My Video for Relief Society....

I put this together for my lesson on repentance tomorrow. I love to teach, but it is always nerve-wracking. I always want the Spirit to be the teacher, but that is often harder than I think. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this. For all the hours I put into it, it seemed a shame to only let 20 or so women see it. (Sorry if it takes a minute to load...I hope you think it's worth it.)

That is me....

The problem isn't that there's no evidence that God loves His children. The problem is we're afraid to believe it.

Michael McLean

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A Time Gone By

Jesse's grandfather died the day after Thanksgiving. He had been battling cancer for several years, and it finally got the best of him. He was a tough old coot, sitting on his front porch, smoking cigarettes and keeping an eye on his hunting dogs. I am not sure if he had uttered, "I love you," more times than you could count on your hands.

But he left a legacy.

He was a product of the Great Depression. He was a sharecropper tobacco farmer. I didn't even know that there were still sharecroppers in the 1900's. Though they lived just a few miles from town, they went there once a year. Everything they needed, they made themselves or did without. I remember the clothes his grandmother sewed...without a pattern. Sometimes the sleeves fit, sometimes they didn't, but I didn't care. I was just in awe that she could sew something that looked like a shirt without a pattern. Recently, I sewed some pajama pants for Jesse (using a pattern), but got the legs lined up wrong and they looked like pants for someone with at extremely long torso and short bow-legs.

He got a mortgage, and financed his tractor, but paid cash for everything else. In later life, he even paid cash for his trucks. One year, he bought six. He would have bought more, but the state told him he'd have to get a dealer license. When he died, he had a new truck with 6000 miles on it.

I'm not sure how much money he had total when he died. He lived on a small pension and sent social security to the bank. He routinely carried 2 or 3 thousand dollars in his wallet. The safe in the house had 6 to 10 thousand dollars in it. Then there were the bank accounts, the cd's... He had enough cash on him to pay for the entire funeral with money to spare.

I am amazed at how much money a humble tobacco farmer could accumulate. We make many times what he did, but there is so much more we "have" to have. Or do we? I think that peace of mind, knowing there aren't any payments due and I can handle most any financial emergency, trumps "stuff" every time.

We are trying to learn from Granddaddy Cecil. Hopefully, we will learn in time to have the financial peace he had. Rest in peace Granddaddy.

What I Am Thankful For

The other evening, Megan visited with me at bedtime. She told me all sorts of things, including her desire to rearrange the furniture in her room. I told her that we would try (which I have been informed by Ashley means a cop-out).

The next morning, Megan was up early emptying out her room. She was very thorough and made it easy to move the furniture. As we moved each piece, we took time to vacuum where the furniture had been and wipe down the baseboards.

When we moved her dresser, there was quite a bit of debris underneath. We asked Megan to pick it up so we could vacuum. Soon, we heard a yelp. She had just solved a mystery.

Several weeks ago, the 2-3" long algae eater disappeared from her tank. She has a goldfish which is rapidly approaching koi size and likes to eat the casualties in the tank. We just assumed that is what had happened.

Ah, not so, Watson. There lay the who-knows-how-old dead fish body on the floor. I guess he went for a piece of food and instead went airborne and onto the floor behind her dresser. And there he stayed until we moved the furniture.

Megan had the joyful experience of tossing him in the trash, and I knew what I would be thankful for this year.

That we had moved her furniture.

When did it happen?

Aah, to be thirteen again.

When a good or bad day is defined more by your hair than what happens.

When your life revolves around Mutual (especially combined activities) and Sundays.

When little sister won't ever let you have something like Twilight to yourself.

When your parents just don't understand the vital need you have for a cell phone with texting, even if the only friends you could text live in other states.

When your mother has absolutely no sense of style when it comes to suggesting clothes.

When friends keep you sane.

When parents become clueless.

When life is full of possibilities and dreams.

(When did I get old enough to have a teenager?!!!)

Wisdom...

"There is a huge difference between "have to" and "get to." Sometimes life can get a little crazy, a little stressful, and even downright hard. But each day we wake up, we are lucky for the opportunity to be living. We are lucky for the opportunity to learn and to grow and to "get to" be in this amazing state of existence."

Isn't that an amazing statement? It's by Sally Johnson, a friend's daughter. She is in her first year of law school.

I am still wowed by it.

No, I don't really care....

I hate to admit it, but our family flunked the assignment to read the Book of Mormon in six months from our stake presidency. As usual, we had loads of good intentions, but that was about it. I think we made it through 1st Nephi, we saw at least some of 2nd Nephi, and had random glimpses of everything beyond that.

(I've been wondering lately why there is so much Isaiah in the first part of the Book of Mormon. I've come to the conclusion that the Lord figured if we had to read it every time we started reading the Book of Mormon, we might actually have a chance of understanding it after our 100th attempt to read the entire book again....)

Having put our dismal efforts at the Book of Mormon behind us, we have started into the assignment to read the New Testament with plenty of enthusiasm. Or at least, I thought so.

We made it all the way into Matthew 9. The usual argument for who reads first ensued, and Megan won out since Ashley grabbed that opportunity by the horns the other night. I really don't think it is out of joy to read first so much as it is the chance to get the assignment over with first, so they can zone out for the next 30 verses.

Megan started reading, and just a couple of verses in she read the word "blaspheme." Jesse quickly stopped her and asked her if she knew what that meant.

"No, and I don't really care," came the prompt reply.

And she continued on reading, after a look that let us know that she wanted no further interruptions.

All righty, then. We may actually make it all the way through Matthew, most of Luke, and a smattering of everything else, but who knows if the kids will actually learn anything.

Mt. St. Helens

A few weeks ago, Jesse took a week off from work. The girls and I declared a week off from school, and our 'stay-cation' began.

One thing he really wanted to do was to go to Mt. St. Helens to see the fall colors. It just so happened that Monday of our week off was the peak of colors up there. So Tuesday we all piled in the car and headed up there.

It was an amazing day. The colors were beautiful.




The drive was absolutely beautiful, but it is always a question as to whether the mountain will be visible when we get to the top. It was a partly cloudy day, and a few clouds lingered in front of the crater, but we were able to get some great shots of the mountain.



We were amazed at how much the lava dome had grown since we were last up there.

But everyone's favorite activity was skipping rocks, or throwing large ones in for me to get shots.

My New Holiday Style

My sister sent me this. I now have lowered my goals for this holiday season. Thanks to the brilliant mind who came up with it. =)

Saturday

Jesse and I attended a "Total Money Makeover Live" event with Dave Ramsey this weekend. I am not usually a fan of radio talk show hosts, but I really enjoy him. He is the one finance guru who actually preaches debt-free living like the Church does. His methods include getting out of debt (including the house...and staying out of debt permanently), having sufficient savings for a rainy day, preparing for retirement, and tithing as well as being generous when you are in a position to do so.

It also helps that I find him to be hysterical. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from yesterday...

To his daughters: "There are no good men but Jesus and your daddy."

About Christmas spending: "We Christianize stupidity. We believe buying plastic toys for our kids is a requirement found in the book of 2nd Hesitations."

Regarding recessions: "When the tide goes out, you catch who was skinny dipping."

"Creative financing means you are too broke to buy the house."

Dave's FICO score is essentially zero. He hasn't had a credit card in 20 years. What does he do? He uses a debit card in that function and pays cash. So, he can't walk in off the street and rent an apartment, but he could pull out his checkbook and buy the 'freaking' complex.

Paying cash hurts, especially when you think about Ben Franklin on $100 bills. You know those black restaurant bill trays? He calls them "Uncle Ben's coffins."

A bumper sticker a friend saw: "Lord, Protect me from your people."

Regarding diversification: Money is like manure. Leave it piled in one place, it really starts to stink. Spread it around, things start to grow.

We also learned that Jesse is a nerd and I am a free-spirit when it comes to money. He gave great tips about working together on money. He suggested the money nerd come up with a budget, sit down at a table with the free-spirit, slide the budget across the table and then, "Shut up." The free-spirit then gets to change some things, but has to pinky swear to live by the budget. No 'surprise' trips to Costco (guilty!). We'll be working on that.

Even though the presentation was five hours long, time flew. We had a blast. The only downside? Chairs in the Colliseum give me back pain. But it was worth it.

Family Search

A couple of months ago, I pulled out the genealogy papers my mom gave me. I was blown away by everything she had compiled, and humbled to think that I had all of it for about five years before I even opened it to look at.

I have been dabbling into my genealogy ever since that evening. All my lines have been heavily researched--in fact, one even goes back to Adam (my dad and I are a bit skeptical about that one). I felt like there was not much do to, or if there was, I had no clue how to find it.

In contrast, my husband's lines are full of opportunities. Since he and his family were converts, we have been blessed with many names to take to the temple.

I have been trying to get to the genealogy library for about a month to check out which ordinances are completed for my family. It just hasn't happened, though, with where my life is right now.

But yesterday I asked my dad about getting that information, and he told me how to access it all from home. I was so excited! I registered for new.familysearch.org and started looking. By last evening, I found that one of my grandfather's sisters had been missed. I entered her information and even found some new information in a census. I now have names to take to the temple for my own family.

I am so excited!

The Windows of Heaven

Recently, I noticed the faucet in our powder bathroom was leaking. I mentioned it to my husband, who suggested that we go ahead and replace the whole sink because of a crack developing in the pedestal. We stopped by Lowe's one day to figure out how much these plans would cost us.

Wandering the aisles, I quickly saw that it would cost more to replace everything than I had anticipated. I abandoned my hopes in favor of just fixing the faucet. As we walked past the front of the displays, I spied a cabinet/vanity combination on clearance. I had barely done more than turn back to it when an employee said, "I'll make you a deal on that."

Deal? Those words catch my attention more quickly than chocolate.

"How good of a deal?" I replied.

He thought for a moment and then offered the whole thing for $50, about 30% of the original price. I saw my husband hesitating, more for the work he saw in his future than the money leaving his pocket. We decided it was too good to pass up and snatched it up.

This experience prompted me to consider all the times items we have needed have appeared at a price we could afford. When Ashley was a baby, her crib was recalled about the time we would move her into a toddler bed. We took the refund and got a toddler bed, and then went looking for a dresser with the remainder. We walked into an unfinished furniture store where they sold us a scratch-and-dent for the exact amount we had left. When we were building our house, we saw that the builder had a larger house with a larger yard for sale for less. They allowed us to buy the bigger house (which happened to come with all the appliances and blinds and fence) instead of the one we were building. Or the time I was looking for a coat tree and walked right past one on clearance in Target. Recently, we were at my favorite nursery and they gave us a coupon for a free pumpkin--so we are set for Halloween without a penny out of our own pocket. A couple of weeks ago, we were looking for curtains to match my new room and stumbled onto the perfect ones at Ross. Last night, I found three beautiful framed pictures that exactly matched the room for $10 a piece. All three together cost less than one at regular price.

My list could go on and on...


Sometimes when I read Malachi 3:8-10 I have wondered what it would be like to have the windows of heaven pour down blessings upon me. What I haven't realized is that they have been open and bringing countless blessings into my life all along. I love my Father in Heaven and the law of tithing. It may feel like a sacrifice to write that check every month, but in reality, it's not a sacrifice at all.

Three Painful Lessons

I've learned all three today. And my thumb literally feels like it has been cut in half.

1. Wusthof knives are sharp, just like they say. They will cut peppers and thumbs in one motion.

2. If you are cutting peppers and touch your nose, you will discover if they are hot or not.

3. When grinding peppers in the garbage disposal, wear a mask. Otherwise the lining of your lungs will let you know the peppers were hot, also.

I should have stayed in bed.

Whatever you do, don't throw me in the olive bar!

(Whole Food's Olive Bar)

Yesterday was payday, and to the joy of my children, shopping day. Our cupboards always look so much better and the girls' faces are so much happier when they open the pantry or the fridge after shopping day. It beats watching the depression wash over my daughter's face as she stares at the open, somewhat empty fridge. Or the looks of horror when I suggest ramen or peanut butter and jelly. Again. And again. And again.

The miracle of yesterday was that I not only spent the entire day shopping, but that I had Asian short ribs in the crock pot when I got home. Megan had asked me if we were "fending" for dinner (scrounging up whatever you can on your own) while she loaded up the groceries onto the register conveyor. I was proud to announce that I had dinner in the crock pot. I think she passed out from the shock of that information.

The major shopping day meant a trip to WinCo. I have a love/hate relationship with this store. It can be crowded and dirty (don't ask me about the bathroom story). The produce is OK at best and I've had a few problems with their meat through the years. And going on a Saturday afternoon is just about like taking your life in your hands... But their prices are amazing on dry/canned goods. I have tried to swear them off and shop somewhere else, but I always end up saying, "I can't buy that here! It's half the price over at WinCo, and it's a bigger size!" So off I go each month, wondering why I still shop there until I get my receipt.

As I walked through the store yesterday, I walked by their newest offering: the olive bar. I've seen olive bars in other stores, and they look intriguing. But WinCo's just grosses me out. While the olives look bright and appealing in other stores, these look almost sickly to me, swimming in oil or brine or whatever they are in. Then I start imagining the people who walk by and stick their hands in to grab a quick snack....the thought gives me nightmares. Silly, I know. But real, nonetheless.

I'll buy olives in a can,
I'll buy them in a jar,
Just don't make me get them
From WinCo's olive bar.

Megan's Enthusiasm

Quote....

"Yea! More gut-ty to cut-ty!"

No, I can't make this stuff up.

My Daughter Used the "F" Word

You might find it funny to know that Ashley used the "f" word last week and it made me happy. I had never heard her say it before, and I had almost given up the dream of ever hearing it. She didn't realize she said it at first, and then tried to deny it. But she said it. And I heard it. She really did say it.

"What? I don't want to stop math now...I was having fun!"

See, she said it. And now it's on the blog. I couldn't be more proud.

Time Warp

Time is my biggest enemy right now. I wake up, having intentions to get my to-do list whittled down, only to find it has grown by the end of the day. As I go to bed, I pray that the whirlpool of frustration will calm and I will have a decent chance at keeping up the next day.

As the black hole of time was swirling around me last night, I made a startling discovery. I spent quite a while unsuccessfully attempting to clean all the dried pasta remnants out of my pasta maker. Finally, I gave up and put it away. Later, as I was making a treat for the girls, I discovered I missed putting a panel back onto the cutter. I debated whether I should just throw it back into the box and worry about it later or if I should take the extra time to put it away properly.

45 seconds remained on the microwave as it melted chocolate chips. I decided to do it right, and hoped that the task would not take too long. I grabbed the box from the cupboard, removed the pasta maker, grabbed the screwdriver and replaced the panel properly. The beep sounded as I was taking the box back to the cupboard.

Imagine my surprise and I discovered it took less than one minute. I was sure it was at least a five minute job.

One of my favorite time management tricks is that when a task takes less than two minutes, do it now. Now I am left to wonder: How many 2 minute tasks have I put off, believing they are 20 minute tasks?

I am grateful for the Spirit to guide my thoughts through this. As I was lamenting all the bigger jobs that I do not get done, I was inspired to realize that all I need do is schedule blocks of time for them in my day. I need to sew a skirt with Ashley? Schedule an evening for it. Cleaning the garage? Schedule an afternoon.

Life need not be so overwhelming. I just make it complicated.

Paper again?

Last night, the kitchen wasn't cleaned up, but I figured it could wait until after dinner. Then I opened the cabinet door and was again faced with this image...



Have we seriously run out of plates again?

I know I've been behind on dishes lately, but how can this happen twice in a week?

I must admit, there is a certain class to serving pot roast and baked potatoes on paper plates.

I need a dishes fairy. Bigtime.

My kids are perfect...(well, to me)

Ashley is wearing a cute yellow hooded 3/4 sleeve cardigan, a white oval-necked shirt, jeans and a matching yellow hair band in her hair. Megan is wearing an old, stained soccer shirt with penguin print shorts, purple Crocs and a rainbow owl tattoo on her face. I couldn't have two more different children.


I had to have one picture I might actually try to hang up on the wall.


OK, so they are not my kids, but these faces crack me up.

FYI -- My life (and house) are not perfect.

Our coffee table is the graveyard of our lives.


The battlefield after a day of school, and errands, and a crazy day.


Count all the plates on the counter...then look at the next pictures....



Megan's special plate and the family serving platter were the only ones left in the cupboard.


So lunch ended up on paper plates. It's a sure sign that things were out of control in our house. But maybe I should pull out the paper more often...

September. Can it be over yet?

This month is living up to its billing. It has been almost non-stop at times. I think today was the craziest so far.

We finished school in time to take Meg to a dermatology appointment at one, followed by a piano lesson for Ash at 2:30. I ran to Target on the way to piano to pick up a few things and the prescription the dermatologist had faxed in. Of course, the pharmacy didn't have the Rx yet, so I had to make a trip back again after piano. I also noticed that my car was showing 15% oil life and a service icon on the dash panel. I called the dealer and scheduled to take it in at 4:30. I picked up the Rx right after piano, and had barely enough time to drive to the complete opposite side of town for the oil change (during the beginning of rush hour). With a little luck and a lot of back roads I made it 10 minutes early. Just when I was ready to relax during the wait, I found out that the battery was at the end of its life. My paid-for oil change suddenly entered the triple digits. I didn't want the hassle of getting a battery somewhere else, so I had them do it (I wish I could make $30 for 5 minutes of work). I was feeling pretty bummed about the whole thing, when I realized that I don't have a car payment anymore. So what if I need to pay for a little maintenance?

We finally made it home close to 6:00 and headed out for dinner. After a day like this, I was not cooking.

We are all exhausted. I am glad school is done for the week. Nothing on the schedule (for me) tomorrow, and I am thankful. My kind husband happily took us out for dinner, recognizing what kind of day I'd had. I was able to get my battery replaced before I ended up stranded somewhere. I have money in the bank to pay the bill. Life might be busy, but it is full of tender mercies.

For those of you who mistakenly believe my house is always immaculate, stop by tomorrow. You will be pleasantly surprised. I get behind all the time. I probably will still be in my pj's. I might have to post pics to prove it to the rest of you.

Notice to my family...

It is less than one month until my birthday, and although I may sometimes say otherwise, I really like presents. I don't know why. I have a very full life with more than I could ever have imagined, but I still like presents. And cake. Love cake. If you're going to buy one, it had better be good. (I am still a Backer's Bakery snob. I can't get over it.)

I know you all read this even more than my friends, so here's my gift wish list so far. (And apologies to my friends...you don't have to bring me gifts...it's the family I can't let off the hook.)

Everything Chinese Cookbook (that's a title)
New sewing scissors. Good ones. (they often go on sale for half off at Joann's. Anything more and it's not good)
A cake decorating turntable (if you're going to make me make my own cake, or because I have your three birthdays ahead of me!)
Large offset spatula (see the previous one)
A flash for the camera (the kind that I can angle away from the subject, operate remotely, and has a reflector card...the kind that's in the Nikon DVD)
Gifts from the Depression (another book...check Powells)
New planner pages...but maybe I'd better pick those out myself.
A pink flowering or native dogwood. (I think you know why)
A bedroom makeover (paint, curtains...if you do this, Jesse, I know you must really love me...) :)
A really good scanner. And maybe a Canon printer to go with it.

There you go. If you feel inspired to get me something else, that's OK. Just remember, I love presents. And you have 26 days and counting...

Amen.

I wish I had read this a week ago.

"We women have a lot to learn about simplifying our lives. We have to decide what is important and then move along at a pace that is comfortable for us. We have to develop the maturity to stop trying to prove something. We have to learn to be content with what we are."

— Marjorie Pay Hinckley

It Hit

I knew I was in for a crazy ride this month. I hoped I could make it through without having a breakdown. I did, well, for 9 days.

Last night wasn't good. I had spent the majority of the week, when I wasn't doing school with the girls or running around, studying up on Thomas Jefferson Education (TJed). It is the home-school philosophy highly regarded and followed by the Commonwealth Ashley attends. I felt I ought to study and learn more about it. I had read the book a year ago and had not gotten much out of it. This time, I felt overwhelmed and beat down after studying it.

Basically, TJed is a classics-based education blended with unschooling. For those of you unfamiliar with home-school lingo, unschooling is basically to let your child study whatever he/she wants. You nurture your child's interests, and don't push the other subjects. You trust that your child's natural instincts and experiences in life will provide a complete education.

Pardon my skepticism. I doubt my children would pursue writing and develop great writing skills on their own volition. Ashley would choose to never touch another math book again. I do believe in nurturing their interests, but I also believe that being educated involves developing a solid foundation. Unschooling is what I do now in my life. I would have been woefully undereducated if I had been unschooled as a child.

I do love the classics-based part. However, I prefer the philosophy of The Well-Trained Mind much better. I found TJed to be too complicated, although one of the main points is "Simple, Not Complex." It just takes 5 Pillars of Statesmanship, 7 Keys of Learning, 5 Methods of Instruction, 55 Ingredients for a Leadership Home, and 35 Parenting Skills. And my child goes through 4 Phases, but one phase is broken into 5 sub-phases.

Phew. I'm tired.

I have found in homeschooling that I find solid, basic curricula that fit my child and stick with them. The girls love school, and I do to. And that is the measure of success.

So, after a good cry from all the stress, I put away the TJed books for good. I pulled out those that I do agree with. I cut back on my commitments and spent the day with Ashley. I'm feeling much better. I can face the rest of the month.

My week, my month...

I always like to turn the page on a calendar at the start of the month and see the fresh, clean weeks ahead of me. I feel invigorated at the blocks of unscheduled time ahead of me and I look forward to the occasional thing I have written down.

Of course, then I actually get the pen out and write on what is really going on.

Welcome to September.

Monday (which was August 31, but I always flip the calendar early...) -- my husband was gone fishing all day, ortho appointment for Miss A, and shopping I didn't get done over the weekend

Tuesday -- My dentist appointment, pick up at the farm, Rx's all over town to get and a parent meeting for homeschool that night

Wednesday -- Weight Watchers, mutual for my husband and Miss A and I went to help teach a discussion with the missionaries

Today -- Miss A will be attending a birthday party all afternoon and I have a VT appointment I know will be over an hour

Tomorrow -- going out to the farm we bought our pig from so the girls can see it and ride horses, and I almost forgot, Miss A's first piano lesson of the fall

Saturday -- Miss A has a homeschool party and we're supposed to get to the temple somehow around it

I'm exhausted already and ready to flip to October. But no, I've got three more weeks, including something every Saturday night, and all the Fridays if we can manage getting to the temple weekly.

I'm hosting a photography club at my house (let me know if you want to come...we love having more people!) along with Activity Days the same week. The girls will be going to the dentist and Miss M to the dermatologist.

This is insane. I started crossing things off the calendar today because it's just too much. I just wish I had my fresh, new month back.

Life is amazing

I have spent tonight trying to tune-up my sluggish computer. I think it is a little better, but we'll see tomorrow. I've also spent time deleting some old accounts online and editing through old blog posts. Some of them are just plain outdated.

As I have read through the old posts, I have been amazed at how much I have made it through the last couple of years. Some weeks and months seem to glide by, and others seem to be endless trials, but they always pass.

I am grateful for where we are today, given everything that we have been through. I know that we will make it through whatever comes. I just hope I didn't disturb Murphy.

Innocent? I think not!

Look at this face. Isn't he adorably cute? The white fluff, charcoal black eyes and nose. And when he smiles, you can see his perfectly pink tongue. There is a reason this breed is used in advertising and magazines quite frequently.

But don't let his cuteness fool you. He is a petty thief.

Over the past couple of months, I have watched my tomato plants grow and bloom and set perfectly round green tomatoes. Eagerly, I have been awaiting the first one that was turning red. It was just about perfect. Then, one morning, I glanced out my window and saw only green tomatoes. But there was a nearly perfect red one just the other day. I quickly inspected my counters to see if my husband had picked it, but we only had a couple of tomatoes from our farm co-op.

That is when I knew our thief was back.

He will sneak into the garden when we are not watching and steal tomatoes. I had not seen any evidence of theft so far this year, so I had hopes for a full harvest this year. But no. When this one tomato was just about at its peak, before we could get to it, he stole it and ate the whole thing. Then he went back and snuck a green one or two. He deserves the upset stomach he has had since.

He also has a fondness for strawberries, and last year ate my entire new cilantro starts. It is hard to grow much of anything when you have a thief coming to steal it all.

I just have one question....why couldn't he have a thing for zucchini???

Sister's Camp

Here are pictures from the Sisters' Camp at Gilbert Ranch. Miss M and my husband were busy from sunup to sundown. Miss M was out not long after she got home last night and has been stuck on the chair watching TV all day--she is so tired from her adventures. She reportedly was a good shot with the BB gun, hand washed a sock, rode a horse, panned for (fool's) gold, fed the animals, groomed a horse, played games, shot arrows, dipped candles, made a leather pouch wallet, did chores at the ranch, and loved the food. It was a bargain at any price.

Summer

Our summer started out very quickly, with my husband's parents coming to visit us for a week, then we all went up to Canada together. We really enjoyed visiting the Canadian Rockies and seeing the amazing lakes, mountains, and wildlife again, four years after sabbatical. By the end of two weeks, we were glad to be home again. And I have sworn not to go anywhere for the next two years. That hasn't applied to the rest of my family, though.

We got home on a Sunday and sent Miss A off to her first year of girls' camp on Tuesday. She really enjoyed being at camp, but she was a little homesick, especially after being gone so long.


We had a quiet fourth at home, especially since DH was working swing that night. He did take some time off to enjoy a backyard fire and fireworks. The following week, he went on a fifteen mile hike with the Scouts.

About the middle of July, we started to feel like we were actually home again. But not for long. Today, DH took Miss M to sister's camp at a Boy Scout property. It is sponsored by our local Council, but it's all for the girls. Miss M was very eager to get out the door today. She was looking forward to horseback riding, shooting bee bee guns, and other such activities.


Miss A and I get some mom/daughter time. It kicked off at church when a boy who likes her gave her a flower right before church started. I don't know which was redder, her face, or the flower. She didn't focus all that well the rest of the meeting. It made for some good chuckles, though.

We are looking forward to seeing a movie, going out to dinner, and bowling while her sister is gone. Miss M will get back just in time to pack Miss A up to go down to the Shakespeare Festival with our homeschool group. (And the boy who gave her the flower....)

I'm glad I haven't had to go anywhere. And at least things worked out so that DH doesn't have to go to Boy Scout camp next week. Of course, we will be starting school next Monday, so it's so long summer for us. :(

Food

The other night, the girls and I were watching a program that included a family that ate raw everything. I saw them both look back at me, wondering if I am going to go that crazy on them. No, not me. But I am surprised by the changes in our diet.

The organic meat and produce is paying off. I used our first organic chicken breasts this week. They were a beautiful, golden color, unlike the ones I usually buy. But what really surprised me was that Miss M, who rarely enjoys what I cook ate some, then ate some more and finally made sure she had leftovers for the next day. We also ate an organic watermelon, which was the best one we've ever had. Miss M thought it was so good she wants to buy another one herself.

I find myself craving fewer sweets eating more organic foods. I am much more satisfied by a home-cooked meal with quality ingredients than when I use more convenience foods in the kitchen. When I grabbed some fish sticks and mac and cheese for a quick lunch this week, I spent the rest of the day feeling sick.

And I can't fail to mention that my depression is doing much better since I gave up artificial sweeteners.

The more I see these improvements, the more I want to eat naturally and organic. It is a bit more expensive, but I am enjoying my food more and feeling better. That is worth it to me. And since we have purchased so much of our meat in bulk, that helps my food budget cover the organic options.

(I highly suggest reading Animal, Vegetable, Mineral by Barbara Kingsolver or In Defense of Food by Michael Pollen to learn more.)

When you know you're in trouble....

You know you're in trouble when your 9 year-old daughter comes down and asks, "What is our incoming mail server and our outgoing mail server?"

Thursday Thoughts

I have been musing on a lot of topics this morning, as I try to get my brain to actually engage in today. Apparently, writing down my to do lists was just a hypothetical exercise to my head. I hope you will indulge me as I put these random thoughts out on the web....

First of all, my inbox has a bunch of emails that I can't delete because I am waiting on action, but I can't take any action right now. It is driving me absolutely crazy! I have three about an ebay purchase, several about chickens and turkeys (stay tuned for that one), and who knows what else. Does it bug you to have an inbox with stuff just sitting in it??

We had the best burgers on the planet this week, using our local beef. We have enjoyed having local, sustainably raised beef so much that we went and bought a pig this week. We will be enjoying the world's best ham, bacon and pork this fall and winter. I am on a quest for chickens, but I have to wait for my hubby's OK to purchase those. I did sign up for our locally raised Thanksgiving turkey, though. I think I have turned into a native here.

The TV is on with a vengeance at my house. Ugh. I can totally feel a difference in the spirit of our home when it is on, even though we only watch appropriate stuff. I am thankful to have it in the evenings when I am so tired, but other times I miss the TV free environment we had. I have not set up many TV rules yet, since it's been like being in the desert and just finding a drink for the kids. Not that they missed it, but they are filling up again. Once homeschool starts, I know they won't be watching nearly as much.

Oh, homeschool. Here we go again. I've purchased just about everything I need, now I just have to put it together. And finish all those sewing projects I wanted to have done before we start up again. And find a way to convince my husband to paint our white walls--at eleven years in our house, they have passed the point of touch-up paint.

I am already feeling the pressure that summer is almost over. Yikes. What do you still want to get done this summer?

Beware of Artificial Sweeteners

Last year, as I began my big weight loss push, I added Crystal Light to my diet. I don't particularly enjoy drinking straight water, but I will drink flavored drinks. I really don't enjoy sodas, but love juices...case in point, my favorite soda is Hawaiian Punch.

Obviously, you can drink a ton of calories very easily, so hence the Crystal Light option. I do drink a lot of milk, but had to cut it down to once a day for Weight Watchers points purposes.

Well, I've had a major depressive crash this year, and felt another smaller crash building earlier this month. When I think back to both, the only correlation I could see (that I hadn't already ruled out with my doctor) was I was drinking more CL than usual.

I am growing more and more concerned about the quality of the foods in my diet, and turning to local, organic foods. So tonight, I started researching aspartame just for fun.

There was a study done about 16 years ago of aspartame and individuals with depression. Those with depression who were given the aspartame had such extreme reactions that the study was shut down. There is a very scary link between seizures, depression and mental disorders and the effects of aspartame. It blocks the absorption of serotonin, which those with chemical imbalances already struggle with.

I am swearing off the stuff right now. I am going to cut all artificial sweeteners, actually, because there are accounts of Splenda causing problems with depression.

I encourage you to think about it, too.

While you're at it...check out this blog post on store eggs vs. farm eggs. I now buy eggs from my mechanic, of all people. He sells farm eggs at the shop. :)

Photo Class

I have been taking a free photography class at the library the past few weeks. I am slowly learning how to get off automatic and use the aperture/shutter/iso/etc. controls for better pictures. Not that my photos are in danger of being on the cover of a magazine (or anywhere inside!) but I can publish them here. :) (The joys of having a blog.)