy has been hard at work on our upstairs bathroom!!! Tile floor is laid and looking good!!!! We broke down and bought a new sink... not a vanity. We are going with a pedastel sink. I have some ideas on how I want to decorate... and cant wait to get to that point!
I also have to get around to ordering this year's garden seeds!!! Ugh... I keep putting it off... I am about to run out of time!!
We did end up evicting my mother. I wont get into it much more than that... since it is a serious legal matter for us right now.
Well, that is all I have time for. Nathan just got done with his St Patty's Day art work... now to get some PSSA prep work done before I have to go pick up Courtney from tutoring!
Thursday, March 1, 2012
BRAGGING RIGHTS!!!!
OK... I know it isnt the end of the week yet.... but I took a sneak peek at the kids grades!!!
I am sooooooooooo proud!!!
Nathaniel-
Lang Arts- B
Math- A
Science- A-
Social Studies- A+
Brittany-
Art A-
Health B+
Lang Arts A
Science A-
Social Studies B
Pre Algebra... she has some assignments to turn in yet
I am sooooooooooo proud!!!
Nathaniel-
Lang Arts- B
Math- A
Science- A-
Social Studies- A+
Brittany-
Art A-
Health B+
Lang Arts A
Science A-
Social Studies B
Pre Algebra... she has some assignments to turn in yet
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
The good, the bad and the ugly...
Day to day life around here has been going pretty good. Still on our 'diet'... still baking our bread, and everything else I can... still homeschooling Nathan and Britt...
We have run into some bumps in the road... but we have made adjustments and continue on our path.
I got to spend a nice afternoon this week with Josh. We started pulling apart my CRX to get the new suspension on... so I can start to drive it more... since gas prices are through the damn roof!!
It has turned out to be a bit harder than anticipated. Everything is such a process!! But it is ok... it gave me "quality time" with Josh! :-)
Nathan is well on the road to recovery too!! This has me soooo happy!!! I was scared to death! No fever for a few days now... lymph nodes still slightly enlarged, but no pain. Dr said it could take up to a month for them to get back to "normal".
My little dogs fell ill this week... ended up spending a very expensive day in the animal hospital... needing all kinds of blood work and such. Turns out Ellie has some kind of sugar dropping problem AND some weird liver stuff going on. (The whole reason for the hosp visit was we suspect they got into something... possible laundry detergent or fabric softener and it made them sick... All the precaution tests they ran showed these other issues!)
Anyway... they are on a 'special' diet now too! And they get fed more often during the day. They will be plump lil dogs soon! LOL
This weekend our bathroom floor is getting put in!!! Woooo Hoooo!!!! I can NOT wait!!! One more project to be checked off the "started but never finished" list!
Ohhh Ohhhh Ohhh--
A dear friend of mine is pregnant!! I am sooo excited... I will be an Auntie Amy again!! ;-) I was checking out ultrasound pics... my money is on a boy!! I plan on running out and buying my yarn this weekend to get started on his/her baby blanket!!! I guess I will just have to go with 'baby colors' since they decided to let the sex be a surprise on it's birthday! LOL (Believe me... I tried real hard to persuade otherwise! LMAO!!)
Uhhh.... now to touch on this shit with my mother. She managed to screw us. I knew it would happen. I KNEW IT! She is so hell bent on getting her free money that we are now being fined! Oh so perfect. We have 7 days to clear her out of the house to avoid the fines. BUT... of course my bitch ass mother wont care about that... we will have to evict her, which will cost us more money and take 30 days. Sooo... 30+ days of fines will be coming with that.
I can not believe I stepped up to help her out. I told her NOT to come up here if she didnt plan on getting a job! She assured me she would get a job. LIES!!! She only cares about herself.
It isnt like she was ever a real mother to me. My grandparents raised me. While my mother was out partying on the weekends... and recovering from her headaches during the week. Ask anyone who knows me... who did they see me with 95% of the time... they will tell you my grandparents!! I dont feel like I owe her my own life happiness... because I really just dont.
I stepped up when no one else wanted to deal with her... and I am sorry I did. Because now I have to pull money out of my ass that could be spent on MY kids... whom I enjoy doing things with and making sure they experience so much more than I ever did.
So yes... as awful as it may sound...
The woman is dead to me.
Stacy and I will be going to the judge on Friday to start the eviction process. Then, once she is gone... I dont EVER want to see or hear from her again. I am done.
I have so much hate and anger... that it just isnt healthy. I will find a way to "let it go"... and I will focus on all of the postive friendships and relationships that I do have.
OK... time to get school stuff ready for tomorrow. Today was pretty stressful and didnt go at all as planned.
Tomorrow WILL be better!
Hmmm... I am thinking pizza for dinner tonite, since my day was a disaster!
We have run into some bumps in the road... but we have made adjustments and continue on our path.
I got to spend a nice afternoon this week with Josh. We started pulling apart my CRX to get the new suspension on... so I can start to drive it more... since gas prices are through the damn roof!!
It has turned out to be a bit harder than anticipated. Everything is such a process!! But it is ok... it gave me "quality time" with Josh! :-)
Nathan is well on the road to recovery too!! This has me soooo happy!!! I was scared to death! No fever for a few days now... lymph nodes still slightly enlarged, but no pain. Dr said it could take up to a month for them to get back to "normal".
My little dogs fell ill this week... ended up spending a very expensive day in the animal hospital... needing all kinds of blood work and such. Turns out Ellie has some kind of sugar dropping problem AND some weird liver stuff going on. (The whole reason for the hosp visit was we suspect they got into something... possible laundry detergent or fabric softener and it made them sick... All the precaution tests they ran showed these other issues!)
Anyway... they are on a 'special' diet now too! And they get fed more often during the day. They will be plump lil dogs soon! LOL
This weekend our bathroom floor is getting put in!!! Woooo Hoooo!!!! I can NOT wait!!! One more project to be checked off the "started but never finished" list!
Ohhh Ohhhh Ohhh--
A dear friend of mine is pregnant!! I am sooo excited... I will be an Auntie Amy again!! ;-) I was checking out ultrasound pics... my money is on a boy!! I plan on running out and buying my yarn this weekend to get started on his/her baby blanket!!! I guess I will just have to go with 'baby colors' since they decided to let the sex be a surprise on it's birthday! LOL (Believe me... I tried real hard to persuade otherwise! LMAO!!)
Uhhh.... now to touch on this shit with my mother. She managed to screw us. I knew it would happen. I KNEW IT! She is so hell bent on getting her free money that we are now being fined! Oh so perfect. We have 7 days to clear her out of the house to avoid the fines. BUT... of course my bitch ass mother wont care about that... we will have to evict her, which will cost us more money and take 30 days. Sooo... 30+ days of fines will be coming with that.
I can not believe I stepped up to help her out. I told her NOT to come up here if she didnt plan on getting a job! She assured me she would get a job. LIES!!! She only cares about herself.
It isnt like she was ever a real mother to me. My grandparents raised me. While my mother was out partying on the weekends... and recovering from her headaches during the week. Ask anyone who knows me... who did they see me with 95% of the time... they will tell you my grandparents!! I dont feel like I owe her my own life happiness... because I really just dont.
I stepped up when no one else wanted to deal with her... and I am sorry I did. Because now I have to pull money out of my ass that could be spent on MY kids... whom I enjoy doing things with and making sure they experience so much more than I ever did.
So yes... as awful as it may sound...
The woman is dead to me.
Stacy and I will be going to the judge on Friday to start the eviction process. Then, once she is gone... I dont EVER want to see or hear from her again. I am done.
I have so much hate and anger... that it just isnt healthy. I will find a way to "let it go"... and I will focus on all of the postive friendships and relationships that I do have.
OK... time to get school stuff ready for tomorrow. Today was pretty stressful and didnt go at all as planned.
Tomorrow WILL be better!
Hmmm... I am thinking pizza for dinner tonite, since my day was a disaster!
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