I'm getting impatient waiting for spring. I keep looking over our garden plans and making changes. I made a list of everything we want to try growing, bought seeds, and now realize we don't have room for it all.
I'm thinking of moving a few of the beds. Although this is labor intensive, it will help make room for one more garden bed. I also have this linear/symmetrical hangup when I try to organize.
Here's what's on my list if you're curious; sugar snap peas, green beans, dark zucchini and cocozelle, spaghetti and butternut squash, several varieties of lettuce greens, chard and spinach, basil, cilantro, onions. I plan on buying Romas from starter plants rather than seed starting those myself, along with some pepper plants. I may sneak in potatoes if I can find room and this fall I'll plant garlic for next year. Gone are the melons. :( We just don't get enough hot days. The greenhouse dream will have to wait.
My tatting practice is coming along but I think I need to find a coach. I've been teaching myself using online videos, and I'm waiting for my inter-library requests to arrive for more books and videos. With each practice I get better, but so far something goes wrong and my tatted flowers end up twisted or I knot in the wrong place. I'll keep at it.
Our dentist appointments went well yesterday, no cavities! However we can't put off any longer taking DS12 to see an orthodontist and 6 months from now DS15 may need his wisdom teeth pulled. This surprises me because DH & myself didn't have our wisdom teeth removed until we were around age 20. A friend of our son just has his removed and he's 14, so maybe they do them earlier now?
I'll need to figure out how to increase our income very soon! I'd rather come up with something we can produce to sell rather than pyramid sales. Or maybe there is a service we can offer that I just haven't figured out how to market yet. The trick is finding something that the market is in demand for that I'm passionate about. I'll keep you posted.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
BLIND MELON @ RIB FEST 2011!
| Start: | Sep 3, '11 6:30p |
| Location: | Military Park, Indianapolis |
ABC Game
A: Age - 42 ~ I had to actually do the math.
B: Bed size - Queen
C: Chinese food dish - last time I had Chinese it was cashew chicken
D: Dentist name - Dr Botts
E: Early bird or night owl - Depends on the day and my hormones
F: Favorite color - Indigo
G: Gold or silver - Indifferent
H: Height - 5' 5"
I: Ink -Blue
J: Jellybean - Pear flavor Jelly Belly brand
K: Kitchen meal or restaurant - Restaurant!!
L: Living arrangements - Sleepyhouse in Heavensville with DH, DS15, DS12, Yumi,Gust and Tornado
M: Month of birth - August
N: Nicknames - I don't have one. I guess "mom" LOL!
O: On time or late - Early
P: Pet peeve - disrespect
Q: Quote from a movie - "And those are the words of a gentleman. From the first moment I met you, your arrogance and conceit, your selfish disdain for the feelings of others made me realize that you were the last man in the world I could ever be prevailed upon to marry."
R: Right or left-handed - It depends on what I'm doing.
S: Siblings - 3 sisters, 1 brother
T: Time you wake up - There is no set time. It varies.
U: Urgent thing on your to-do list: CHILLAX - Work's been stressful this week
V: Vegetable you dislike: water chestnuts or baby corn in Chinese. They taste horribly canned. Actually any canned veggie is pretty gross. I'll try any veggie fresh or steamed.
W: Wishing for - A constant peaceful, calm state of mind and a healthy body
X: X-rays you've had - Why is this interesting? Teeth, squished girls, back, head MRI, CT body scan - Wait is this question to freak me out with how much radiation I've been exposed to throughout my life!?
Y: Yummy food you make - I'm known for my baking but I'm trying to prepare more more fresh, raw foodie dishes.
Z: Zoo favorite - Tigers, It saddens me they have to be confined in zoo habitats but their survival in the wild isn't going to last much longer.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Thankful Thursday 3/24/11
I opened the blinds and waited for her arrival. I have missed her presence. She arrived with brilliance and I faced her, enjoying her blessing through my closed eyes. I'm grateful for an unfiltered dawn.
Hopefully this will lead to an unfiltered Dawn as well. I've been off my groove, hitting speed bumps and detours, and this has dimmed my shine.
Today we are officially covered on health and dental insurance. I'm very grateful no one got sick, suffered any injuries or dental needs while we waited out the waiting period. My heart goes out to the many families still living without options. Having been there, I can tell you first hand there were times we should have visited the doctor/dentist but we put it off due to the costs involved not being insured. This isn't how it should work. Preventative care is key in avoiding larger, more costly treatments later.
I've been more busy than usual with work and the projects are stacking up. I'm grateful to have a job though. I'll keep plugging away, and I'm sure I'll catch up once we get settled into our new spring session.
I'm grateful to have such a loving, supportive family. I still get the question from the boys, "Do you HAVE to work today?" It nice to know they still miss me, even though they are older and more capable of taking care of themselves. DS15 always tells me to "drive safe" and this warms my heart.
I truly have an amazing husband. He has very strong work ethic, and now that he's no longer a contract employee, he's had to work overtime every week this past month. He does it all without complaint, and when he comes home to our nest, he's forgiving and understanding if there are dishes waiting to be washed or laundry needing to be put away. After working hard all day, he'll still pitch in at home. I'll grateful for all he does for us.
Today is homeschool posse day! I'm so grateful to have inspirational friends. Thursday afternoons always recharge me.
Hopefully this will lead to an unfiltered Dawn as well. I've been off my groove, hitting speed bumps and detours, and this has dimmed my shine.
Today we are officially covered on health and dental insurance. I'm very grateful no one got sick, suffered any injuries or dental needs while we waited out the waiting period. My heart goes out to the many families still living without options. Having been there, I can tell you first hand there were times we should have visited the doctor/dentist but we put it off due to the costs involved not being insured. This isn't how it should work. Preventative care is key in avoiding larger, more costly treatments later.
I've been more busy than usual with work and the projects are stacking up. I'm grateful to have a job though. I'll keep plugging away, and I'm sure I'll catch up once we get settled into our new spring session.
I'm grateful to have such a loving, supportive family. I still get the question from the boys, "Do you HAVE to work today?" It nice to know they still miss me, even though they are older and more capable of taking care of themselves. DS15 always tells me to "drive safe" and this warms my heart.
I truly have an amazing husband. He has very strong work ethic, and now that he's no longer a contract employee, he's had to work overtime every week this past month. He does it all without complaint, and when he comes home to our nest, he's forgiving and understanding if there are dishes waiting to be washed or laundry needing to be put away. After working hard all day, he'll still pitch in at home. I'll grateful for all he does for us.
Today is homeschool posse day! I'm so grateful to have inspirational friends. Thursday afternoons always recharge me.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Not Much Sleeping In The Sleepyhouse Lately
I guess our protest plans have to change and we'll be protesting this morning in spirit. Originally we were going to march at our state capitol to show our support for *libraries. DS12 however, didn't sleep more than an hour last night. He finally felt relaxed enough to try to fall asleep at 7:00am, so this changes our plans.
I slept from 10:00pm to 5:00am which is pretty good for me lately. The night before I only slept from 11:00pm to just before 4:00am but when I tried to nap later, I couldn't fall asleep. I think its hormones, the moon, spring equinox, and biting off more than I should. I'm trying to relax and not stress over it. Eventually my body will get it figured out.
So today will be a take it easy day. I'll try to get some reading in and when my sleepyheads finally wake up, I'll help them take it easy too.
*Our governor wants to cut funding to libraries. Of course as homeschoolers, our library is essential to us, but I also know the library provides resources for everyone in the community which improves their lives. A great example, when you're laid off, you have to job search online. Its where most job postings now are. If you're unemployed, you may not be able to afford internet access at home. The library provides free internet access, allowing people to look for work.
Libraries offer the opportunity for all citizens to further their education for free!! Educated people make for better productive citizens. I'm very upset our governor can give 500 million in tax breaks to the wealthy and big business by taking away educational resources from the poor and middle class.
I slept from 10:00pm to 5:00am which is pretty good for me lately. The night before I only slept from 11:00pm to just before 4:00am but when I tried to nap later, I couldn't fall asleep. I think its hormones, the moon, spring equinox, and biting off more than I should. I'm trying to relax and not stress over it. Eventually my body will get it figured out.
So today will be a take it easy day. I'll try to get some reading in and when my sleepyheads finally wake up, I'll help them take it easy too.
*Our governor wants to cut funding to libraries. Of course as homeschoolers, our library is essential to us, but I also know the library provides resources for everyone in the community which improves their lives. A great example, when you're laid off, you have to job search online. Its where most job postings now are. If you're unemployed, you may not be able to afford internet access at home. The library provides free internet access, allowing people to look for work.
Libraries offer the opportunity for all citizens to further their education for free!! Educated people make for better productive citizens. I'm very upset our governor can give 500 million in tax breaks to the wealthy and big business by taking away educational resources from the poor and middle class.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
First Spring Day Thoughts 3/20/11
Its the first day of spring here in Wisconsin, and we woke up to a thunderstorm! I loved it! The rain may change to snow later this week as our temperatures are predicted to go back down. I really hope the white stuff doesn't stick because with all this rain we are beginning to see things green up a bit.
I'm taking some time to finalize our Sleepyhouse garden plans for the 2011 growing season. I have a long wish list of herbs and veggies to grow, and I'm not 100% certain our existing raised beds can handle it all. We may just have to convert more grass to garden space!
I have a new toy! We took some tax return money and invested in a lap top. We had been thinking e-reader but that evolved into a tablet. After more thought we didn't feel comfortable spending all that money on a tablet when we found a laptop for less money with more functionality. Our new laptop came preloaded with Nook reader, and I've also downloaded Adobe Digital Editions so we can borrow free e-books from our library system and keep all our e-reading options in one place. I'm currently reading, You Can Do It Too, 20 Essential Things Every Budding Entrepreneur Should Know, by Rachel Bridge. Which is another reason we've invested in another family computer. Hopefully we'll figure out a home business opportunity soon.
DS15 has been exploring job listings. I know he's thinking about heading out and earning his own money. A few of his older friends have already done this. As he's begun exploring options, it dawned on me once he finds a part-time job, we'll see less of him. Weekend road trips, family outings, gathering with friends, these events could become more rare as he needs to shift his attention to work. This made me a little sad. Not that I don't want my offspring to fly from the nest and test their wings. I'm just going to miss him. It will be a foreshadow of my life to come, after the boys have left the Sleepyhouse.
This has motivated me to get serious about this family business dream. I would love something we all could be a part of either in a full or part-time fashion. Even if the boys eventually decide NOT to work with us, maybe it would give me the flexibility to have a little time left to share in their lives.
We streamed two good movies through Netflix this weekend. Ahhh... Zombies turned out to be a fun low budget zombie flick where the story is told from the zombies' perspective. The second movie we streamed was Monsters. DH and I really enjoyed it but the boys not so much. It turned out to be more of a love story than a monster story.
We've also been watching March Madness this weekend. Wisconsin has made it to the final 16! Yeah!
My mind keeps wandering back to my garden. I suppose I'll end this and follow that train of thought for awhile. Peace out!
I'm taking some time to finalize our Sleepyhouse garden plans for the 2011 growing season. I have a long wish list of herbs and veggies to grow, and I'm not 100% certain our existing raised beds can handle it all. We may just have to convert more grass to garden space!
I have a new toy! We took some tax return money and invested in a lap top. We had been thinking e-reader but that evolved into a tablet. After more thought we didn't feel comfortable spending all that money on a tablet when we found a laptop for less money with more functionality. Our new laptop came preloaded with Nook reader, and I've also downloaded Adobe Digital Editions so we can borrow free e-books from our library system and keep all our e-reading options in one place. I'm currently reading, You Can Do It Too, 20 Essential Things Every Budding Entrepreneur Should Know, by Rachel Bridge. Which is another reason we've invested in another family computer. Hopefully we'll figure out a home business opportunity soon.
DS15 has been exploring job listings. I know he's thinking about heading out and earning his own money. A few of his older friends have already done this. As he's begun exploring options, it dawned on me once he finds a part-time job, we'll see less of him. Weekend road trips, family outings, gathering with friends, these events could become more rare as he needs to shift his attention to work. This made me a little sad. Not that I don't want my offspring to fly from the nest and test their wings. I'm just going to miss him. It will be a foreshadow of my life to come, after the boys have left the Sleepyhouse.
This has motivated me to get serious about this family business dream. I would love something we all could be a part of either in a full or part-time fashion. Even if the boys eventually decide NOT to work with us, maybe it would give me the flexibility to have a little time left to share in their lives.
We streamed two good movies through Netflix this weekend. Ahhh... Zombies turned out to be a fun low budget zombie flick where the story is told from the zombies' perspective. The second movie we streamed was Monsters. DH and I really enjoyed it but the boys not so much. It turned out to be more of a love story than a monster story.
We've also been watching March Madness this weekend. Wisconsin has made it to the final 16! Yeah!
My mind keeps wandering back to my garden. I suppose I'll end this and follow that train of thought for awhile. Peace out!
Friday, March 18, 2011
Zombie Mode
I haven't been sleeping well the past 3, or is that 4, nights. I've lost track. I could blame the grizzly bear I share a bed with, but truly I think its more me than him. I'm still doing nightly relaxation visualization, listening to Jon Gabriel on my MP3 player, but afterward, I'm not falling asleep. Instead my mind starts back up, racing away.
Its not about stressful stuff either. I'm just overly excited about the abundant possibilities of life. The autodidact in me starts thinking about all the things I want to learn about and do. Am I so relaxed after my visualization practice that it frees my mind to dream up too much ambition?
Once I finally do fall asleep, I don't stay that way for long. The slightest thing will wake me and then I'm WIDE awake, racing thoughts once again.
Maybe its hormones?
Maybe its spring?
I have been watching my caffeine and drinking mostly water. Maybe I need to practice a different meditation before bed where instead of visualizing myself healthy and fit, enjoying all kinds of activities, I focus on quieting down my mind.
What's crazy considering my serious sleep deprivation is that I'm constantly amping up my day to day life. I can't just sit back and do the usual routine. I seem to create more and more projects for myself both at home and at work.
Am I going to crash and burn? Probably. I know I can't keep up this pace without getting at least 7 hours of sleep. The 3-4 I'm most likely averaging after you add it all up is not going to sustain me very much longer.
I seriously hope I can find a more healthy, balanced life rhythm.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Thankful Thursday 3/10/11
I still technically have 54 minutes of Thursday left so I'm cranking this out before I jump into my jammies and pop my ear buds in.
I'm grateful for....
Realizing how many wonderful friends bless my life ~ It just hit me today how abundant they are around me.
Direct deposit of tax refunds ~ Especially when waiting for DH's new payday schedule!
Baby spinach and strawberries ~ So perfect together!
A great place to work with a great team of co-workers!
It was a skunk, not a deer. ~ And he/she didn't leave this world spraying!
The homeschool posse will remain together! ~ Our friends don't have to move after all!
He wanted to call me, just because he needed to hear my voice.
An 8 month old smiled and shared her joy with me ~ Everyone should hold a baby every now and then. Its wonderful therapy.
I know the truth. ~ And it makes my soul laugh with excitement and delight!
I'm grateful for....
Realizing how many wonderful friends bless my life ~ It just hit me today how abundant they are around me.
Direct deposit of tax refunds ~ Especially when waiting for DH's new payday schedule!
Baby spinach and strawberries ~ So perfect together!
A great place to work with a great team of co-workers!
It was a skunk, not a deer. ~ And he/she didn't leave this world spraying!
The homeschool posse will remain together! ~ Our friends don't have to move after all!
He wanted to call me, just because he needed to hear my voice.
An 8 month old smiled and shared her joy with me ~ Everyone should hold a baby every now and then. Its wonderful therapy.
I know the truth. ~ And it makes my soul laugh with excitement and delight!
Friday, March 04, 2011
Thursday, March 03, 2011
Bakies!
DH ~ "Why haven't you baked anything in several weeks?" Me ~ "What do you want me to bake?"
DH ~ "Cookies."
Me ~ "What kind? Peanut butter or chocolate chip?"
DH ~ "Yes."
I think maybe its due to my new relaxed lifestyle, but I haven't craved *bakies in awhile. I guess my family is going through withdrawal though even if I'm not.
I'm amazed at how my food choices and portions are changing without me really having to stress over it. I'm very happy so far with how the Gabriel Method is working for me. I seem to be able to relax and that helps me focus on how I'm feeling. Is my stomach truly hungry or am I reaching for food for a different reason? The visualizations must really be helping me.
* Cookies have been renamed "bakies". A friend's son pointed out you don't cook cookies, you bake them. Therefore I will now always refer to cookies as bakies. :)
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
Mind Over Fatter
I have just finished watching Fat Head with the boys. A year or so ago we had watched Super Size Me. Fat Head is the counter to Super Size Me. After watching both films, I think both of these film makers received the dietary results they were expecting because this was what their MINDS had wanted. They both set out to make their films prove a certain point, and in both cases, they both succeeded.
If you haven't seen the film Fat Head, Tom Naughton eats nothing but fast food for a month and loses weight. In Super Size Me Morgan Spurlock gains it. Fat Head goes into detail on how we were lied to about eating saturated fats and how our diet of grains and sugars is what really is damaging our health.
I still believe - moderation in all things - but I also believe what we think about our food, effects it's result on us. How we eat, is perhaps more important than what we eat. If you believe something is bad for you, it will be. If you believe something is good, it will be.
I discussed with the boys the placebo effect. Patients given sugar pills were healed because they believed they were taking something that would have that desired effect. Our minds are very powerful.
If you haven't seen the film Fat Head, Tom Naughton eats nothing but fast food for a month and loses weight. In Super Size Me Morgan Spurlock gains it. Fat Head goes into detail on how we were lied to about eating saturated fats and how our diet of grains and sugars is what really is damaging our health.
I still believe - moderation in all things - but I also believe what we think about our food, effects it's result on us. How we eat, is perhaps more important than what we eat. If you believe something is bad for you, it will be. If you believe something is good, it will be.
I discussed with the boys the placebo effect. Patients given sugar pills were healed because they believed they were taking something that would have that desired effect. Our minds are very powerful.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)