We've mostly been couch spuds this weekend, but that's okay. All too soon, things are going to get crazy busy.
The Winter X Games have been on almost constantly in our house, and if given the chance to live my life again, I'd be a snowboarder. I wish I could fly like they do. They're simply amazing. I wonder if I could get my body in shape, if I'm too old to learn to snowboard without braking bones?
We worked on our taxes, hoping to get those done ASAP. Trying to save money this year, we're attempting to use the free programs available from the IRS website. All I can say, is next year, hopefully the unemployment crisis is over and we can afford to purchase a regular tax preparation software.
We watched two very good cheesy movies last night, Chiller Drive In Theater had Phantom Planet, and then we watched the end of The Incredible Two Headed Transplant on the THIS network. DH was so sweet, keeping the salt off of my popcorn.
We also received our first Netflix movie in the mail, although it wasn't one of my choices, Saw 6. Although I like a good scary movie, I don't like torture. I'm hoping the next one we receive will be something I'll enjoy.
I missed getting to the library before they closed or I would have picked up the book I have on hold, Food Not Lawns. Instead I've been reading a book my neighbor lent me, The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery. Its got just about everything you could think of. I'm going to research building some cloches for our garden, and I'm tempted to make french fried dandelion blossoms. This book is dangerously good for an autodidact like me. I'm going to have to see if I can find my own copy at the used book store someday.
I'd like to do something special for Groundhog Day, but I don't know what yet. We don't have a local celebration, but maybe I'll suggest we visit the zoo in Madison. I don't know if they still have their groundhog, but maybe the prairie dogs will tell us something?
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Random Acts Of Kindness Week Begins
| Start: | Feb 15, '10 |
1/30/10 Beginning Weekend Notes....
It was crazy cold Friday night, but that didn't stop us. We picked up an early supper of McDonald's for the boys and then left the teenagers at home alone. Along with my sister, DH & I headed into Madison to see my nephew perform with his band, Seven Signs. Its a more crunchy type of metal than I'm used to, but my nephew is really good! We're looking forward to going back and see his band again in a few weeks.
Being back in a bar/nightclub, I realized how much I have missed enjoying live music. Once we're back on our feet, I think DH & I will have to get back to rocking out on a regular basis, even though our favorite band is still without a lead singer.
After we got home, the boys were still up, enjoying having the house to themselves. Together we stayed up and watched Ghost Hunters. I must have been tired because it started to spook me a little. This morning, I now realize how Ghost Hunters fake it and its all acting. I'm so silly when I get tired! :)
As nostalgic I feel realizing my boys are no longer babies, and they need me less each day, I do have to admit, having this extra time to devote to my husband and my personal life feels good. It makes the time we can spend together as a family better.
Being back in a bar/nightclub, I realized how much I have missed enjoying live music. Once we're back on our feet, I think DH & I will have to get back to rocking out on a regular basis, even though our favorite band is still without a lead singer.
After we got home, the boys were still up, enjoying having the house to themselves. Together we stayed up and watched Ghost Hunters. I must have been tired because it started to spook me a little. This morning, I now realize how Ghost Hunters fake it and its all acting. I'm so silly when I get tired! :)
As nostalgic I feel realizing my boys are no longer babies, and they need me less each day, I do have to admit, having this extra time to devote to my husband and my personal life feels good. It makes the time we can spend together as a family better.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Just a few things I want to make note of...
The roller coaster is still going. I've told the Big Guy I'm ready for this ride to stop, but apparently, that's not His plan. I have forgotten what normal feels like. DH mentioned to me this is the longest he's ever gone without working since he was 13. Its breaking my heart to see him so down. You have to understand, he has a strong work ethic and its killing him not being able to provide for his family.
Awkward moment - I spoke personally with DH's Ex-boss. He called looking for DH, who ironically was on his way to meet with Mr. Ex-Boss. "I feel really bad. I want you to know I'm doing everything I can for you guys and hoping work will come back soon." I know for a fact this is bogus, yet I had to thank the man. Its not my place to throw a match onto that bridge.
Onto some good stuff- DS11 told me the other night, "I want to be better friends with Jakob," (his older brother.)
"Why? Are you guys fighting?"
"No, I just want us to be better friends." Awwww!!! We talked about what makes a good friend and he decided he would try to be a better friend himself.
My neighbor friend has shared wonderful news with me. Her cancer is shrinking!! Her doctor diagnosed her with 4th stage lunch cancer and gave her a 1% survival chance last October. She decided to declare war on her cancer and attacked it back with lots of prayer, healthy living and chemo. I'm going to continue to pray for her healing.
LOL!!! I just proofed that last paragraph and saw I had typed "lunch" not lung. I'm leaving it in because I need a good laugh!
Tonight DH & I are planning on going to see our nephew's band, 7th Sign, perform. Its a bit more hard core metal than I'm used to, but its my nephew. I want to see the look on my sister's face when her baby drops an F bomb into the microphone.
I think we'll stay home this weekend too. We were tempted to take a road trip to K-town, but we want to get our taxes done. I'm hoping there's some refund dollars we can add to our account to help get us a little further.
We knew we had to do it, and when this last bill came, we were pushed into action. We cancelled some of our cable services. We're giving up movie channels along with my beloved BBC America. Evil Charter cable had raised our bill to $232.00 a month. We have to keep the internet going. Its a must for job searching and home schooling, and we have to keep the phone service. We live in an area where we don't always get cell phone coverage and every outgoing call is considered long distance. We can give up HBO, Showtime, etc. and cut almost $80 off our monthly bill.
We're going to try Net Flix. For around $9 a month, we can have unlimited streaming of movies to our PS3 and soon our Wii. Supposably you can stream into 6 different sources, which should be more than enough for us. The first month is free, so we'll see how it works.
We know we can watch stuff on Hulu.com as well, but for the most part, we realize we watch mostly movies, play games and read books and magazines for entertainment. I'll learn to live without my BBC fun.
We're tempted to try Magic Jack for our phone, but I've heard mixed reviews. I've heard the connection isn't always that great and there are dropped calls.
I better stop babbling and get moving. My water glass is empty and the rest of the Sleepyhouse is finally starting to wake up.
Awkward moment - I spoke personally with DH's Ex-boss. He called looking for DH, who ironically was on his way to meet with Mr. Ex-Boss. "I feel really bad. I want you to know I'm doing everything I can for you guys and hoping work will come back soon." I know for a fact this is bogus, yet I had to thank the man. Its not my place to throw a match onto that bridge.
Onto some good stuff- DS11 told me the other night, "I want to be better friends with Jakob," (his older brother.)
"Why? Are you guys fighting?"
"No, I just want us to be better friends." Awwww!!! We talked about what makes a good friend and he decided he would try to be a better friend himself.
My neighbor friend has shared wonderful news with me. Her cancer is shrinking!! Her doctor diagnosed her with 4th stage lunch cancer and gave her a 1% survival chance last October. She decided to declare war on her cancer and attacked it back with lots of prayer, healthy living and chemo. I'm going to continue to pray for her healing.
LOL!!! I just proofed that last paragraph and saw I had typed "lunch" not lung. I'm leaving it in because I need a good laugh!
Tonight DH & I are planning on going to see our nephew's band, 7th Sign, perform. Its a bit more hard core metal than I'm used to, but its my nephew. I want to see the look on my sister's face when her baby drops an F bomb into the microphone.
I think we'll stay home this weekend too. We were tempted to take a road trip to K-town, but we want to get our taxes done. I'm hoping there's some refund dollars we can add to our account to help get us a little further.
We knew we had to do it, and when this last bill came, we were pushed into action. We cancelled some of our cable services. We're giving up movie channels along with my beloved BBC America. Evil Charter cable had raised our bill to $232.00 a month. We have to keep the internet going. Its a must for job searching and home schooling, and we have to keep the phone service. We live in an area where we don't always get cell phone coverage and every outgoing call is considered long distance. We can give up HBO, Showtime, etc. and cut almost $80 off our monthly bill.
We're going to try Net Flix. For around $9 a month, we can have unlimited streaming of movies to our PS3 and soon our Wii. Supposably you can stream into 6 different sources, which should be more than enough for us. The first month is free, so we'll see how it works.
We know we can watch stuff on Hulu.com as well, but for the most part, we realize we watch mostly movies, play games and read books and magazines for entertainment. I'll learn to live without my BBC fun.
We're tempted to try Magic Jack for our phone, but I've heard mixed reviews. I've heard the connection isn't always that great and there are dropped calls.
I better stop babbling and get moving. My water glass is empty and the rest of the Sleepyhouse is finally starting to wake up.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
"Best Sleep Over Yet..."
Saturday, January 23, 2010
The Great Backyard Bird Count
| Start: | Feb 12, '10 |
| End: | Feb 15, '10 |
| Location: | http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/ |
http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/
Friday, January 22, 2010
Fridays Are Fresh Days...1/22/10
I'm so glad Friday is here and the weekend can begin. Not being scheduled to work on Fridays anymore has really made a difference in my stress level. I have this one extra day to catch up on all we've missed during the week before the weekend begins.
The cut in hours does mean my paycheck is smaller, but I have to trust God will help it all work out. We may have to begin dipping into savings, but that tax refund is just around the corner and that will help us buy more time until DH can find work.
The news on the broken car- it was a stuck caliber and brake work. Bad news is that means $400, although I'm grateful it wasn't a transmission problem. I was thinking it was going to be thousands, so the $400 hurts much less.
Today we're using our movie gift certificates we received from DMIL at Christmas to see Avatar in 3D. Going to a movie on a Friday, in the middle of the day feels like playing hooky! It's going to be great, even if the movie isn't.
Tomorrow we'll have the birthday sleep over. 7 young men in the Mancave, eating pizza, drinking soda, staying up all night playing video games. My only responsibility- make homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast the next morning.
Sunday our neighbors across the street are having us over for supper and football. I'm looking forward to garden planning with my mentor as well. My neighbor friend is a long time master gardener and with her guidance, I have decided to chop up most of our lawns to grow more organic veggies.
Monday DS10 turns DS11. I do have to work that morning, and we have an appointment in the afternoon, but we're hoping to still take him out for supper in honor of his official day. Last night DH & I already began reminiscing about how quickly our son has grown. I think I'm going to have to pull out the baby pictures and get that scanning project going.
Hope you all have a great weekend!
The cut in hours does mean my paycheck is smaller, but I have to trust God will help it all work out. We may have to begin dipping into savings, but that tax refund is just around the corner and that will help us buy more time until DH can find work.
The news on the broken car- it was a stuck caliber and brake work. Bad news is that means $400, although I'm grateful it wasn't a transmission problem. I was thinking it was going to be thousands, so the $400 hurts much less.
Today we're using our movie gift certificates we received from DMIL at Christmas to see Avatar in 3D. Going to a movie on a Friday, in the middle of the day feels like playing hooky! It's going to be great, even if the movie isn't.
Tomorrow we'll have the birthday sleep over. 7 young men in the Mancave, eating pizza, drinking soda, staying up all night playing video games. My only responsibility- make homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast the next morning.
Sunday our neighbors across the street are having us over for supper and football. I'm looking forward to garden planning with my mentor as well. My neighbor friend is a long time master gardener and with her guidance, I have decided to chop up most of our lawns to grow more organic veggies.
Monday DS10 turns DS11. I do have to work that morning, and we have an appointment in the afternoon, but we're hoping to still take him out for supper in honor of his official day. Last night DH & I already began reminiscing about how quickly our son has grown. I think I'm going to have to pull out the baby pictures and get that scanning project going.
Hope you all have a great weekend!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Thursday 13 - Broken
13 Broken Things I Wish We Had The Money To Fix
1. My Vibe- :( It started making a loud noise when I go over 55mph - thought it was the muffler but as I parked tonight, it made another awful noise and now I'm worried it has something to do with an expensive transmission.
2. Water softener - Noticing our water seemed a little on the hard side, I reminded DH to add salt to the softener. We discovered it was still full of salt even though we haven't added any in months. Now that we think about it, we can't remember hearing it run for quite awhile, but we did have it set to recycle at 3:00am.
3. The exhaust fan in the boys' bathroom is not working at all
4. The exhaust fan in our bathroom is broken too. It runs, but makes an awful racket.
5. Trying to plug Christmas lights into an outlet in the dark, I pushed too hard on a polarized plug and broke the outlet. It still works, but there is no resistance when you insert a plug. That can't be good.
6. Our teeth - I could use a few crowns and DS soon to be 11, needs braces
7. The recessed light over my kitchen sink. It would be much more pleasant to see how clean my dishes can be.
8. My camera. The USB port no longer works and lately its taking cruddy photos.
9. The graphics card needs replacing on the downstairs computer.
10. The internal cooling fan is broken on that computer too.
11. All inside doors in our house do not close or open well at all.
12. No real lock on the boys' bathroom door. We busted it years ago when DS fell in the shower and we feared he had a head injury. Our improvised lock is just a hook, since we have to replace the entire door frame now.
13. MY OUTLOOK!! The financial strain we're under is taking a huge toll on me. I'll go to bed now and hopefully things will look brighter in the morning.
1. My Vibe- :( It started making a loud noise when I go over 55mph - thought it was the muffler but as I parked tonight, it made another awful noise and now I'm worried it has something to do with an expensive transmission.
2. Water softener - Noticing our water seemed a little on the hard side, I reminded DH to add salt to the softener. We discovered it was still full of salt even though we haven't added any in months. Now that we think about it, we can't remember hearing it run for quite awhile, but we did have it set to recycle at 3:00am.
3. The exhaust fan in the boys' bathroom is not working at all
4. The exhaust fan in our bathroom is broken too. It runs, but makes an awful racket.
5. Trying to plug Christmas lights into an outlet in the dark, I pushed too hard on a polarized plug and broke the outlet. It still works, but there is no resistance when you insert a plug. That can't be good.
6. Our teeth - I could use a few crowns and DS soon to be 11, needs braces
7. The recessed light over my kitchen sink. It would be much more pleasant to see how clean my dishes can be.
8. My camera. The USB port no longer works and lately its taking cruddy photos.
9. The graphics card needs replacing on the downstairs computer.
10. The internal cooling fan is broken on that computer too.
11. All inside doors in our house do not close or open well at all.
12. No real lock on the boys' bathroom door. We busted it years ago when DS fell in the shower and we feared he had a head injury. Our improvised lock is just a hook, since we have to replace the entire door frame now.
13. MY OUTLOOK!! The financial strain we're under is taking a huge toll on me. I'll go to bed now and hopefully things will look brighter in the morning.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Our Weekend Update...(3rd in 2010)
Weekend lunch date with DH was sweet. Thanks to a coupon, it only cost us around $10 and we had plenty of leftovers to munch on for supper. We ordered our usual- pesto cavatappi for me and buttered noodles with shrimp for DH.
We decided to move the computer desk in the Mancave, but that meant we had to complete two giant clean up projects first. One of which was moving our home school storage lockers. Years ago, DMIL bought us a set of lockers from a university surplus store. They are amazingly deep and hold tons of stuff, and when I say tons, I really mean tons.
We had to go through 18 lockers full of almost 10 plus years of homeschooling resources. It was an exericse in homeschooling anthropolgy. I uncovered evidence of the early days when I thought we needed packaged curriculum, to the more current favorites of unschooling magazines and art projects. Now I have a box of stuff to donate and a box of stuff to try and re-sell. Would we be true home schoolers if we didn't have a little bit of purchase regret? We all do it! It took me a few years to realize I didn't have to shop the curriculum fair at the yearly home schooling conference.
Now that the computer desk is moved, we have more room for more bodies in the man cave. We are preparing for this coming Saturday's gaming sleep over, in honor of DS10's, coming 11th birthday. I discovered we have a few air mattresses we can inflate, not that anyone will be sleeping on them.
I just hope my clutz curse if over by then. For some reason, I've been injuring myself in stupid ways. Reaching for the soap in the shower, I drove my fingernail into my razor, slicing through the nail and into the nail bed. Now I keep catching it on everything. I can't wait for it to grow out, but everytime it catches on something, it rips down a little further. Keeping a bandage on it is not an option for me because I can't stand not washing my hands and wet bandaids gross me out!
Movie wise we discovered a few weeks ago we have the RTV channel, which I think stands for Retro TV. We now look forward to watching cheesy monster movies on Wolfman Mac's Chiller Drive In Theatre. We also discovered we get the "THIS" channel and this weekend they had on Killer Klowns In Outer Space with extra scenes! This is one of our favorite cheesy scary movies. On Sunday night we introduced the boys to another Alfred Hitchcock classic on BBC America, Vertigo. The boys did not see the twist coming at all. Last week we introduced them to The Birds.
Weather wise it never really got up to the 37 F they promised, but we did have freezing fog, which is breathtaking. I really wish I had a decent camera. All the trees and surfaces had frozen ice crystals growing on them. Our world looked like it was covered in powdered sugar.
The warmer weather is bringing stray cats back to our yard. Every night Yumi gives us heart attacks when she begins to yowl at the window. The past two nights we noticed it wasn't any old Tom cat, but Mojo from last year!
Mojo is the cat we tried to take in last year at this time, and after constantly trying to escape out the door, he was successful. We lost sight of him, but he must have a home somewhere in the neighborhood, and this was why he kept trying to get out.
Yumi was not happy to see him though. They have a boxing match through the glass door every time he comes to say hello.
We decided to move the computer desk in the Mancave, but that meant we had to complete two giant clean up projects first. One of which was moving our home school storage lockers. Years ago, DMIL bought us a set of lockers from a university surplus store. They are amazingly deep and hold tons of stuff, and when I say tons, I really mean tons.
We had to go through 18 lockers full of almost 10 plus years of homeschooling resources. It was an exericse in homeschooling anthropolgy. I uncovered evidence of the early days when I thought we needed packaged curriculum, to the more current favorites of unschooling magazines and art projects. Now I have a box of stuff to donate and a box of stuff to try and re-sell. Would we be true home schoolers if we didn't have a little bit of purchase regret? We all do it! It took me a few years to realize I didn't have to shop the curriculum fair at the yearly home schooling conference.
Now that the computer desk is moved, we have more room for more bodies in the man cave. We are preparing for this coming Saturday's gaming sleep over, in honor of DS10's, coming 11th birthday. I discovered we have a few air mattresses we can inflate, not that anyone will be sleeping on them.
I just hope my clutz curse if over by then. For some reason, I've been injuring myself in stupid ways. Reaching for the soap in the shower, I drove my fingernail into my razor, slicing through the nail and into the nail bed. Now I keep catching it on everything. I can't wait for it to grow out, but everytime it catches on something, it rips down a little further. Keeping a bandage on it is not an option for me because I can't stand not washing my hands and wet bandaids gross me out!
Movie wise we discovered a few weeks ago we have the RTV channel, which I think stands for Retro TV. We now look forward to watching cheesy monster movies on Wolfman Mac's Chiller Drive In Theatre. We also discovered we get the "THIS" channel and this weekend they had on Killer Klowns In Outer Space with extra scenes! This is one of our favorite cheesy scary movies. On Sunday night we introduced the boys to another Alfred Hitchcock classic on BBC America, Vertigo. The boys did not see the twist coming at all. Last week we introduced them to The Birds.
Weather wise it never really got up to the 37 F they promised, but we did have freezing fog, which is breathtaking. I really wish I had a decent camera. All the trees and surfaces had frozen ice crystals growing on them. Our world looked like it was covered in powdered sugar.
The warmer weather is bringing stray cats back to our yard. Every night Yumi gives us heart attacks when she begins to yowl at the window. The past two nights we noticed it wasn't any old Tom cat, but Mojo from last year!
Mojo is the cat we tried to take in last year at this time, and after constantly trying to escape out the door, he was successful. We lost sight of him, but he must have a home somewhere in the neighborhood, and this was why he kept trying to get out.
Yumi was not happy to see him though. They have a boxing match through the glass door every time he comes to say hello.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Anyone Know How To Get Blood Out?
Getting ready for work at 5:00am, I walk into the kitchen and find Yumi sitting innocently, staring up at me. Directly in front of her is a little, although chunky, ball of shivering fur.
"Get it Yumi!! GET IT!" She still just stares at me.
I'm afraid to move for fear the critter will sprint. I call out to DH & DS. The three of us stare down waiting for either Yumi to pounce or this mouse to run. Yumi casually walks around the mouse to where her treats are kept.
"Aren't you going to feed me?"
I'm amazed the mouse doesn't run. DH grabs a towel and throws it over the poor thing. It still doesn't run. He carries it outside. Its shaking but still doesn't try to get away. I head off to work hoping the critter will eventually scamper away.
I come home at lunch and to my dismay, there is now a frozen mousicle in my front yard.
In the daylight, we could now see the blood on the carpet. Yumi must have had a good old time with that poor mouse before we even got up. No wonder she just looked at me, wanting her breakfast. She had her taste of mouse sushi and decided she'd wait for dry kibble instead.
I'm hoping this is the same mouse we saw last fall. One morning I had gotten up to discover little beatie eyes staring at me from on top of the curtains. Yumi must have scared the poor thing up the drapes and onto the curtain rod.
DH & I tried to capture it, but it jumped in the wrong direction, falling to the floor. It then scampered across the kitchen floor, and my fat cat couldn't keep up with it. It ran under the stove. We took the stove apart trying to find it, to no avail. We set out a trap with chocolate and peanut butter, but it never took the bait.
On the plus side, I've never seen droppings so "Jerry" must have been living where we couldn't see him, until our "Tom Girl" Yumi found him. I just hope Jerry didn't have roommates, or we'll have to switch to hard flooring. I'm having trouble getting the blood out from the carpet.
"Get it Yumi!! GET IT!" She still just stares at me.
I'm afraid to move for fear the critter will sprint. I call out to DH & DS. The three of us stare down waiting for either Yumi to pounce or this mouse to run. Yumi casually walks around the mouse to where her treats are kept.
"Aren't you going to feed me?"
I'm amazed the mouse doesn't run. DH grabs a towel and throws it over the poor thing. It still doesn't run. He carries it outside. Its shaking but still doesn't try to get away. I head off to work hoping the critter will eventually scamper away.
I come home at lunch and to my dismay, there is now a frozen mousicle in my front yard.
In the daylight, we could now see the blood on the carpet. Yumi must have had a good old time with that poor mouse before we even got up. No wonder she just looked at me, wanting her breakfast. She had her taste of mouse sushi and decided she'd wait for dry kibble instead.
I'm hoping this is the same mouse we saw last fall. One morning I had gotten up to discover little beatie eyes staring at me from on top of the curtains. Yumi must have scared the poor thing up the drapes and onto the curtain rod.
DH & I tried to capture it, but it jumped in the wrong direction, falling to the floor. It then scampered across the kitchen floor, and my fat cat couldn't keep up with it. It ran under the stove. We took the stove apart trying to find it, to no avail. We set out a trap with chocolate and peanut butter, but it never took the bait.
On the plus side, I've never seen droppings so "Jerry" must have been living where we couldn't see him, until our "Tom Girl" Yumi found him. I just hope Jerry didn't have roommates, or we'll have to switch to hard flooring. I'm having trouble getting the blood out from the carpet.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
We Love Having G-Ma Visit!!
She always brings us Infusino's take and bake pizzas!! They are so yummy!! We can't live in K-town because we would be eating too many of these. We enjoyed a rather nice visit, and cousins came over with bread sticks too! G-Ma read our tarot cards after we ate.
My reading dealt exactly with what I've been dealing with. It didn't tell me anything I didn't know and it didn't necessarily predict my future, but it gave me hope that if I continue diligently working through my stress, I will come out blessed. I must stay strong, and have faith God is going to see us through this and onto something better.
DH's reading was spot on as well, dealing with his unemployment stress. Plus you could directly see connections between both our readings. It was very cool and cosmic. It affirmed that we have a strong marriage, but we knew that. :)
We introduced G-Ma to Wii Sports Resort, and she brought back our Wii Fit Plus. I'm looking forward to giving it a try now. Gold's Gym is great, but I need variety or I get bored quickly.
Speaking of boredom, I'm getting cabin fever big time. Its been so bitterly cold, its unhealthy for me to be out in it. We broke down and turned up the heat from 60 F to 64 F. I'm sure I don't want to see our heating bill, but hopefully we'll find a way to pay it.
I'm pouring over garden magazines and catalogs, planning for spring. Our beloved next door neighbor is fighting cancer and together we are planning more organic gardens. I'm ready to go bigger and better, and with her help we will. Together we're both saying we don't care if we have any grass left in our yards! It can all be organic gardens!!
G-Ma also found mad money rolling across a parking lot. She treated us to lottery tickets with it. We dreamed about what we would do if we won.
I personally don't need a big house or furnishings. All I want is land and lots of it!! I would grow, grow, grow everything from veggie gardens, to berry patches, to apple orchards and pumpkin patches. I'd have a Christmas tree forest along with wild land for critters of all shapes and sizes.
I'll have to wait longer for that dream. We only hit a few numbers, but it was enough to buy us lunch!
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Rambling, Thinking It Through.....
Crazy night last night, literally. I was such a mixture of emotions. Its unsettling how one moment I can feel calm, cool, collected and the next, my world is falling apart.
I tried to find my balance but by the week's end, I had lost it. Interestingly it was when I had scheduled in free time that it crashed around me. I guess when I don't have to have my game face on, it is safer to let go. I'd rather spend my free time in a happier mood though.
It was the typical "I can't do it all" demon. Wife, mother, worker, within these roles lie so many responsibilities, and each one I want to give my best to. Why is it easier for me to look at what I didn't get done, instead of what I have accomplished?
I do think its better to continually examine myself and question how I can do better, but why do I have to beat myself up in the process?
Today is a new day. I have another chance to get it right.
I tried to find my balance but by the week's end, I had lost it. Interestingly it was when I had scheduled in free time that it crashed around me. I guess when I don't have to have my game face on, it is safer to let go. I'd rather spend my free time in a happier mood though.
It was the typical "I can't do it all" demon. Wife, mother, worker, within these roles lie so many responsibilities, and each one I want to give my best to. Why is it easier for me to look at what I didn't get done, instead of what I have accomplished?
I do think its better to continually examine myself and question how I can do better, but why do I have to beat myself up in the process?
Today is a new day. I have another chance to get it right.
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Monday, January 04, 2010
First Day Back To Reality
I can't say I was looking forward to going back to work after spending two glorious weeks at home, but DH made it a little easier by going out at 4:30am and starting my car for me. We're currently having bitter cold, single Fahrenheit digit temperatures so this small gesture was actually quite huge. He did not have to get out of our warm, cozy love nest to do that for me.
When I got to work, I knew I'd have a pile waiting, and I knew I would not be getting out at my usual time, but all that work did make the time go by quickly. Still, I'm grateful the rest of the week, I'm working closing shifts. Don't let my name fool you. I'm not a morning person.
It was great coming home to have lunch with my family and after a little digesting, I managed to throw a few punches in Gold's Gym Wii. I've decided now that I'm not working a crazy flip flop schedule anymore, I have no excuse not to exercise.
I did a little more onion research. The layers are really leaves.
I tried to get into Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, but 7 chapters into it, I'm still not hooked. I can't stop comparing Jane's brilliant writing to Mr. Grahame-Smith's, even though I remind myself to have a sense of humor. I'm really hard to please though when it comes to fiction.
I'm hoping I can convince my family to brave the cold this coming weekend and do a little eagle watching. Its about an hour's drive from us, but I need to make a nature connection. I miss our forest hikes. Its easy to hide away indoors when its this cold, but you reach a point where cabin fever starts to make you a little stir crazy. I know watching bald eagles plunge into the river will lift my spirits.
Also on the agenda, I need to take some time and write down goals. I'm working my way through 48 Days To The Work You Love by Dan Miller. (If my boss is reading this- don't panic. I'm mostly reading this book for Sean.)
I've also just finished Secrets Of A Buccaneer Scholar by James Marcus Bach, and I have to say, its made me an even better unschooler. It reaffirmed everything I felt to be true.
When I got to work, I knew I'd have a pile waiting, and I knew I would not be getting out at my usual time, but all that work did make the time go by quickly. Still, I'm grateful the rest of the week, I'm working closing shifts. Don't let my name fool you. I'm not a morning person.
It was great coming home to have lunch with my family and after a little digesting, I managed to throw a few punches in Gold's Gym Wii. I've decided now that I'm not working a crazy flip flop schedule anymore, I have no excuse not to exercise.
I did a little more onion research. The layers are really leaves.
I tried to get into Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, but 7 chapters into it, I'm still not hooked. I can't stop comparing Jane's brilliant writing to Mr. Grahame-Smith's, even though I remind myself to have a sense of humor. I'm really hard to please though when it comes to fiction.
I'm hoping I can convince my family to brave the cold this coming weekend and do a little eagle watching. Its about an hour's drive from us, but I need to make a nature connection. I miss our forest hikes. Its easy to hide away indoors when its this cold, but you reach a point where cabin fever starts to make you a little stir crazy. I know watching bald eagles plunge into the river will lift my spirits.
Also on the agenda, I need to take some time and write down goals. I'm working my way through 48 Days To The Work You Love by Dan Miller. (If my boss is reading this- don't panic. I'm mostly reading this book for Sean.)
I've also just finished Secrets Of A Buccaneer Scholar by James Marcus Bach, and I have to say, its made me an even better unschooler. It reaffirmed everything I felt to be true.
Friday, January 01, 2010
Happy New Year!
We stayed in last night, enjoying the nest. The boys had friends over, gaming in the ManCave until supper time. DH & I feasted on pizza while the boys decided to use their free McDonald Value Meal coupons, so everyone was happy. The boys went back to gaming while DH & I became couch potatoes.
They joined us in time to watch Travis Pastrana jump his rally car. Watching daredevils on ESPN on New Year's Eve is becoming a tradition now.
I barely made it to midnight. Took flack for that. We did two countdowns. The first was on Fox I think, and then DH turned on MTV and one minute late, they were replaying the ball drop. I'm surprised there is no local coverage. I can remember growing up around Chicago where WGN always did a countdown.
I'm not making any resolutions, but I am dreaming up plans for 2010. Of course the obvious dream is the end of unemployment/job stress and continuning health improvements, but I'm also focusing on on life's little pleasures. I want to go bigger and better with our garden this spring, along with purging and organizing the Sleepyhouse. I have to get back to some kind of creative outlet.
I know I should avoid endeavors that require money, but I'm really hoping we can start traveling. The boys are at an age now where this would be so great for them. I know we will find a way to make it to my husband's family reunion this July, but there are so many other places I wish we could travel to.
I'll keep praying and we'll see where the Lord takes us. For now, I can count my blessings and stay positive looking forward. Its within our power to make this a Happy New Year.
They joined us in time to watch Travis Pastrana jump his rally car. Watching daredevils on ESPN on New Year's Eve is becoming a tradition now.
I barely made it to midnight. Took flack for that. We did two countdowns. The first was on Fox I think, and then DH turned on MTV and one minute late, they were replaying the ball drop. I'm surprised there is no local coverage. I can remember growing up around Chicago where WGN always did a countdown.
I'm not making any resolutions, but I am dreaming up plans for 2010. Of course the obvious dream is the end of unemployment/job stress and continuning health improvements, but I'm also focusing on on life's little pleasures. I want to go bigger and better with our garden this spring, along with purging and organizing the Sleepyhouse. I have to get back to some kind of creative outlet.
I know I should avoid endeavors that require money, but I'm really hoping we can start traveling. The boys are at an age now where this would be so great for them. I know we will find a way to make it to my husband's family reunion this July, but there are so many other places I wish we could travel to.
I'll keep praying and we'll see where the Lord takes us. For now, I can count my blessings and stay positive looking forward. Its within our power to make this a Happy New Year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)