Rocking My Domestic Powers

The past few days, the boys have asked me, "Do you have to go to work today?"

I've loved that I've been able to say no! I could really get used to this, but as it is, I'll be missing the paycheck I would have received these past two weeks. Why didn't I buy a lotto ticket at Christmas?

Before heading back to the routine next week, I'm enjoying spending extra time exercising my autodidact.

I have plans to make soap. I've been wanting to do this for awhile now and just never got around to it. For Christmas I received a handmade bar of honey oatmeal soap, and I'm more motivated than ever to start making our own. I have sensitive skin and can feel immediately when I'm exposed to natural versus artificial.

The boys say they will help me in this soap making endeavor. We've collected several books with recipes and today we scored a stick blender at the resale shop for $4. If we make enough soap that we can begin selling it this spring, I will split the profits with them. If we aren't able to set up a home soap business, at least we'll have fun exploring a bit of chemistry.

Bird report - We had swarms hanging out in our bushes and enjoying our feeders, then one day I saw the hawk perched on the deck rail. On the north side of our garden the feathers on the ground prove the hawk has been successfully filling her belly. Now we rarely see the juncos, sparrows and finches hanging around. I suppose once the hawk moves on, the birds will return.

I've also been enjoying being home to cook for my family. Tonight I'm going to try making Giada's parmesan potato pancakes.

I Have A Few Minutes...

The boys are busy enjoying their Christmas gifts.

We're all having a wonderful holiday season. I didn't get full blown sick! My defense of Emergen-C, Echinacea tea, veggies, vitamin D and rest seems to have given me an edge.

Despite what you see in the photo, I could have done better nutritionally. As expected the goodies were everywhere, and even though I kept trying to give them away, they kept ricocheting back into my Sleepyhouse. I've stuck some of it in the freezer, and the gingerbread tin I've told DS16 to keep in his room. I'm setting up to begin 2012 with less temptation laying around in front of me. I'll be trying to keep more veggies like this on hand.

One of my Christmas gifts was a giant herbal book along with seeds to grow herbs, along with herbs to make infusions. Can you guess what's next on my autodidact list?? Actually I've been having garden dreams in my sleep, and these first few days with added daylight have me craving to make garden plans. The fact we have no snow on the ground isn't helping.

I'm basically off from work this week, but I'm trying to take that extra time to complete some projects around the house. I feel so much better when the nest is in order. You could say I've started my spring cleaning early.

For New Year's we'll probably stay put. I know there aren't too many years left we'll have with the boys. There is a concert DH & I would love to go to, but it doesn't feel right beginning the new year not together as a family. I also know I need this week of down time because January's schedule is filling up.

Have I made any New Year's resolutions? Sort of. Its not that I really want to focus on changing anything as much as I want to focus on recognizing my talents and improving upon them. I know I have a pretty good foundation. Its just time to start building that up now. 2012 is not going to be about what I need to change, but rather, embracing my positive attributes and using them wisely. I am going to be who I am and love myself regardless.

I remember last year I told myself I was going to chillaxx in 2011. I know I'm better at doing this than I was before, but I also understand my true self. I am better at not allowing it to become a weakness, and I can choose to use my worry trait differently.

Well, I don't feel like sitting still any longer. I'll check back in when I can.

Today I witnessed my sons' generosity and Christmas spirit and realized how truly blessed I am to have these wonderful young men in my life.

Maybe I Shouldn't Have Kissed Him?

Of course I should have! He warned me he thought he was getting a sore throat, but aren't you suppose to share everything in a marriage?

Needless to say, I'm drinking Echinacia tea, eating plenty of clementines and raw veggies and just trying to relax about it all. It is what it is.

I do seem to spend more Christmases under the weather rather than above it. I think that's just because of the stress of the season and the increased opportunities to run into germies. I just need to focus on not stressing out over it and trust my immune system to do its job.

I woke up and began wrapping presents trying to be more proactive with this task this year. I really don't like wrapping. I usually find myself forced to stay up really late on Christmas Eve because I haven't wrapped anything. One of these years, I want to make decorative draw string bags we can re-use every year, I just haven't gotten around to it.

12/22/11
I didn't finish this post yesterday. DS12.11 wanted me to take him Christmas shopping. With his own money he bought gifts for all of us. When it came time to buy mine, he took me to a jewelry counter, had me show him what I liked and then asked me to walk away. :) So cute! I think I know what I'm getting, but my real gift was watching his generosity and Christmas spirit. When we returned home, he wrapped them all by himself.

Today DS16 wants a ride to the mall. I'm sure he was motivated by knowing what his younger brother had just done. The only thing I'd change is next year, I need to explain to these two how shopping earlier means less crowds.

I definitely have a head cold. I slept in really late this morning and my nose is starting to run a little bit more. I hope it doesn't get too bad and I can keep this from getting ugly.

I better get moving. Hope the mall isn't too crazy.

Fat Cat or Bald Cat?

Would you rather have a fat cat or a bald cat?

I know its winter not by the calendar, not by the position of the sun, but by the fact Yumi now is sporting several bald patches on her back. She yanks out her fur this time of year, I think because of dry, itchy skin. She does not have fleas.

I've decided to begin adding fish oil to her kibble once again. I did this last year and it seemed to help

She will not eat wet food, (unless its the expensive smoked salmon I bought for my husband to enjoy.) She prefers to eat dry kibble and due to her previous food allergies, I always try to give her grain free cat food. She's currently eating Taste Of The Wild, but because its a dry kibble food, I don't think it gives her enough fat to keep her skin from drying out this time of year.

She's already over weight. We always measure her food so she doesn't get more than she's suppose to have, but this grain free food is not exactly low calorie. Plus, this time of year she wants more, to keep warm I believe. (We keep our thermostat set to 64 and use lots of blankets.) She's currently being fed 1/4 cup in the morning and 1/4 cup at night.

I hope the added fish oil helps her. She's also been taking hairball treatment fish oil weekly. Her fur is nice and bunny soft, but she does have dry skin dander, especially on her back. I brush her regularly to help oils distribute. I don't know what else to try. Hopefully she'll stop yanking out her fur.

You Have To Watch Out For Tomten

My son's latest video. I'm really hoping he makes more soon! Tomten can be so mischievous, especially if you don't feed them rice pudding!

Want A Cookie?

These are some of the delicious cookies we made yesterday at our weekly homeschool posse hang out. We have double chocolate chip, molasses, date pinwheels and the hearts are the Swedish Pepparkakor I made.

I have to give a big thank you to my friend who hosted, allowing me to use her granite counter-top. It made rolling out the Pepparkakor so much easier!! The secret to good Pepparkakor is rolling them really thin. I have never been able to roll them as thin as my mormor did until yesterday! I can't afford to redo my kitchen, but I think I'll start looking for a scrap piece of marble or granite I can turn into a dough board.

The Cage The Elephant show last night was amazing. Everything just fell into place perfectly. We found free parking and the best seats in the house. My favorite part was when I noticed DH truly relaxing and he put his arm around me.

I'm going to head out today to finish up some Christmas shopping. I hope it goes well, and I can continue to ride this life high into the weekend.

Enjoy your cookie and have a great weekend!

Not Just Lurking, Actually Updating You...

Am I actually taking a few moments to journal what's been going on?

I'm finding it difficult to comprehend there are just two weeks left before we begin a new year. Seems like Thanksgiving was yesterday, literally.

The weather hasn't helped. Its been warmer than usual so we have no snow on the ground. It feels like I should be gardening, but then I look at the calendar and know the snow and ice will come any day now. I don't have any cold frames or a greenhouse so nothing really will grow.

I'm anxiously anticipating date night tonight. DH and I are going to see Cage The Elephant. They always put on a super high energy show. I know its going to be incredible. I'm really hoping it helps DH's mood. I think the stress from work and our days of less sunlight have been bringing him down.

This afternoon I'm bringing Pepparkakor cookie dough over to a friend's house with the hope she can help me roll out the cookies very thin. I haven't enjoyed good Pepparkakor cookies since my grandmother had made them. The store bought version doesn't compare.

I decided not to do much baking this Christmas knowing there will be plenty of goodies around. Its always a challenge to get through this season without over doing the sugar quota. I'm focusing on raw veggie appetizers I can bring to the parties we'll attend instead. I will probably bake a batch of soft gingerbread reindeer cookies for the boys.

I got my haircut and now its not growing. She cut it too short. I warn them every time, as soon as you snip my longer hair, it will spring up and appear much shorter. I wanted shoulder length and ended up with chin length. I'm getting used to it and people tell me it looks cute, but I really hate not being able to pull it back into a pony. I swear it just looks shorter everyday too. It doesn't seem to be growing out.

After almost 4 years, I took the boys in for a wellness checkup. I couldn't believe it had really been 4 years, but honestly, they've never been sick in all that time and with all of the changes in our health insurance coverage, I never scheduled wellness checkups. As luck would have it, our current insurance meant the boys could see their original physician, which they were happy about. It went better than I had expected.

Our doctor hasn't always been homeschooling friendly. I've tried over the years to educate and enlighten him. I was surprised he didn't make an issue out of it this time, and I actually found a homeschooling magazine in his waiting room!!

I was also surprised they didn't fight me at all when I asked they NOT give the boys the flu and HPV shots. These are two I definitely think they can do without.

Of course after visiting the office, I'm in full out germaphobe mode. I always feel like we get sick AFTER we visit a clinic for the obvious reasons. I did try to schedule earlier morning appointments hoping our exposure would be less. It would be more healthy if doctors still made house calls don't you think?

My parents will be here this weekend and we'll celebrate at my sister's house. Next weekend there's another party at my sister's with more of my family attending. I like being able to celebrate in smaller gatherings. Its less overwhelming and you actually get to spend time visiting with people rather than touching base for a few minutes.

Christmas Day we'll be home, in the nest. I plan to wear yoga pants all day.

I most likely will not have to drive in to work much the next two weeks. I have projects to work on from home, but we'll have no lessons now until after the new year. Another perk to my job, semester breaks!

I'm going to try filming customer service videos with my son, who's really taken an interest in film making. I've told him it would be good practice experience to help me write, film and edit these clips for my workplace. Maybe someday he'll make a living doing what he loves to do!

I didn't get any Christmas cards written, and I won't have all the perfect gifts for everyone, but I do feel like I'm managing to not become overwhelmed. As they say, "Martha Stewart doesn't live here and that is a good thing!"  I'm having enough of a challenge trying to maintain healthy habits.

Sleep has been difficult, but I think that's midlife hormones. I can go to bed at 11:30pm and wake up wide awake at 5:00am. Of course the crash comes later!! Some nights, I just can't fall asleep no matter how hard I try. I seem to go two days without sleep and then be able to sleep one or two nights. I'm trying not to stress over it. I think it will all balance out eventually. Unfortunately, I'm always ready for a nap when I have to leave for work!

From desperation to inspiration ~ today's unschooling included overcoming the virus attacking DS's computer and learning everything is fixable as long as you don't give up. Every stressful event is an opportunity to learn and grow as long as you keep rolling with the changes.

Day 30 ~ I was so very grateful to come home, after a semi-stressful work evening, to a loving family who saved Chinese take out for me!

Throw Cans At Me

Today I was privileged to assist my son work on a film project. He has found a mentor, a film maker who has offered free film school lessons online. For his first project he needed to film a short, one take, stationary shot that was "compelling." This is what he came up with.




My part was to simply push the record button on the camera. DS16 set up the shot and came up with the idea. The part I find hilarious is he asked his soon to be 13 year old brother to throw cans at him. Is that not a dream come true for a little brother??!!! An invitation to throw something at your big brother??!!

I'm excited DS16 has found this learning opportunity and I hope he enjoys the process. I know DS12.10 had fun!!!

Day 29 ~ I am grateful for the relationship I have with my children. Everything I do, every choice I make, I ask myself, how will this effect my relationship with them. I will only follow a path that strengthens my bond with my boys.

Day 28 ~ I'm grateful hair grows. I'm also grateful for people who listen well.

Day 26 ~ Couldn't sleep and with my nervous energy, I started moving furniture around at 3:00am. I couldn't make it work. I'm grateful for my understanding husband who helped me fix it. My nest now feels right. Day 27 ~ I'm grateful for sleep. 10+ hours and I'm back to mental health!

Day 25 ~ I'm grateful for such a perfect weather day for cutting down our Christmas tree and for the strong boys rocking the tree saw.

Day 24 ~ I am so blessed with a wonderful family! My favorite part of Thanksgiving, the laughter!!

Day 23 ~ I was grateful he was half dressed and I promise, promise, promise to ALWAYS knock before I close down the men's locker room.

Getting Ready For Thanksgiving

What's been keeping me so busy?

I'm learning HTML coding along with a list of 24 other projects I want to complete before the end of the year for work. I'm trying to convince myself I'm not biting off more than I can chew, but rather all true geniuses have several unfinished projects going on at one time. Wasn't this true of DaVinci? 

I'm also reading several books, one of which is a work of fiction! GASP! Dawn is reading FICTION?!! I'm reading, Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindquist. I'm reading this because the movie was so well done, but mostly I'm reading this because DH just read it. I thought it would be nice if I actually read a book he has read so we can discuss it. The man only reads fiction and well, I rarely do. I thought I'd make the effort because I love him so.

We're getting ready for turkey feast. Since the bird was free, I picked out a 22 pound beast with our Piggly Wiggly points. I took him out last Friday night, but today he still seems icy. I hope he thaws in time. I made the cranberry sauce and brownies, (my crew doesn't really like pie), and tomorrow I'll cook the sweet potatoes and stuffing. On the big day, I'll get up at 6:00am to prepare the bird for the oven and throw the stuffing in the slow cooker. I'll take the rolls out to rise and bake them when the turkey comes out. Lastly, on the stove top we'll cook up garlic mashed potatoes and sweet corn. I just hope people show up to eat it all! 

I did something to my ankle, but have no clue what it was. For a few days it felt like I was recovering from a twisted ankle only I didn't twist it. Now I'll be walking and all of a sudden it will give out on me and it feels like I've shattered it. It almost feels like if I could just snap or crack it back to where it should be, it would be okay. I think its a nerve thing. Or my feet are missing my birkies!!! (I wonder if Birkenstock make boots for winter? Hmmm...)

Hopefully my ankle begins to cooperate since Turkey day looks like it will be perfect outside. I'd love to walk off some of the feast. We'll probably hike out to chop down the Christmas tree too.

If I don't get another chance, Happy Thanksgiving! 

Catching up!! Day 20 - I'm grateful for music! Its my drug of choice. Day 21 - I may have said this before, but I'm truly grateful to be an autodidact. I love to learn! Day 22- The tickle in my throat is telling me I need to eat raw today. I'm thankful for broccoli slaw and smoothies!

Day 19 ~ I'm thankful to have strong men to carry stuff for me. :)

Day 18 - Its so wonderful to have an 88 degree swimming pool all to yourself. I'm grateful for work perks!

Catching up with my thankful list ~ Day 16 I was grateful to receive a just because I love you call. He had been thinking of me all day and called as soon as he could. :) Day 17 - Today I am grateful I can stay home and take care of those I love.

Day 15 of 30 days of thankfulness ~ I'm grateful today was a beautiful day to walk to the library and the book I requested, Four Season Harvest by Eliot Coleman was ready for me to check out. Now I'm dreaming about building cold frames or even a mobile greenhouse next year!

Day 14 of 30 Days of thankfulness ~ Opportunities to learn new things, an appreciative boss, a chance to hold an itty bitty baby in my arms, free Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies, I have the best job ever! I'm grateful to work where I do!!

Day 10 of 30 days of thankfulness ~ I'm grateful we live close to a Piggly Wiggly, especially since I burned supper in the slow cooker today. Hoping the burnt taco smell doesn't stick around long. :)

Day 9 of 30 days of thankfulness ~ As I watch the rain change over to snow, I'm grateful for this quilt covering me and the hands who sewed it. Think I'll give my mom a call today because I'm so grateful I can still do so.

MW 3 Midnight Release Party 11/7/11

I finished my shift which usually signals the start of the end of my day, however on this night, I had a promise to keep. He had worked so hard, and saved his money. He waited for this night to come, counting down the days for weeks now.

I stopped in at Game Stop before my shift and paid off his game. I asked the clerk honestly, what time should we show up for this midnight release shin dig.

"We are expecting over 300. You can start lining up at 6:00pm to get your wristband."

Seriously?

We left the Sleepyhouse around 11:30pm, driving through the dark, hoping to avoid the jumpy deer. Arriving back in the city we saw the line at Toys R Us and the line at Best Buy, and I was a little surprised to see a few dozen lined up. When we pulled past the parking lot of Game Stop, my jaw dropped. Yes, 300 is about the correct number. I'm such a mom.

We had to park at Target and walk over through the dropped evidence of a serious tailgate party, Mountain Dew cans, bags of Chilpolte. The ratio of male to female, 297 to 3. The 3 included myself and two other moms.

We took our place at the back of the line just about at midnight, but were told we first needed to go inside and pick up our wrist bands. This turned out to be a lucky break because we were actually inside the store at the stroke of midnight to catch sight of the few lucky gamers who had indeed been waiting since 6:00pm.

DS16 brought the video camera. I'm hoping soon, when they decide to stop playing, he will upload the video and I can share it here. There were people dressed up in costume. The crew from Raven, a local video game design company, were there too. I don't know why. This wasn't a game they had designed.

Wristband in hand, we went back outside to wait our turn back in. The line did move quickly and we had our game in hand around 12:30am.

Walking back to the car, we had to avoid a few crazy ones, peeling out to race home and play, but several groups remained to party on. My favorite group were the air horns. They kept blasting their air horn to show their excitement. I couldn't resist. I shouted out, "We need more air horn!" Of course they obliged.

Driving back home to our sleepy bedroom community, we came across a pair of moronic raccoons. (Maybe all raccoons are morons?) I slowed down and one ran off, but the other turned and tried to scamper off directly in front of us for several yards. We also witnessed several deer backsides, but thankfully, their timing was much better than the raccoons and we didn't hit any.

DS16 made it to 2:00am, DS12 made it to 3:00am. They were both awake again by 8:30am, plugged back in. They are taking breaks to eat. That is good.

Day 8 of 30 days of thankfulness ~ I'm grateful for the few hours of sleep I did get, but mostly I'm grateful my children are happy.

Swedish Style Pancakes - Dawn's version

Description:
I adapted my grandmother's recipe, trying to make it more healthy. My mother would make these for us rolling them up with plenty of butter and maple syrup or jam. My sister taught me to roll them with vanilla pudding and whipped cream - YUM!

Getting back to trying to be healthy - I used whole grain flour, almond milk and rolled them with plain non fat yogurt mixed with homemade applesauce. Another great filling is left over sweet potato!

These pancakes, which are like crepes, cook up very quickly, so have your fillings and/or toppings ready to go. I prepare and warm up my fillings/toppings before making the pancakes so everything rolls up warm and toasty.

Recipe easily doubles if you have a crowd.

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 1/2 C almond milk
1/2 t vanilla
1 T brown sugar
2 T melted butter
1 1/4 C whole grain flour

Filling/topping ideas (some healthy, some not) - applesauce, yogurt, sweet potato, jam/jelly, maple syrup, pudding/custard, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, banana, chopped dried fruits, nuts.

Directions:
1. Mix together your pancake batter by whisking together the egg, milk, vanilla, sugar and melted butter. Stir in the flour until mixed.

2. Prepare your fillings, warming them if necessary.

3. Heat a non-stick pan with a little pat of butter or non-stick spray.

4. Pour in a few tablespoons of batter and swirl the pan around, spreading out the batter. Swedish pancakes are very thin and cook quickly!

5. After about a minute or so, using a non stick spatula, flip the pancake/crepe over and quickly cook the other side for a few moments.

6. Remove the pancake to a waiting plate, add fillings and roll up.

7. ENJOY!

Day 7 of 30 days of thankfulness ~ I'm grateful I can walk to the library, have the sun shine on me, fresh air fill my lungs, and all the inspiration my backpack can carry.

Day 6 of 30 days of Thankfulness ~ I'm grateful for my wonderful husband, who is always willing to pitch in around the house even though he works 40+ hours a week away from it.

Day 5 of 30 days of thankfulness ~ I'm grateful to have an entire weekend free, to enjoy with my family.

Day 4 of 30 days of thankfulness ~ I'm grateful for the hug I received from DS12 just because he was feeling happy. Unsolicited hugs when you least expect them are wonderful. :)

Day 3 of 30 Days Of Thankfulness ~ Today I'm grateful I'm tuned in and listening to my song.

Day 2 of 30 days of thankfulness ~ I'm grateful rest restores. A new day, a new chance for change.

Day 1 of 30 days of Thankfulness - Today I'm grateful the mortgage comes out on the 5th not the 1st. Making it to payday is a huge blessing!

Its Tuesday, not Monday, And We've Made It To November

I think because it was Halloween yesterday, and I had someone cover for me at work, this is why I feel like today is a Monday. I will be telling myself its Tuesday all day long.

DS12 enjoyed his last year of trick or treat, even though his Al Capone belly pillow fell out only a block away.

I'm thinking next year we throw a party and ask everyone to bring a different bag of candy. Then Christmas cookie exchange style, all the guests can put together an assortment to take home.

We watched several episodes of R.L. Stine's the Haunting Hour we had recorded and had a nice evening. I tried to make a healthy supper, salad with chicken breast and roasted potatoes, but we still probably ate too much sugar.

Another plan for next year, DS16 says we should get many more pumpkins and carve a pumpkin a day leading up to Halloween. How I will fit all those pumpkins into our tiny composter after Halloween, I don't know, but I like the idea of lining the driveway with pumpkins.

I had an interesting conversation with DS12 yesterday while he was carving his pumpkin. I thought he was being too hard on himself and he said back to me, "Mom, being hard on myself is what motivates me to do better."  Whoa.

We talked about the importance of knowing when you cross that line. We also discussed how every person creates their art differently and what's important is that you stay true to your individual style.

After he had finished carving, he did say he was pleased and it came out better than he had expected. I guess I shouldn't worry so much.

I can't believe it's November already. We've made it to November without putting on our heat!! Last night we got close to putting it on, but I had this goal to try and make it to November. It's only in the 50's on average during the day, and the evening temperatures drop down to the 30's, but with all the living we do in our Sleepyhouse, it somehow naturally stays warm enough. Our house temperature has maintained around 65. I joke its the heat from all of our glowing electronic rectangles!

On my agenda for November, organize my closet. I would have more room if I store way the summer gear.

I also hope to accomplish Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving. I say this every year, and never quite reach that goal. I would like for the shopping to be done, so I can completely enjoy the season without the stress come December.

My last goal for November, stay healthy! So far so good, but November brings the serious start of cold and flu season. At work I'm constantly exposed, although at home I try to keep the bottle of Lysol on hand. I think if I have DS12 hide away all of his Halloween candy, that will help me keep the sugar intact down. I know sugar and stress are what weaken me.

On that note, I suppose I should get moving here to help me reach that "be healthy" goal. Have a great TUESDAY!

Happy Halloween!

We've carved our Jack-O-Lanterns, over 200 pieces of candy are waiting at the door, and DS12's Al Capone costume is ready. Bring on the Halloween fun!

DS12 had a trial run at G-Ma's last night and scored so much candy! Several people commented on how his scar was missing, so tonight we'll try to correct that. We researched Al Capone's scars today and we'll draw them on tonight.

The boys made a funny Halloween skit with their cousins and friends, called Halloween Police. It always amazes me how quickly they can throw something like this together.  Click here to check it out.
 

I think we just saw a Cerulean Warbler at our feeder!!!! Yes, we are beeks- bird geeks!

I found some great strew at the library today! Having a great time reading The Wonderful Future That Never Was. In 1950 they predicted everything in the home would be waterproof and housewives would clean using a hose. The water would drain down holes in the middle of the room, and we'd use blasts of hot air to dry everything. I wish!!

Tuesday's Thoughts....

I can't stop looking forward to making apple pies this Thursday. One friend is bringing the apples and spices, another the shortening, and I'm grinding up fresh Spelt flour for the crusts. Something about this collective effort  is leading me to believe these pies are going to rock. How can they not with so much added love in the mix?

I found out yesterday my son has been been invited by Youtube to set up one of those accounts where you can earn advertising money. I really hope he decides to do it! My dream come true is for my children to find ways of making an income doing something they love. He's still thinking it over, but I'm screaming for him to go for it!! Heck, maybe I need to start making videos on Youtube!!!

Our refi is moving along nicely. It still has to make it through underwriting but our loan officer told me everything looks great after the appraisal report! That's a relief. Now the tough part comes. How much do we really want to cash out? Our goal was to reduce debt and make some home improvements. The list of home improvements could easily snowball. I'll have to think long and hard on it.

My parents are visiting. They brought two baby apples trees my mother started from seed. She's unsure what kind of an apple the seeds came from, but on a whim she stuck two seeds in a pot this spring, and they actually grew. Their growing zone is more harsh than ours, so they brought them down for us to try and grow in our yard. I planted the baby trees in sunny spots, near the corners of our lot. One area I noticed several grubs in the ground, so I don't know how well these baby trees will do. I'm thinking of putting tomato cages around them and mulching them in for the winter. I know its a long shot, but wouldn't it be cool if years from now I'm still living here, and I can tell my grandchildren their great grandmother grew these trees from a seed?! 

Well, I better stop thinking about things and start doing things instead. Hope you're having a great Tuesday!

Sleephouse Garden 10/21/11 - plans for 2012 growing season

Hard frost last night. I covered the sugar snap peas, and I think they made it. They are blossoming so perhaps we'll get one last crop before winter.

The Swiss Chard I did not cover, yet it still looks pretty good wouldn't you say? How am I going to eat all of this?

I tore down the rest of the beds, planting garlic where 2011 tomatoes were. Farthest bed south, east side, running parallel to the equator we'll have 2 rows of Spanish Roja, 2 rows of German Porcelain, 1 row of Musik and 2 Elephant garlic bulbs. This bed has a little room left, maybe I'll pick up one more bulb of Musik. Mulched with grass for now, but hoping to find some leaves. The past cold, windy days have blown all of our leaves from our yard.

Trimmed up the Mulberry by the kitchen window so the birds still have shelter but it doesn't hit the house when the wind blows. We do enjoy watching the birds in this tree. It seems to be their staging area before flying to the feeder.

Trimmed up the Birch, although I probably wasn't as aggressive as I should have been.

On my list to grow next year, (besides garlic of course);

Tomatoes- the grape tomatoes did really well, and the Romas weren't a total loss. I'm not discouraged and will keep trying.

Swiss Chard and Spinach - skip the lettuce. Its not as good nutritionally and it bolts so quickly

Squash - I wasn't too successful but I'll try again. Maybe I should go back to growing it vertically?

Popcorn - I've never grown corn before, but DH thought it would fun to have our own homegrown popcorn. I'll give it a try.

Cucumbers - I only tried one plant in 2011, but I enjoyed eating the cukes we got off of it. Will add more plants next year and try growing vertically.

Sugar Snap Peas - always a must! Garden candy! This time I will use a different support structure. Maybe tee pees next year!

Sunflowers - The 2 we had this year were cheerful, but late. Plant along privet and around deck.

Heading out to get dirt under my fingernails and some vitamin D. Who wants to plant garlic with me?

Although I'm grateful our home is holding a comfortable temperature without having to turn on the furnace yet, I'm looking forward to visiting a friend and sitting by her fireplace. The past two days the night time temps have been in the 30's and it hasn't warmed up much during the day, only getting into the upper 40's. Our house either has really good insulation or our computers/tvs are giving off more heat than we realize. :)

ICU 10/20/11

photo- one bulb of Spanish Roja garlic compared to two cloves of Elephant garlic

“This week we want to…”  My parents are coming for a visit so that will keep us busy.

“The kids are…” DS16 finished his latest short film, It Came From The VCR. Click here to check it out.DS12 has decided he wants to be Al Capone for Halloween. No sewing for me this year! DS12 has also been reading about World War I and making more fitness plans.

“I am learning….” How to grow garlic. I went a little over board at the garden center and picked up German Porcelain, Spanish Roja, Musik and Elephant garlic. The Elephant garlic is so huge! One clove is the size of a small apple. I'm thinking about planting it and not telling the boys. Then next summer when we harvest it, I'll enjoy their surprise when they pull up huge bulbs compared to the others.

“I am struggling with…”  Taking care of myself. I haven't gotten back into an exercise routine yet, and I seriously think my sugar addiction has stopped being cute. I'm starting to realized how it is controlling me. 

“This week is the first time….” I've starting adding shots of apple cider to tall glasses of water and I love it. I'm drinking so much water now, which is great.

"I am grateful…” I am well. At work, I've been exposed to so much illness. So many people have come in coughing, sneezing, drippy noses. I've also heard whooping cough and mono are going around. I hope I can continue to stay well.

“Our family first started unschooling…..(insert time frame/date, etc)”

This is difficult to do, pick an exact date. Our unschooling has really evolved. I decided to stay home and engage with my children 100% when DS12 was born. I knew we most likely would not be blessed with more children, and I wanted to get all I could of the two we did have.

When my oldest missed the kindergarten cut off due to his October birthday, a friend suggested I do "school" with him at home. I used a kindergarten curriculum for about 5 minutes before realizing how stupid it was to do so. That was probably the start of our unschooling journey, so I'll pick the date September 1, 2000.

I arrived at radical unschooling mom status over time. I sampled Charlotte Mason and Thomas Jefferson methods, mostly to deal with my doubts, but eventually I stopped worrying and starting trusting. I trust my children and believe they have been born with a natural curiosity and desire to explore. I trust God will put us where he wants us on a time table that is right for our family.

The more I trusted the process, the better it worked. Being radical isn't the difficult part at all. I don't need to be like everyone else or want to. Radical unschooling is easy once you realize living a lifestyle respecting others and loving unconditionally is all it takes. I only follow those two rules, love unconditionally and respect all others. When in doubt, I ask myself, does this course of action respect both the individual I am dealing with and myself, and am I acting out of unconditional love, not fear.

Modeling my actions my boys have learned how to love and respect others and that is my greatest accomplishment.

ICU link - Christian Unschooling

Ginger Spiced Pumpkin Muffins

Description:
These came out so delicious but not overly spicy, nice and mellow for breakfasts or snacks. They were very easy to mix together and baked up quickly. They also can be wrapped and frozen, although I think this batch won't last to make it to the freezer!

Ingredients:
1 C fat free milk
1/2 C brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 C olive oil
1/2 C canned pumpkin
1 t cinnamon
1 t ground ginger
2 t baking powder
2 T ground flax seed meal
1 1/2 C whole wheat flour

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375

Whisk together the milk, brown sugar, egg, and pumpkin.
Add the baking powder, cinnamon and ginger.
Stir in the flour and flax seed meal.

Spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray and fill muffin cups. This batch makes exactly 12 muffins.

Bake at 375 for 15 minutes

Cool on a wire rack

If I Can Make It Past Tuesday...

The appraiser is coming Tuesday morning. We're refinancing our home after living here for 10 years. I'm trying to tell myself, do what you can, leave God to the rest, but it is still bothering me. 10 years and we've stacked so much stuff!

Its not exactly like you'd find us on a episode of Hoarders. Most of the rooms in our home are very livable. Guests feel comfortable, not horrified. I have areas that function pretty well.

Of course there still are zones of chaos. Having to live it in, you get desensitized to it. The dust bunnies seem to belong there. Will the appraiser be measuring the dust as well as the square feet?

We've made good progress in the short time we've had to get the house ready for inspection. Of course that depends on how you look at it. My garage can't fit the two cars it should right now and the unfinished part of the basement has a narrow walking path through the boxes and shelves of holiday decorations and old toys. On the other hand, the upstairs is done except for some floor trim work, and the mancave, except for the dust bunnies mentioned earlier, is good to go.

I shouldn't worry so much about it. We live here. We really LIVE here. My home is a learning laboratory.
Its not meant to be a sterile, perfect world, but rather a source of inspiration to our learning through living lifestyle.

I have learned a few things however. One is I'm really good at living by my mother's motto - My house is clean enough to be healthy, but dirty enough to be happy. Another is, purging is an on going task I must devote time to every week. For every thing that comes in, I should find something to go out. The memories I hold of special time shared with those I love, is more important than the material possessions they gave me. Its hard enough to actually physically remove something from your home, attaching emotions to it doesn't help.

Whatever happens on Tuesday, I have to remember the lessons learned this past weekend of cleaning. Rather than worry about being judged by a stranger, I should focus on the gift we've given ourselves in cleaning and organizing our home.  Photos- living room, kitchen, exercise/books/birds, mancave (with boy in game mode and Yumi wondering what I'm doing, unfinished storage area/utility.

Trust yourself. You will work it out.

Orangutan Safe Halloween

Our local zoo has trick or treating for kids, and the pool I work for participates in this fun activity. I learned from our zoo that orangutans are in danger of losing habitat and not all companies use sustainable palm oil. I'm passing along information from the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, regarding orangutan friendly companies who do use sustainable palm oil.

This information is meant to be a helpful guide for consumers that are concerned about orangutan conservation and deforestation due to non-sustainable palm oil production in Indonesia and Malaysia. The companies listed below are members of the RSPO (Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil) and are committed to using certified sustainable palm oil. Please support companies that are doing their best to make a difference for orangutans.

Make a Difference for Wild Orangutans
Orangutan Friendly Sustainable Palm Oil Halloween Candy List

Note: Any products made by Nestle, Kellogg’s, PepsiCo (Frito Lay),
Hershey’s, Mars, Walmart (Great Value Brand) and ConAgra (even if not listed below) are good choices as they are all members of the RSPO.

If you do not find your favorite snack/company on this list, take action by writing
a letter and asking the company to join the RSPO and be committed to using
certified sustainable palm oil.

For a sample letter and more information on how you can Make a Difference for Wild Orangutans visit
www.cmzoo.org/conservation/PalmOilCrisis.

Company Name & Snack Name

Nestle Baby Ruth, Butterfinger, Crunch Bar
Wonka (Nestle) Sweetarts, Bottle Caps, Laffy Taffy, Nerds
ConAgra Fiddle Faddle, Crunch & Munch, Poppy Cock
Kellogg’s Rice Krispie Treats, Fruity Snacks, Pop Tarts
Kellogg’s Austin Crackers (all varieties)
Kellogg’s All Keebler Brand Cookies
PepsiCo (Frito Lay) Cheetos, Doritos
PepsiCo Grandma’s Cookies
Hershey’s Twizzlers, Jolly Ranchers, Whoppers
Hershey’s Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Almond Joy
Hershey’s Mr. Goodbar, Heath Bars, Milk Duds
Mars Snickers, Twix, M&M’s, 3 Musketeers
Mars Milky Way, Skittles, Dove Chocolates
Justin’s Peanut Butter Cups, NutButter (All flavors)
Lindt and Spungli Lindor Truffles (All flavors)
Ghirardelli All flavors
Walmart Great Value Brand products (Candy, Cookies, Crackers etc.)

Cage The Elephant

Start:	Dec 15, '11 6:30p
Location:	Rave, Milwaukee, WI

at the Rave in Milwaukee. As long as there is no snow or ice in the forecast, it should be an awesome date night!

Applesauce - organic

Description:
When we tagged our Christmas tree, we received a free bag of McIntosh apples. We usually don't eat this variety raw, so I decided to make applesauce. I adapted this recipe to use less sugar and it came out very yummy. I like my applesauce more chunky, so I don't use a mill.

The apples were organic and I used organic whole cane sugar. My kitchen smelled fantastic while it was cooking! The lemon helped brighten up the flavor.

Ingredients:
About 8 Cups of peeled, quartered apples
1/2 C water
1/2 C organic whole cane sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
6-8 lemon rind curls - use a peeler to curl off thin slices of lemon peel
juice of one small lemon

Directions:
In a large pot over low-medium heat, add all of the ingredients.

Cover and simmer the apples until they begin to soften and break down.

Using the back of a large wooden spoon, smash the apples against the sides of the pot and stir often.

Remove the lid and continue to cook down until you reach your desired consistency.

Remove the cinnamon sticks and lemon peel curls and allow your sauce to cool slightly before eating or chill in the refrigerator and enjoy.

Why I've Been Away

Its not just the beautiful weather that has been keeping me from the computer. I've been blessed with family time. My oldest turned 16 this past week and my husband took a few days off from work so we could help him celebrate and enjoy a bit of family time.

DS16 got his big gift last weekend when G-ma was here, a new laptop. Later in the week, on his actual birthday, we took him out for lunch and gave him a new game, Dark Souls. You would think this would mean we wouldn't see too much of him, but he's actually been pretty good about spending some time with us. He has to eat right?!

Actually he agreed to get some sun and last Thursday we headed out to Skelly's Farm to walk around in corn mazes. We did the "impossible" maze first. I wanted to use the map but my husband challenged us to try and find the markers without using the map. This pushed me past my comfort zone, but when I was actually able to find the marker when it was my turn, it was very rewarding knowing I had achieved it without using the map. There were 12 markers in all and it took us about an hour to navigate the entire maze without using the map. After the "impossible" maze, we tried the "easy" maze, but it actually didn't feel easy at all. Maybe we were tired from working the "impossible" maze first?

I should have worn a hat. It became quite warm in the corn, without the benefit of a breeze. My skin was a little pink and I was ready for a nap that early evening.

I cap napped, while the men folk watched Scream 4. Speaking of movies, we also watched Rango, which I enjoyed more than I thought I would.

Back to our other outdoor activities- we picked pumpkins and we've been throwing the football around more often. We hit a few garage sales, but didn't find anything worth taking home.

I should be in the garden, cleaning it up and getting it ready for winter, but I'm still waiting for the garden center to stock garlic, which I really want to plant for next summer's harvest. I'm also adding popcorn to my list of what I want to grow next year. I found my garden notes from the past few years and its pretty neat to me how every year we just keep making it bigger, adding new things to try. 

I found a huge spider in my yard. It's belly is the size of a super ball. I wish my camera was working better. It's an orb web spider and the web is measuring over 6 feet across. Much of my remaining Swiss chard has lots of spiders in it. I know spiders are good for the garden, but after almost eating one I found in my salad, I'm a bit freaked.

We started watching American Horror Story on FX. Although I found Jessica Lang's character awesomely creepy, I was disappointed over all. I want more horror, more creepy neighbors, and less sex. This show looked like it was going to be scary, but its mostly sex.

The new season of Dexter looks like its going to be good. I'm happy they are basically starting with a clean slate. I was a bit let down with last season, but the season before the last was gut wrenching and a lot to live up to.

Well, I think I've babbled enough and made enough notes here to jog my memory later. Hope you're all having a great weekend!

Its been too beautiful outside to spend much time staring at glowing rectangles.

Hoping For A Great Weekend!!

We're starting DS15 soon to be DS16's birthday celebration early, and today G-Ma is coming to help us celebrate. We'll take him to Red Lobster for lunch and later tonight is the big football game Wisconsin vs. Nebraska. I'll have "pick" food out for the game, meatballs, thinly sliced chicken, rolls, veggies, chips and dip. For sweet treats DS12 made cupcakes, and I made cookie dough ice cream from scratch. I found a recipe that doesn't use eggs in the cookie dough.

I'm hoping we can hike around the Christmas tree farm and tag our tree. We usual do this every year. It's great to pay for it now and not have an extra expense at the holidays, plus the weather is not as cold now, so you can take your time browsing out the perfect tree. We'll go back after Thanksgiving to cut it down.

Our favorite pumpkin farm opens this weekend too, Boo's Pumpkin patch. This family run pumpkin and gourd farm always has such an amazing selection.

We'll be giving our son his main birthday present this weekend since G-Ma will be here. He's not getting what he thinks, and I think it will really surprise him!

The trees seem to be turning up their color show. I'm hoping we can find time to go for a hike and enjoy it up close and personal. I'm grateful these crazy windy days we've had haven't blown off all the leaves.

DH and I will end our weekend watching the start of the new Dexter season. This show is so well done. Its the one instance where the show is better than the books. If you haven't seen it, Dexter is a serial killer who kills killers. Once you start watching it, you want more and more. When DH & I first starting watching, thankfully it was on DVD. We would stay up late at night, "Let's watch just one more episode!" Now that we're caught up, it's almost painful to have to wait that entire week until your next Dexter fix.

I better go and start getting ready for our good times. I hope you have a great weekend yourself!

Monday Blah & Weekend Update 9/26/11

Yes, it is Monday. Ours is going to be very rainy, and I'm going to have to shake off this serious case of blah.

I have a ticket to my nephew's heavy metal show tonight. I wish I was more psyched up to go. I'll meet my sister there after I finish working tonight, but I'm feeling guilty about not coming home after work like usual.

I found out yesterday DH preferred when I did not work Monday nights. I actually prefer working Mondays and having Thursdays off. The boys still ask me, "Do you have to work tonight, " more often than I'd like. I know my family would like me home more, but I have to stop feeling guilty. Financially, its not an option.

I think my strawberry smoothie is kicking in. I'm feeling a little less Monday blah now.

I should journal our past weekend. Friday night we grilled burgers at home and watched Quarantine 2: Terminal. It was bad. It had its entertaining moments, but over all a disappointment.

Saturday morning we slept in and hung out as a family, on the couches, chilling to Saturday morning TV.

Saturday afternoon, I covered for a co-worker so she could attend the Badger game. My men picked me up after my shift and took me out for Mexican. Yum! We hit the used book store afterward. I showed serious restraint and didn't buy anything for myself.

I did find a $2 book for DS12. Its a police exam guide. He wants to be a police officer one day and he enjoys reading these kinds of things. I had checked one out from the library once, but now he has his own to keep and enjoy. I love that he's only 12, but enjoying a book written for grown ups. That's unschooling.

Sunday DH and I ran a few errands, but for the most part, we stayed home, enjoying the nest. I began a few house repairs, we'll have to finish up this week, and we played cards. We had our family Sunday meal and watched some football. Their team won, not mine, but I did get to win our card game!

I need me time again already. Letting go and seeing where the day takes me.

NIGHTMARE!!!

A nightmare woke me early. It was impossible for me to go back to sleep afterward. I wanted to wake up my boys, but I showed some restraint.

In the dream, my children had become MORONS!!!! They had changed their personalities to try and fit in at.....SCHOOL!! GASP!!!

I'm so glad it was just a dream. My autodidacts are still free to be who they are!!

This isn't a slam on everyone who chooses to attend public instruction. I'm just grateful we have the opportunity to provide an environment for our boys where they feel safe to be themselves, free of judgment. They don't have to worry about being accepted because we love them unconditionally.

I know we've given them a solid foundation of self confidence. Both boys have experienced negative criticism from others, and I was proud of how they handled it. When one son was cyber bullied, he simply "unfriended" the offenders, and told me he wasn't going to let it bother him. My other son received negative remarks regarding his film making and he completely let it roll off his shoulders. He has too much fun creating movies, and he knows the people in his life that matter, that love him, appreciate his creativity.

I believe because we love and respect our boys so much, and because we give them so much freedom, they have become wonderful, generous young men. They are not morons. They are funny, intelligent, creative, insightful and caring individuals. They aren't trying to be someone they're not. They inspire me everyday!

ICU 9/21/11

“This week we want to…”

Here's a few ideas - haircuts, help DS15 with his latest flick, yard/garden needs attention, yard sale, continue the great purge, rotate out seasonal clothing, shop for new clothing if needed, (they always seem to out grow winter gear so quickly), use our free movie tickets...

“The kids are…”

DS15 is beginning production of It Came From The VCR.

DS12 is coming to a cross roads. I can see he's looking for something new. I keep making suggestions and as we unschoolers call it, strewing, but he has yet to find a new center point for his main focus. This kid has always been one to pick one thing and go full speed at it.

These are the times when as an unschooler, you may become a little nervous, but I now understand the reason for these cool down periods. Reading James Sebastian Bach's book, Secrets Of A Buccaneer Scholar really helped me find peace with these transition periods.

“I am learning….”

To listen with greater attention.

“I am struggling with…”

Having patience for people with negative attitudes. Life's too short. Is it really that difficult to choose a better frame of mind?

“This week is the first time….”

I'm going to consume chia. I've heard about the health benefits and my sister has given me some to try.

“I am grateful…”

I have a love nest sanctuary.

“My favorite season is…. BECAUSE…..”

If you make me choose, its autumn, hands down, but I do appreciate all of the seasons because I crave change. Autumn is the season where I'm most physically comfortable, but I don't want to give up sleepy, white winter or spring's new birth. Summer is rewarding to have green all around and growing things is very rewarding.

A Beautiful Tuesday 9/20/11

Today is too beautiful of a day to do dishes, don't you think? We don't get very many of these in Wisconsin. You are required to take advantage of them.

We filled up the bike tires with fresh air and although DS12 took off pedaling, I really wanted to Wii it. You don't want to know the last day I was on Wii Fit, but its so funny the response you get when the game hasn't logged you for awhile. With windows, (and drapes), wide open, I was Wiiing away as the sidewalk walkers gazed in at me. I didn't care. The peepers just want to see my awesome, I understand.

After our workouts, we watched DS15 dissect a rat. Thankfully it was a virtual rat in a computer game. I don't think many people understand how many educational experiences game play offers.

We begin production on DS15's next mini-movie. We walked over to our cemetery to scout location shots and block scenes. Again I couldn't get over how perfect it is outside, warm, sunny, with a terrific breeze blowing.

I also marveled at how they just don't make headstones like they used to. So many of the older graves have amazing sculptures and monuments. The newer section was all grave markers that were designed to be easy to mow over. When we go back to shoot DS15's movie, I'll bring my camera and try to capture a few to show you.

The spiders allowed me to pick a few lovely pieces of Swiss Chard for our lunch. The leaves are so pretty to me, with the branching out veins running up and out from the stem. For today's harvest I chose all green leaves. I admit, some of the chard is so pretty I don't want to pick it!

I have to run. I'm being summoned to help the boys with a challenge. They're back to gaming this afternoon.

Stop me. I bought a Honeycrisp apple for everyone in family. I ate mine last night at work. This morning I'm craving another, and I'm so tempted to steal someone's apple! Of course the most expensive apple in the market is the best tasting, most addictive.

Update 9/19/11

You can thank my cat for this update. I should get moving, but she is curled up on my lap, enjoying my warmth.

What's Up:

I'm shaking up the supper rut. We fell into a bad pattern of eating the same things, getting tired of eating the same things and resorting to eating out. I made a list of every possible meal we enjoy as a family, and its my goal to add at least one new recipe each week to this rotation.

DS15 is working on a new short film. Its a scary story this time. The working title is "It Came From The VCR!" I'm hoping he can finish it before Halloween, and maybe we could have a film screening party!

DS12 wants to make a Viking helmet. I'll help him research this, and we'll see if we can pull this off. A few weeks ago he said he wanted a sombrero. I saw one at Target, but he didn't want me to spend money on it. I guess he's into hats lately. Come to think of it, so am I. I want a 20's style cloche hat to wear.

I pulled over a dozen board games and puzzles from the game closet that I know we'll never play again. It barely made a dent. I have much more work to do in there. I've got piles to move but the difficult part is where to go with it. I may see if the consignment store will take it, but the boys talk about a garage sale or Craig's List. I know the objective is just to get rid of it, but its tempting to try and get a little money.

I need to find a recipe to try with green plum tomatoes. I don't want to fry them. I saw a recipe for green tomato bread, (think like zucchini), but after making the pumpkin banana bread and chocolate cake this past weekend, I'm baked out. I think I'll try using them on a pizza or making some kind of green sauce with them. I've only had green tomatoes fried.

Yumi is up now, meow chirping at the hummingbird at the feeder. I wonder how many more days we'll have before we don't see the hummers anymore. I actually thought they'd be gone by now.

Since I no longer have any excuse, I better get up and get moving. Have a great Monday!

Pumpkin Banana Bread

Description:
I had some left over canned pumpkin to use, and I thought it would taste good in banana bread. It tastes very yummy, and I may just always use pumpkin now when I'm baking banana bread.

Instead of oil I used applesauce and instead of sugar, I used honey. I also used whole wheat flour to make this a more healthy treat option.

Ingredients:
2 bananas, mashed
1 1/3 C canned pumpkin
1/2 C applesauce
2 Large eggs
1/2 C honey

2 1/2 C whole wheat flour
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
3 t cinnamon
1/2 C walnuts, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Spray a 9 x 5 loaf pan with non-stick spray or grease.
Mix the bananas, pumpkin, applesauce, honey and eggs together in a large bowl.
Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and walnuts in a separate large bowl.
Mix together the banana mixture and the flour mixture just until the flour is incorporated.
Scrape the dough into the loaf and pan and bake for 45 minutes.
Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the loaf pan on a wire rack.

Taking a little ME time today. Its long overdue.

Hoodie weather has arrived. Covering my garden tonight and hoping for the best.

Almond Vanilla Granola

Description:
This is going to be my new go to recipe for granola. It was very easy and came out great. You can add dried fruit before serving, but its best to store this granola in an airtight container without the fruit to maintain crunchiness.

Ingredients:
4 C old fashioned oats
1 C chopped almonds
2/3 C honey
4 T butter, melted ~ I used Light Smart Balance with Omega 3 instead
2 t vanilla extract
1/2 C ground flax seed


Directions:
Preheat over to 350. Spread the oats on two jelly roll pans and roast for 10 minutes. Stir the oats and switch the pans on different oven racks, (top to bottom, bottom to top). Roast for 10 more minutes.

In a large bowl mix the chopped almonds, honey, melted butter, vanilla and flax meal. Stir in the toasted oats.

Spray your jelly roll cookie sheets with non stick spray. Add the oat mixture and bake for another 7 minutes. Stir the granola and switch the cookie sheets, (top to bottom, bottom to top), bake for another 7 minutes.

Cool the granola in the pans on wire racks completely before storing in air tight containers.

ICU 9/9/11

I was suppose to write this Wednesday. It is now 2:30am Friday. Unable to sleep, this could get interesting....

“This week we want to…”

Me - I want to buy pajamas and garlic bulbs.

DS12 - Find a way to complete his Wacky Package Series 8 collection by constantly asking me what jobs he can do for cash.

DS15 - I'm sure his answer would be something related to working on his movie, "Soda Popper."

DH - The man doesn't make goals. I think he just wants to find a way to chill after working so hard all week.

“The kids are…”

DS12 - Has logged over 100 miles on his bike. He's also been doodling another series of Wacky Packages now that series 8 is out and he's back into collecting cards.

DS15 - I believe I saw a script re-write, and I know he's been editing on the computer quite a bit.

“I am learning….”

I'm not that predictable. There's a randomness to me that I need to accept and embrace.

“I am struggling with…”

Flies ~ This time of year they always seem to find their way indoors. I usually don't kill things, but...

“This week is the first time….”

I threw my jaw out. I think I did it screaming my head off at the Blind Melon concert. I didn't notice the pain until a day later, and I've noticed I can't connect my back teeth like I used to be able to. Its kind of freaky. A few days later here, the pain isn't as bad and I think my teeth are starting to come back together, but I'm not sure. If this is still like this in a few weeks, I'll see a chiropractor and maybe they can snap my jaw back into place. This creeps me out though!

“I am grateful…”

That even if others don't appreciate my awesome, I know its still there. I read a blog about how we all are born with our awesome and somewhere along the way, we allow others to take it away from us. I've reclaimed my awesome, and I'm not giving it up ever again. Click here for inspiration to reclaim your own awesome.

“My dream is…..”

Finding the time, inspiration and resources to create something wonderful.

BEST DATE EVAARR!

September 4, 2011 ~ I'm setting the DeLorean to this date and hitting 88 MPH.

My Soul One and I road tripped down to the Metro in Chicago to see Blind Melon. I'm recording the details here since my car is really only a Pontiac Vibe, without a flux capacitor. 

After feeding our young men McDonald's, we left them home to enjoy their parent free, game playing all night marathon. We packed the kazoo, the Illinois troll transponder and hit the road.

I grew up in the Chicago area and during my high school days, I saw plenty of shows at the Metro, but here it was, probably almost 20 some years since I'd been down there. (We did not go see Blind Melon back in 1995, before Shannon passed, because I was preggers with DS#1.) I remember it being a fairly decent place to see a show.

We found a parking spot on a deserted street. Turns out parking was prohibited due to the Cubs game. We pulled up just as that parking restriction was no longer in effect. SCORE! It was only 1 block away.

We ended up being around 25th in line. I had given up the hope of being in the front. When the doors opened, for some reason, everyone swarmed one entry point. I saw the Metro guy free and walked over. Since we already had tickets, we were able to walk right in and guess where we planted our feet? Stage front, in the middle once again, I couldn't believe how fortunate we were.

The first opening act, The Train Company, was pretty good. The second act, The Katz Company we didn't enjoy as much.

When our boys took the stage we were so excited. The crowd was a great blend of new and old fans and the energy was amazing. Complete Melon Love Fest!

Feeding off our vibe, Blind Melon was completely into it, delivering such an intense, connected performance. They all seemed to really be having a wonderful time playing together, playing for us. Travis surfed the crowd, hundreds of Melonheads buzzing their kazoos, even the Bee Girl was there!

After the show, the bassist Brad specifically handed his set list directly to DH. I know the band recognizes us and appreciates our support. All the band members jumped down to shake our hands.

We left the show Blind Melon buzzed, to a cool, just rained outside, midnight. We broke our pre-concert liquid fast, (no drinking before the show to avoid needing to use the facilities and miss the show), at the 24 hour White Castle. That Diet Coke and chocolate shake tasted so good!

While driving home with our cotton ears, we saw a shooting star. Could this night get anymore perfect?

I hope one day we can repeat this experience, but I know the band doesn't have any future dates on the schedule. The band members all have separate projects they are working on, but I'm hopeful the experience we all shared September 4, 2011, will motivate them to come together once again to relive and recreate this wonderful night.

Playing In Mi Cocina

DH thought I was trying to decorate the kitchen. I'm just trying to find places to dry out peppers. I really don't know how to tie a ristra, but everything I've read online about air drying peppers suggests keeping the peppers from touching one another. The Jalapenos I'm not sure about either because their skin may be too thick. I did slice slits in the jalapenos so I'm hopeful they will dry out like the other peppers. I could freeze them, but honestly, freezer space is a challenge. I love how much color this experiment is adding to my kitchen!

I made another batch of marinara sauce yesterday, and this batch actually came out red, not orange! After reading about a new friend's slow cooker technique to making sauce, I thought since its crazy hot outside, I would give this a try rather than using my stove top. I had several Romas that were on the smaller side that I didn't want to peel either. I simply washed the tomatoes, sliced them into chunks and loaded up my slow cooker. I added a few onions, garlic and Italian seasonings and set it to low.

Around lunchtime, after speaking with DH, I decided to add his turkey sausages into the sauce. I cooked them on the stove top for 5 minutes each side, and then threw them into the slow cooker with the sauce.

By supper time, the Sleepyhouse smelled AA-MAZZ-ING!! I removed the sausages and pureed the sauce. It was a bit too watery even though I did not add any. I suppose the water from the tomatoes couldn't escape as steam from the slow cooker. We ate it anyway with pasta, but the rest of the batch, I moved to a stove top pot to cook down. An hour later, it was perfect!!

This is my new way to make marinara. I don't know why all of my previous marinara attempts with Roma tomatoes have always ended up more orange than red, but the slow cooker method left this batch definitely red not orange.

Our Not Back To School Photos

Many of my friends and family are posting backpacked, beautiful children, heading off to their first day of school. I thought I'd share mine too, minus the backpacks of course.

ICU 8/31/11

“This week we want to…” 

We're having the homeschool posse over tomorrow, and I'm hoping they will enjoy celebrating "not back to school day" with us. I'm making brownies for the occasion. (Did you read that Cherie?:)) 

“The kids are…”

Destroying the house, literally. DS15 needed to film a scene in which his character busts in a door. I warned him to place a shoe or something behind the door to save the wall. He said he did, but the doorstop still cracked in half and now we have a hole in the wall. Its okay. I'm not mad. Its now a learning opportunity on how to fix holes in walls.

“I am learning….” 

About succulents ~ I bought several adorable little varieties, and I hope to not kill them with my black thumbs.

“I am struggling with…”

I think I'm cursed. (Or maybe just clumsy?) I have no idea how, but I tweaked my ankle. Yesterday I almost fell, but I caught myself, hard, on my wrist, against the wall. You would think after all these years my feet would have evolved to become Lego resistant. So now I have a sore, weak ankle and wrist and I feel like I'm 90. 

I'm also struggling with wanting nicer furniture. I feel like we have nothing nice and comfortable, and we don't have the money to buy new right now. 

“This week is the first time….”

I saw a concert broadcast in a movie theater. It was not such a great experience. In fact, I've sent a letter to the theater management letting them know what a let down it was. The sound was off, and the running time was much shorter than promised. I know there is nothing like being at a real concert, but I was still expecting a better experience.

“I am grateful…”

To be working from home this week!! I love being able to work on a project without interruptions, which is not usually how I get to work. I'm so used to multi-tasking, its rewarding how much more productive I can be without the distractions. I also love not having to drive!

“I’m looking forward to…..”

Attending the BLIND MELON concert with my DH this Sunday!!

Unschoolers Waterpark Gathering

Start:	Jan 23, '12
End:	Jan 27, '12
Location:	Sandusky,OH

http://www.unschoolerswaterparkgathering.com/

We're hoping the weather cooperates. We'd love to attend this once again, since we had such a great time last May. Going to make our reservation and hope for no blizzards or ice storms!

Recovering From My Stupidity

Was it my frugality, or my procrastination? The jar of homemade cranberry sauce from Easter had been pushed way back to the nether zone of the fridge. Without getting down on my knees and using my arms to push aside the more popular chilled consumables, I had forgotten it was there.

Deciding it was way past due to clean out the fridge, I found it, red on the bottom, gray green on top. Since it was a Ball canning jar, I decided to clean it out rather than chuck it. Unscrewing the cap and popping off the lid, I found the gray green fuzzy layer actually kind of interesting, but decided it needed a trip down the disposal.

Here's where my brain fails me. I turn on the water to rinse the jar and watch in awe as the gray green mold erupts into a cloud over my kitchen sink. I see infinite particles floating, dancing in the air illuminated by the sun shinning through the window. As I watch this work of art, I realize I'm probably breathing these little guys directly into my lungs.

I felt okay until after supper. The extreme fatigue came first, followed by a headache, no a headPAIN that hit migraine status in record time. I remember telling DH, if you have to take me to the hospital in the middle of the night, tell them it was mold grown on cranberry sauce and then I passed out.

Thankfully, I did wake up feeling much better. Lesson learned- always clean out the ENTIRE fridge every Monday, (garbage day), and the price of a new jar is worth it.

Since DH designs refrigerators now, I think I'll suggest  a computer tablet built in to the door where you could type in what's in there and when you put it in. A calendar could alert you before science experiments begin to grow. It should also print off shopping lists!

Frozen Chocolate Yogurt Ice Cream

Description:
I wanted to make a more healthy chocolate ice cream treat. This came out very tasty. Next time I'm adding chopped nuts or peanut butter.

Ingredients:
2 C milk
3/4 C sugar
1 T vanilla
1 C plain non fat yogurt
3/4 C cocoa powder



Directions:
Whisk the milk and sugar together until the sugar dissolves. Add the vanilla, yogurt and cocoa powder. Mix until well blended.

Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and freeze.

I found this frozen yogurt firmed up faster compared to when I made traditional vanilla ice cream using whole cream instead of yogurt.

ICU 8/24/11

“This week we want to…”

Enjoy a weekend at home. We'll probably plan an ice cream party and make our first batch of homemade ice cream. They have decided our first flavor should be vanilla. I would have went with chocolate, but vanilla can be good too. You can always stir in add ins. :) 

“The kids are…”

DS12 used gift money to buy his first air soft gun. (I should actually make that plural. He bought a two pack.) I know these are popular with his peer group, but I had reservations. We had numerous safety discussions, and came to a consensus he was ready. I still am not 100% convinced these plastic air pellets are "environmentally friendly". Too bad the pellets aren't made up of natural fertilizers! 

“I am learning….”

How to truly live a fearless life.

“I am struggling with…”

This next coming week was going to be my own personal staycation, but after having to take on an unexpected project this week, it means next week I will have to play catch up. I can also foresee more clean up work coming my way because others are over burdened themselves. I guess I have extremely high expectations of others, and I'm dealing with disappointment this week.

“This week is the first time….”

I'm going to try growing a tree from a cutting. My friend is making homemade growth medium using willow trees, and I'm bringing the cuttings from my neighbor's peach tree.

“I am grateful…”

To have options. Changes are on the horizon, but I will look for the opportunities rather than mourn the past.

“The best piece of advice I’ve ever received regarding our life path in unschooling was…”

There have been so many great pieces of advice! How can I choose the best?

DO WHAT FEELS RIGHT FOR YOUR FAMILY, AND DON'T COMPARE YOURSELF TO ANYONE ELSE.

My doubts about unschooling would only creep in when I tried to measure up to someone else's expectations, rather than what was best for my family's needs. When I finally let go and focused ONLY on MY children, that's when I could truly see how perfectly unschooling was working.

Moanday's Weekend Recap 8/22/11

Taking it easy this Moanday. Maybe it was the full weekend, maybe it was the strange insomnia last night or maybe it was the mysterious insect that has left several giant red welts on my body, but I'm feeling like a wilted flower today.

Here's the weekend recap.

Friday morning, we helped DS15 shoot some scenes for his movie at a grocery store. I made sure it wasn't one we frequented in case we ruffled feathers, but no one seemed to mind what we were up to. Friday afternoon, I helped him shoot more scenes at our local area park.

Friday night visited a family member for his birthday, enjoyed tasty Angry Bird cake. Late Friday night, I freaked out while watching Insidious. Its been awhile since a movie has made me scream out loud and run around turning on lights.

Saturday morning slept in a bit then went out shopping with my sister. Saturday late afternoon, lupper (lunch/supper) with my boys and DH. I believe we chilled out the rest of the night, I'm having a mental block here. Oh wait, now I remember! I made more healthy Oatmeal Walnut Fudge!!

Sunday morning up and on the road to G-Ma's house. After picking her up, we headed over to Illinois State Park Beach to do some hiking. (I find it hilarious that after growing up in that state, but living in WI since 1991, I can no longer spell Illinois without spell check!) Many of the trails are still closed after the storm about a month ago, but there were some open on the North end. We enjoyed a good hike, but I remember feeling like I was being bit up, although I saw no insects. We found a good sized snake and close by a chunky toad, along with several different species of grasshopper.

Sunday afternoon another Lupper(lunch/supper) this time at Infusinos for pizza and moe joes. Hung around with G-Ma watching Fear Factor and setting up the family reunion Facebook page before setting off for home.

Sunday night, could not sleep. Strange anxiety even though I had nothing to stress out over. (Stupid hormones?!) I'd start to fall asleep and then jolt awake thinking - I'm not getting any sleep and I have so much to do tomorrow! I think I was too tired to relax. Know what I mean? I should have gotten up and had tea or something, but for some reason, I didn't.

I woke up here Monday morning with large red welts on my arms. It must have been something at the park, but I suppose I shouldn't rule out spiders.

I went for a 45 minute walk early in the morning, despite the lack of sleep, only to feel like crashing by 11:00am. Recharged slightly with a veggie sandwich and watched a few International House Hunters while waiting for the laundry machines. I'm going to need a Diet Coke to make it through my shift tonight.

DS12 got his bike ride in and logged in his notebook. Today he went over the 50 mile mark! I'm so impressed by his dedication when it comes to exercising.

DS15 is suffering from allergies but still working on his films. I need to lift myself off this chair and see what he has painted for his latest homemade prop.

I'll continue plowing through Moanday and I know tomorrow I'll feel better.

Random Thoughts For Thursday 8/18/11

How about some completely random stuff?

Cheese Its have no sugar. So why do I find them so addictive?

Took awhile but the wasps have found the hummingbird feeder I moved just a few feet this season. We will have to move it again and hopefully confuse the wasps, but still welcome the smarter birds.

I never knew what those numbers meant on my washer until my son pointed out to me they refer to the time duration of the wash. I've had this washer for 10 years and this never dawned on me.

We're getting a refund from the dentist. I love our new dentist! I'm worried we'll lose her when she has her baby. They sent an email saying she's cutting her hours after maternity leave, but I'm worried she'll decide not to come back at all. Then again, I bet she has dental school loans to pay.

We're having spaghetti tonight for supper. As much as I want to enjoy the homemade sauce I made from the tomatoes from our garden, at the same time, I feel like protecting the jars. "No! You can't have my precious sauce!! It must be saved!!" I'll get over it and enjoy it.

Can I shop vac my laptop keyboard?

DS15 asked me what time zone the north pole uses. Good question! I love when my kids ask me something I have no clue about. We both get to learn in the process. The beauty of homeschooling! Whenever those who don't get it, ask me, "How can you teach them stuff you don't know," I try not to grin. I hope they someday find their own inner autodidact.

Despite my efforts, I am a homeschool snob. A family at the pool a few weeks ago asked me about homeschooling. They seemed really interested and impressed, but yet couldn't commit to it for their family. Last night the dad came up to me and said, "There's a really good website for you to use with your son. It has instructional videos..."

"Is it Khan Academy?"

"YES! It is. You know of it?" I knew at that moment I was a veteran. Ya dude, been there, done that.

Also last night a mother said to me, "I could never homeschool. They don't listen to me." My heart broke. I wanted to tell her my children listen to me because I listen to them. But how do I say this without sounding judgmental? Its hard to share your parenting style with others without sounding superior as well. I wanted to tell her, my kids really do love and respect us 100% because we have always loved and respected them, unconditionally. It wasn't that difficult.

I stopped being random there didn't I?

Breaking news! There's a chore war going on right now! I just heard DS15 tell DS12, "I cleaned the sink so you're left with the toilet." (I didn't ask them to clean the bathroom.)

"DUDE! That's not cool! Not cool! I wanted the sink." You snooze you lose DS12. DS15 beat you to it.

I actually would prefer the toilet. It seems cleaner than the sink.

DS15 is now cleaning the toilet himself. Interesting. Apparently he doesn't mind doing it even though he cleaned the sink.

Enough randomness. I'm really just procrastinating running to the grocery store.

Have a great day!

Just finished making basil, onion, garlic, marinara sauce and my taste buds have reminded me why its worth all the effort to grow tomatoes in my garden.

In The Garden Today

Should I clean up the house or clean up a garden bed? I decided to go with the garden bed because its so nice outside and butterflies can't keep me company inside without being in mortal danger from Yumi.

Look at how my tomato plants surprised me! I couldn't believe how much fruit I found on those withering, disease ridden plants. They are going out with a bang and perhaps I'll make some sauce after all. If I were a cat or dog, I confess, I would roll around in tomato plants. I love how they smell. I will have to research what to do with this bed after this growing season. With so much blight, I know I shouldn't grow tomatoes there again.

After looking over the rest of the beds, I decided to rip up most of the zucchini plants that were not producing. I saved a few plants that still have baby squash still trying to grow, but for the most part, the zucchini bed has now become the fall bed for Swiss Chard and my garden favorite, Sugar Snap Peas!! I hope they do well in their new spot. The old Swiss Chard bed I'm still harvesting from, but the peas have long been gone. Their remaining dried up vines are providing nice shelter for the Swiss Chard.

Next to go will be the old Swiss Chard/Sugar Snap pea bed. I will plant garlic there for next year.

Ripping apart the old garden is bittersweet. I'm emotionally attached to it after sweating over it all summer. In hindsight, I should have planted melons, but for years now our summers have been cool. You would know it the summer I decide not to plant melons, its brutally hot.

Having A Wonderful Weekend

I have the best husband. Just saying. I know how blessed I am to have such a great man, who takes care of me so well. He really knows how to pick out good roses too!

DH and the boys also got me Badger Balms and Badger Lip Balms. I love Badger products! (For the record, I am not being paid to say this on my blog.)

My other current present is the new Cage The Elephant CD! Awesome!!

I have a few books on order and we're shopping the market for an ice cream maker.

This afternoon we'll celebrate my official birthday meal out at Red Lobster for lunch. I know the boys are looking forward to those cheddar biscuits.

We may catch a movie this weekend too. We'll see how it goes.

Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend too!

Creepy Dude Creeps Me Out On My Birthday

I decided to wear a new blouse I recently bought myself, along with my favorite denim skirt. Doing so would make me feel good about myself, and I want to look pretty for when my husband comes home from work.

I had a notice the book I requested was in from the library, so I threw on my green flip flops and ran to the library.

Creepy Dude was at the desk, checking out. He turned to check me out. I was browsing the new book shelf, waiting for my turn, when I heard him begin to speak to me. I did not make any eye contact with Creepy Dude, but he began to tell me how I have on a nice green blouse. He told me my skirt should be green to match my blouse. He told me he really liked my green shoes. Creepy Dude, they're flip flops. You're either easily impressed or you have a fetish for green.

The entire time by the way, he's not using his library voice. Do Creepy Dudes have a library voice? The entire first floor heard him.

Inside my head, for a second I was mortified. I do not like unwanted attention other than from my husband. Why didn't I wear my burqa? Seriously, for a moment I was horrified, but then I quickly got over it. I can look good but no one gets these goodies except Soul One!

I looked up and made eye contact with Creepy Dude. I said nothing, but gave him a little smirk. The librarian looked like she wanted to rescue me, but she didn't have to. Creepy Dude left when I wouldn't engage his conversation.

Why is it every time I buy a new shirt, someone says something to ruin it for me? I once wore a dark purple satin blouse on a date with my husband. The hostess at the restaurant made a comment to me about how all I needed was a red hat. No offense to Red Hat girls, but I was a ways away from being officially old enough to join. Nothing like being told you look old to take the wind from your sails while on a date with your husband.

All that really matters is that DH will come home tonight and want to squeeze me. I'll tell him about Creepy Dude so in case he doesn't realize it, apparently I'm eye candy when dressed in green.

 

Maybe some retail therapy is on order? This 50% off coupon is calling to me from my purse. An early birthday gift for me from me? I think, YES!

ICU 8/11/11

“This week we want to…”

I'm looking forward to sharing my birthday weekend with my family. We'll probably have lunch out, but nothing else is planned. I want to relax and just go with the flow.

I haven't had the chance yet to pull up the garden and plant fall veggies. Maybe this coming week we'll get to that. 

“The kids are…”

DS15 is still working on his films. I was kicked out of the house so he could shoot scenes yesterday. :)

DS12 has been working on fixing up his room. He loves that he has the top bunk. I've been finding him up there reading more often. We all need a reading nest.

“I am learning….”

Food preservation techniques and all about chili peppers. I've also been looking for more recipes to use our garden produce.

“I am struggling with…”

Two words - Time Management!!

“This week is the first time….”

I tried a Lara bar - Chocolate Chip Brownie. Wow! How can these be good for you? They taste like candy! They're almost too sweet. I may have to look into how to make my own snack bars.

“I am grateful…”

The weather has cooled off and we've had a bit of rain. Having the windows open and feeling the cool breeze is exactly what I needed. Plus the ant invasion has subsided now that they can find water to drink outside.

“A fun thing I’ve done recently is…”

I've set up a Pinterest account. I'm just getting started but I can tell I'm going to love it. I'm a very visual person. Pinterest is a virtual pin board where you can post images. You can follow others who share your interests, or link up with friends. If you want an invite, let me know or follow me at https://pinterest.com/dawninger/