The days of this week have kind of blended into each other.
I have lettuces and onions in the dirt, in planters and greenhouse boxes, being moved in between the house and outside.
We have parent teacher conferences today, and then begins Spring Break. So not looking forward to the one, completely relishing the idea of the other. I love Spring Break. It's only a week, but we get extra cuddle time and plenty of outside time with the kids. Makes my heart happy.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
Today marks the beginning of planting season.
Seeds in the dirt, in the house, hopefully adequately protected from the cats.
Ground to till.
So much to get done.
For awhile, entries will be short.
Be patient.
I have onions in the dirt.
Seeds in the dirt, in the house, hopefully adequately protected from the cats.
Ground to till.
So much to get done.
For awhile, entries will be short.
Be patient.
I have onions in the dirt.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Friday, March 15, 2013
Yesterday was full of awesomeness. Money spending awesomeness, but still awesomeness.
I got a sewing machine, which I have been wanting for a few years. I got promised one over a year ago but the person who promised it has never come up with it, so I went looking at a thrift store. Found a great one, that had all the manuals. So, then, of course, I had to buy fabric. I will be making some aprons next week.
I also got a scale, which I need for selling stuff on Etsy, so I was super excited to find that. I was not the only one excited. As i was carrying the scale out to the car, some lady stopped me and offered to buy it from me. It has a huge base so i wasn't willing to do that, but I did point her into the Thrift Store, where they had others.
While i was browsing at the thrift store, I found a Spiderman comforter. My youngest daughter's bedspread recently got mangled when Bellatrix the puppy got ahold of the edge while she was in her cage when we weren't home, so she definitely needed a new one. And, she loves Spiderman. She was so excited when she saw it. Best $3.00 I've spent in awhile.
At Walmart I picked up a set of those pans that turns tortillas into taco salad shells in the oven, marked down on clearance to $7.00. I've been wanting one of those for quite awhile as well. I'm wondering about baking bread in it.
When I got home I went looking for fabric online. I found some cute dark red and brown striped material that will make a great accent for the new curtains I desperately need for the living room. I ordered swatches, so I can get solid material to match at a cheaper price locally, then I'll order a few yards of the striped material, which is about $8/yard, to accent the curtains. I love the idea of having a little bit of color in the curtains. If I have enough left over, I may use the same fabric for my bedroom, with a different main color. I got a swatch with light blues and yellows for the bathroom and laundry room. I am thinking about doing a fabric shower curtain (with a regular liner) so I may use that there as well. Those rooms are both south facing and get a lot of sunlight year round, and in the winter, they are the brightest rooms, so I'm hoping using the bright colors in those rooms will keep them looking cheerful all year long.
Last night's dinner was taco salad. It's too bad that I didn't have time to make tortillas so we could use our pans. But with being gone for so long,
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| Photo Credit: Andie712b |
I also got a scale, which I need for selling stuff on Etsy, so I was super excited to find that. I was not the only one excited. As i was carrying the scale out to the car, some lady stopped me and offered to buy it from me. It has a huge base so i wasn't willing to do that, but I did point her into the Thrift Store, where they had others.
While i was browsing at the thrift store, I found a Spiderman comforter. My youngest daughter's bedspread recently got mangled when Bellatrix the puppy got ahold of the edge while she was in her cage when we weren't home, so she definitely needed a new one. And, she loves Spiderman. She was so excited when she saw it. Best $3.00 I've spent in awhile.
At Walmart I picked up a set of those pans that turns tortillas into taco salad shells in the oven, marked down on clearance to $7.00. I've been wanting one of those for quite awhile as well. I'm wondering about baking bread in it.
When I got home I went looking for fabric online. I found some cute dark red and brown striped material that will make a great accent for the new curtains I desperately need for the living room. I ordered swatches, so I can get solid material to match at a cheaper price locally, then I'll order a few yards of the striped material, which is about $8/yard, to accent the curtains. I love the idea of having a little bit of color in the curtains. If I have enough left over, I may use the same fabric for my bedroom, with a different main color. I got a swatch with light blues and yellows for the bathroom and laundry room. I am thinking about doing a fabric shower curtain (with a regular liner) so I may use that there as well. Those rooms are both south facing and get a lot of sunlight year round, and in the winter, they are the brightest rooms, so I'm hoping using the bright colors in those rooms will keep them looking cheerful all year long.
Last night's dinner was taco salad. It's too bad that I didn't have time to make tortillas so we could use our pans. But with being gone for so long,
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Wednesday March 13, 2013
I have excellent news to report today.
For the last two years, Mr. S. has been working on a contract basis. He's asked me not to share with the world what it is he does, but suffice it to say that he mostly enjoys his job. But, if you've never done it, working on a contract basis sucks. His job? To know how to do everything that everyone on his crew does so he can fill in for them on their days off, for vacations, etc. Some weeks, he'd get eight hours, although for the last year he's mostly been working six days a week. Near the end of his contract year, we'd wait anxiously to see if his contract would be renewed.
This year, his position is scheduled to be eliminated. Apparently, it's a duplicate position within the company, or at least one that can be covered under another description. That added an additional level of stress for us, as we have been told for most of the last two years that this company, like so many others, simply wasn't hiring on a permanent basis. It's cheaper to pay temporary workers, and keep indefinitely renewing their contracts, than to hire permanent employees and pay benefits, etc. And in a location and economy where people are desperate for jobs (Mr. S. was on unemployment for a long time before this job), companies can do that, because people are grateful to have money coming in.
Where we live, the primary industry is methane gas mining. I'm not sure what methane gas does, but I know that the companies who mine and produce this gas employed the majority of workers in our county, until about three or four years ago. At that time, Colorado passed a law that said to protect the migration habits of some kind of animal, all methane gas production has to shut down for three months out of the year. This was, of course, challenged in court, but during that time, there was a hiring freeze. Once the challenges had run their course, and the law was upheld, the job cuts started. In a single month, 12% of our county lost their jobs. Over the next three years, something like 30% of the remaining jobs were lost, although many of those job holders were moved out of state to work with the same company.
Mr. S., even though he didn't work directly for a methane gas mining company, was one of the initial 12%, as he was working in an industry that was dependent upon the methane gas mining companies. he worked for a few months, and picked up some work here and there, but, by and large, we lived on what I made writing, our savings, and his unemployment for longer than I care to mention.
But then he found a job. We were thankful, grateful, elated, even though we knew it was contract work. It meant rebuilding our savings. It meant many things that only those who have been unemployed for awhile can, I think, truly fathom. There were no benefits, other than the certainty, most months, of dinner on the table. There was the constant uncertainty of not knowing if the contract would be renewed and if he would continue to have his hours, but those kinds of things are easy to put aside until you have to deal with them right now.
Yesterday, Mr. S. was hired. As a permanent employee. No more contract expirations. No more wondering if he will get hours this week. Benefits, including health insurance we can probably afford. It means a pay cut, at least temporarily, but I will figure out how to live with that. I'll be opening an Etsy shop that will hopefully replace some of the income that we will be losing. I'll also be selling some stuff on Ebay, and working on some soaps and bath items that I can sell at the Farmer's Market this summer. We'll make it work. It's surely better than unemployment!
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| Photo Credit: Mike Licht |
This year, his position is scheduled to be eliminated. Apparently, it's a duplicate position within the company, or at least one that can be covered under another description. That added an additional level of stress for us, as we have been told for most of the last two years that this company, like so many others, simply wasn't hiring on a permanent basis. It's cheaper to pay temporary workers, and keep indefinitely renewing their contracts, than to hire permanent employees and pay benefits, etc. And in a location and economy where people are desperate for jobs (Mr. S. was on unemployment for a long time before this job), companies can do that, because people are grateful to have money coming in.
Where we live, the primary industry is methane gas mining. I'm not sure what methane gas does, but I know that the companies who mine and produce this gas employed the majority of workers in our county, until about three or four years ago. At that time, Colorado passed a law that said to protect the migration habits of some kind of animal, all methane gas production has to shut down for three months out of the year. This was, of course, challenged in court, but during that time, there was a hiring freeze. Once the challenges had run their course, and the law was upheld, the job cuts started. In a single month, 12% of our county lost their jobs. Over the next three years, something like 30% of the remaining jobs were lost, although many of those job holders were moved out of state to work with the same company.
Mr. S., even though he didn't work directly for a methane gas mining company, was one of the initial 12%, as he was working in an industry that was dependent upon the methane gas mining companies. he worked for a few months, and picked up some work here and there, but, by and large, we lived on what I made writing, our savings, and his unemployment for longer than I care to mention.
But then he found a job. We were thankful, grateful, elated, even though we knew it was contract work. It meant rebuilding our savings. It meant many things that only those who have been unemployed for awhile can, I think, truly fathom. There were no benefits, other than the certainty, most months, of dinner on the table. There was the constant uncertainty of not knowing if the contract would be renewed and if he would continue to have his hours, but those kinds of things are easy to put aside until you have to deal with them right now.
Yesterday, Mr. S. was hired. As a permanent employee. No more contract expirations. No more wondering if he will get hours this week. Benefits, including health insurance we can probably afford. It means a pay cut, at least temporarily, but I will figure out how to live with that. I'll be opening an Etsy shop that will hopefully replace some of the income that we will be losing. I'll also be selling some stuff on Ebay, and working on some soaps and bath items that I can sell at the Farmer's Market this summer. We'll make it work. It's surely better than unemployment!
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Finally.
No more children's birthdays until October. I can stop having mini nervous breakdowns about how old my children are getting, until then.
Yesterday I worked a lot in the house, and on my household notebook. With planting season coming soon and parent teacher conferences and baby chicks coming soon and kids working and volunteering for the summer and, well, you get the picture...I needed to be more organized, so I spent some hard core time working on the notebook.
I got five more pounds of apples into the dehydrator. I'll be making some granola with these and maybe rehydrating some for apple sauce. Once they are done, I have some spinach and green onions to do.
My order from herbalcom came in yesterday. I got part of it packaged up and into the herb shed, and I'll finish that today. The cats are going batshit crazy over the box-catnip was in there.
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| Photo Credit: Will Clayton |
Yesterday I worked a lot in the house, and on my household notebook. With planting season coming soon and parent teacher conferences and baby chicks coming soon and kids working and volunteering for the summer and, well, you get the picture...I needed to be more organized, so I spent some hard core time working on the notebook.
I got five more pounds of apples into the dehydrator. I'll be making some granola with these and maybe rehydrating some for apple sauce. Once they are done, I have some spinach and green onions to do.
My order from herbalcom came in yesterday. I got part of it packaged up and into the herb shed, and I'll finish that today. The cats are going batshit crazy over the box-catnip was in there.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Monday, March 11, 2013
Happy Monday, folks!
I know, I'm awfully chipper for a Monday. It's frightening, actually.
I woke up this morning feeling focused. I haven't felt focused in weeks-overwhelmed, I guess, with spring cleaning, sick kids, sick me, and a desire to be outside getting dirty.
I have a long list of things to get done, but it will all get done in time. I'm rather looking forward to the busy day, both inside and out. There's a ton of laundry to be done, and hopefully hung outside. I'm waiting for the snow to melt a bit more before I go that route, though. We have 2 feet drifts in some places on the property, so I'm trying to minimize the number of drifts I have to fight my way through. It's supposed to get into the 50s today, so hopefully the snow won't be here long.
Of course, the snow melting leads to mud, which is one of the reasons I have so many things on my to do list. My living room, and the path from the living room to the kitchen, is covered in mud, tracked in by dogs, kids, and the husband. Well, I brought some of it in, too. But I'll pretend to be blameless for this one.
I hope your Monday is focused and productive!
I know, I'm awfully chipper for a Monday. It's frightening, actually.
I woke up this morning feeling focused. I haven't felt focused in weeks-overwhelmed, I guess, with spring cleaning, sick kids, sick me, and a desire to be outside getting dirty.
I have a long list of things to get done, but it will all get done in time. I'm rather looking forward to the busy day, both inside and out. There's a ton of laundry to be done, and hopefully hung outside. I'm waiting for the snow to melt a bit more before I go that route, though. We have 2 feet drifts in some places on the property, so I'm trying to minimize the number of drifts I have to fight my way through. It's supposed to get into the 50s today, so hopefully the snow won't be here long.
Of course, the snow melting leads to mud, which is one of the reasons I have so many things on my to do list. My living room, and the path from the living room to the kitchen, is covered in mud, tracked in by dogs, kids, and the husband. Well, I brought some of it in, too. But I'll pretend to be blameless for this one.
I hope your Monday is focused and productive!
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
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| Photo Credit: Ken_Mayer |
Well, the lazy won't last for long. I'll enjoy it while it's here.
Our warm weather continues. High 50s today. I'm hoping to get dirty outside this afternoon, although, by the looks of things, it's still pretty chilly outside. It looks cold and gray right now. I'm hoping that improves quickly, as it's almost time to feed the chickens and take the dogs outside.
Yesterday the three youngest and I got a new bale of straw put into the chicken coop. The kids had a blast spreading the straw around, finding themselves covered in it. There was much giggling and grinning. Perfect way to spend a late winter afternoon, if you ask me. We threw some scratch down and let the chickens go at it, to get the straw a little more spread out.
We also got strawberries and apples into the dehydrator. I'll be checking the strawberries in a bit, they should be done at this point. I have about twelve more pounds of apples to do, so there will be lots of time spent in the kitchen today! I'm also planning on making granola, so it will be awesome to be able to do some batches with the dried fruit.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Twenty one years ago today I became a mother.
That's some scary shit right there.
Most days, I don't feel like I'm old enough to have a daughter who is 21. In my defense, I was only 19 when I had her.
Today, I'm feeling every second of my 40 years.
Happy Birthday, sweet baby! I'm so proud of you!
That's some scary shit right there.
Most days, I don't feel like I'm old enough to have a daughter who is 21. In my defense, I was only 19 when I had her.
Today, I'm feeling every second of my 40 years.
Happy Birthday, sweet baby! I'm so proud of you!
Monday, March 4, 2013
Monday, March 4, 2013
I hate Mondays.
Between being gone most of the day on Sunday for grocery shopping, and the results of said grocery shopping, I always have a lot to do on Mondays. Add to that, I didn't have hot water on Saturday. For some reason, the pilot light on my hot water heater randomly decides to go out, and I can never manage to get it relit.
Today's list includes seventeen loads of laundry (not really), twelve pounds of cheese to grate (really) and freeze, six pounds of strawberries to do something with, and twenty pounds of apples to core and slice for the dehydrator. The chickens will be happy today, with all of the scraps.
We're getting about six eggs a day now.
I bought bins this weekend to get all of the chicken stuff, except feed, stored in, and the materials to build the hanging chicken feeder. We lost a lot of feed this winter because the feed bowl is down on the ground in the coop, so the chickens walk in it, and poop in it. We have the same issue with the water, but I ordered these waterers, and I'm hoping that solves the poop problem entirely. While we're not losing anything with the poopy water, it's a giant PITA to bleach out the water bowl when it's 17 degrees outside.
Today I will also be adding a bale of straw to the chicken coop. I do the deep litter method, so I add a bale every 3-4 weeks. I may be adding more often in summer, depending on the smell and bug count. I'll be buying twenty or so bales next week to have on hand. That should get me through the next year, depending on how much I end up adding over the summer.
Dinner tonight is carnitas. I love it when I can put almost everything for dinner into the crockpot and leave it all day.
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| Photo Credit: DeusXFlorida |
Today's list includes seventeen loads of laundry (not really), twelve pounds of cheese to grate (really) and freeze, six pounds of strawberries to do something with, and twenty pounds of apples to core and slice for the dehydrator. The chickens will be happy today, with all of the scraps.
We're getting about six eggs a day now.
I bought bins this weekend to get all of the chicken stuff, except feed, stored in, and the materials to build the hanging chicken feeder. We lost a lot of feed this winter because the feed bowl is down on the ground in the coop, so the chickens walk in it, and poop in it. We have the same issue with the water, but I ordered these waterers, and I'm hoping that solves the poop problem entirely. While we're not losing anything with the poopy water, it's a giant PITA to bleach out the water bowl when it's 17 degrees outside.
Today I will also be adding a bale of straw to the chicken coop. I do the deep litter method, so I add a bale every 3-4 weeks. I may be adding more often in summer, depending on the smell and bug count. I'll be buying twenty or so bales next week to have on hand. That should get me through the next year, depending on how much I end up adding over the summer.
Dinner tonight is carnitas. I love it when I can put almost everything for dinner into the crockpot and leave it all day.
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