wishing
Its a wonderful life
This new year has started out great--Yesterday here in my part of the world we had record breaking temps--77 degrees!!!--This broke the record from 2004 when the temp was 74--today is 40!!--We actually took the opprotunity to drive over to our Oklahoma 'soon to be farm' and look around and make the final decisions as to where we will be putting critters--with the leaves off the trees and underbrush gone it makes the task easier since more is visiable--We both are just itching to get over there and begin the hard task of clearing, working and planning--we both feel such a sense of peace when we are there--we have pondered many names to name our farm and we are still undecided--one keeps coming to mind, but we shall see--we found the perfect spot for a home--off the beaten path a ways but also close enough to the road that you don't feel totally isolated(which I like, but hubby does not)--I could live 25 miles from a road and be content--LOL--I am not much of a people person anymore--I like my solitude and peace and the less attention I can draw to myself the better off I feel--Not much longer now until the temps will warm up and life will begin to pop up everywhere--I just get all excited thinking about it!--New land, new home, new critters being born, new plant life abundant everywhere--I just feel happy when I think about it--Winter is just not my 'cup o' tea--Its depressing to me and I have such a hard time health wise in the winter--Spring to me means so many things--new beginnings for one--and this year will be a new beginning in the rest of our lives on a wonderful peice of land that the Lord blessed us with and I hope to establish memories for my grandchildren there that they can pass on for years to come--The work will be much--but so very worth it--
~Kris
Is it really 2009???!
Okay, so, who said it was okay to make it 2009???!
We had a wonderful Christmas. Filled with family, food and fun. Can't ask for much more than that!
We'll be headed back to the books soon..but first, we are going to get together with our dear friends....we missed seeing them this Christmas break due to our company. It will be nice to spend the day with them! Course, I also get to see her the next day for MNO..and again for Keepers at the end of the week. AND..this dear one has invited our children to spend the night next weekend. Can I tell you how very blessed I am to call Misty my bestest friend?! She's AWESOME!!!!
Monday marks a most special day for us...it's our 18th wedding anniversary. Ahhhh....remembering the day we became one...love that! I think we need to watch our wedding video that evening. I can't decide what to make for our supper that evening. I'm not feeling inspired yet....I did the menu for the rest of January..but left that day blank.
We're headed to town to grocery shop in the morning. I think it will work out best to get it taken care of tomorrow. Getting back to school is going to be as tough for me as it is for my children...maybe tougher! You would think with this being our 11th year of home education, that I wouldn't feel this way...but alas, in all honesty, I do! Oh..not the home education part of it..the returning to a schedule part of it. We've so enjoyed not having a schedule that it's hard to go back...
The weather has been way too warm for winter. While I appreciate the lower electric and propane bills...I must admit that I still look forward to the coldness of winter..the time of hunkering down in our home. I long for a fireplace to curl up in front of....
One of our big gifts this year....from my folks and my brother and SIL...was a Wii! It's been lots of fun for our family. I have to say that my Honey has the most realistic looking Mii that I've ever seen. I love it! It's like he's here even when he's not! 
Gotta love anything that gives me more of my Honey!!!!
I'm off to do some shopping in the Old Schoolhouse Store. They have all their e-books half off..but that expires tonight...nothing like waiting till the last minute, eh?!
I hope you all had a Happy New Year!!! May your year be full of happiness a
OK Ladies, this is must have!
One of my Christmas gifts this year was a Ped Egg. It was given to me by my wonderful daughter. She put together a beautiful gift basket of different lotions, brushes, powder, soaps, and this great gadget. I waited a day or two before I had time to use it. But I finally used it and I just have to tell you all that it is fantastic.
I have always had bad feet because I love running around bare foot and we all know that isn't very good for our little tootsies. My heels were almost always dry and cracked, and most times I was embarrased to wear sandles or backless shoes. Well not anymore. This wonderful little invention has cured all of that. I'm telling you ladies, its fantastic. A friend of mine has one and I watched her use it on herself and to be honest it kinda grossed my out at first, you know, dead skin and all, lol. But it really works.
So next time your at the store and you pass by this item, and you have problem feet, pick this up. It is one of the best buys for your $10. This not a commercial and I'm not being paid for this, LOL it's just me wanting to share a good thing with friends.
Getting Organized??????
I really wanted to start this entry with "Earlier this year" but since it is only the second day of 2009 it doesn't get a whole lot earlier, does it, lol.A few months ago Don bought me a Weekly + Monthly Planner calendar, at the start of each month is a full calendar and then after that are weekly calendars (as an added bonus it is pretty close to the size of a sheet of loose leaf paper). I have this calendar sitting open on our computer desk - as soon as I see something planned on our homeschool group, into the calendar it goes. If I have any craft ideas, they go into the Notes section towards the back of the calendar. Or if someone calls us on the phone, we can immediately check the calendar to see if we are "booked" or if there is an "opening", lol. This calendar also tells me when I need to adjust Josh's retainer, when we need to go back to the Dentist for his check up on the retainer, etc. I do have a calendar on my cell phone, which I use quite regularly (it has a reminder feature on it that I would, seriously, be lost without - many things would be forgotten if I didn't put them in my phone), between the two (they are constantly updated so both
Our computer also has a calendar feature and I really tried to get in the habit of using (and checking) that calendar, however, when someone calls on a Sunday and asks if we are busy on a certain day, I can't just go over and check to see if we are (we don't use our computer on Sundays). So, so far, we are really liking having this desk calendar where it is and we are actually using it.
Beside our calendar I have a file type Rolodex (I didn't really want one of those ones that you roll - I could just picture my kids sitting and spinning the thing, trying to see how hard you have to spin it to launch the phone cards out of it, lol ..... there's a science lesson somewhere in that, isn't there??????). I really like having this at the computer - I now have a central place for phone numbers, instead of "Honey, don't you have XXXXX's number on your phone?" and we frantically try and find the phone that has the number we are looking for. I know, we could just look it up in the phone book, but really ..... where is the challenge in that, lol. Besides, our dentist has a really, really long last name and I can't always remember the spelling of it, lol.
Isn't it amazing how just two little things like a calendar and a place to keep phone numbers helps to get you a bit more organized - now to work on the rest of the house.
Cutting Some Cords in 2009
I'm ready.I am 150% ready and on the ball with going off the grid. Now. Today.
No, Dewey isn't quite 'there' just yet...but he isn't living here and I can make some changes a bit more easily that way, right??? Nothing overly intense at all, just some lifestyle changes...some rather big lifestyle changes.
Honestly, I guess I'm not at all 'ready' in a truly 'prepared' sense.
I have an electric stove. Can't cook without electricity unless I use the grill, and truthfully, grilling has never been my forte. I can certainly learn, though, when properly and sufficiently motivated..which I most definitely am right now!
Our hot water is electric. I have that huge mega monster grill, though. And I have a fire pit outside. I can manage hot water I'm sure.
My lighting is electric. We are using the lamps much more often now, for lighting needs, but from a practical stand-point, they aren't ideal. The light for reading just isn't very good for old eyes like mine...and probably not much better for younger ones, either. And the lamp oil costs and storage issues...it's simply not practical for permanent usage. Rise and bed with the chickens is probably a much better solution.
My heat, what little we use here really, is electric. Ugh...an electric heat pump, no less :o( I am going to skip the cookstove for now I think and simply get a small woodstove for heat. I don't have a space readily available for both the heat and the cookstove, so in light of what I'm about to tell you here next, a heat stove is a better option. And I can cook on top of it...just won't have an oven for baking.
We received our electric bill Tuesday. Please sit down. Please make it a chair that is sturdy and has good support to the armrests. It's for your own safety, really. Trust me.
For the billing cycle from Nov 18th - Dec 18th, our electric bill was $439.35. A average daily kw usage of, they say, 151.7 More than doubled from the previous cycle, as well as more than doubled from the same cycle a year ago.
Yes...I wrote that correctly. It's FOUR HUNDRED. Can you even imagine what that did to my heart opening the bill? Or what it did to the budget, as I most certainly had not figured in anything remotely close to that amount.
This is winter. In the South. I'm sorry if I offend any true heart Southerners here, but this is hardly what I consider much of a winter. Yes, that billing cycle had some really really cold days in it, and several wind-chills here on the homestead in the teens. And it's been rainy and windy quite a bit the past month and more.
But this isn't what I look at as being classified as 'winter' yet look at that bill. Granted, this is a mobile home. They are not even partially constructed like a brick or stick frame house is. The materials are altogether different, the insulation is different. They are hardly air-tight in construction at all. They are not known for allowing an abundance of natural light in, although with the amount of air flowing in and out, you'd find that rather odd. We simply are not a traditional home style and that certainly adds to the electric bill.
That and the increase that went into effect of 17%. We were expecting 20% or more, so I will concede that 17% is to be considered a blessing.
If I could do it...if I had the fortitude of spirit might be a better phrase...I would flip and lock that main breaker outside today. Cut the cord completely and be off the grid now.
I'm scared to death of summer coming, given this bill. I may be well beyond able to tolerate and thrive in the 'winter' down here, but come summer, you might as well lock me in the looney bin. I can not handle being hot at all. I can not tolerate heat and humidity that sucks the breath from you almost daily. I'm a wimp. Given the current bill, I could guess-timate my summer bills easily being in excess of $600 a month during say July and August especially.
Six hundred dollars a month is well beyond even the remote outskirts of INSANE. I can't budget that in at all. Even if I could, I wouldn't even consider budgeting that in for something like electric! Surely somewhere in my history, generations of pioneering women lived a good and rich life without any of these trappings of today.
I just have to do it. I just have to take that step and keep walking...or in this case, I really ought to be running. We are already 2 weeks into the next billing cycle! My biggest problem is I don't have anything set up for back-up.
Well, I suppose I have the electric cord as a back-up for now. While I have the ability to do otherwise, I need to start getting better acquainted with that grill out on the porch. What all can I really do on a grill folks? I know nothing about them at all, really. But I'd rather foot the bill for propane for the grill than this electric bill.
- I'm canning up the rest of the meat. It won't happen overnight, but I will get it all finished and empty those freezers once and for all. We are doing ground meat today.
- I'm getting back to once a week baking for our needs. It's easy to do -- just requires I think ahead and make some plans. When it's gone, it's gone. We will learn quick enough that it's better to spread out whatever treats we have than to go totally without.
- Laundry is going to take a hit. We will start focusing on that hand-washing. I will do towels, the blankets and thick items, boys pants in the washing machine still as I don't have a suitable way to wring them out well enough to even hang dry. But they will only be done once a week. This having something to wash almost daily is ridiculous. I need to get back to a real schedule here. And it will be...has to be...carved in solid stone, no more written in pencil.
- I'm going to look for a small wood heat stove instead of worrying about connecting the cookstove up right now. I'm not set up space-wise to have both operating, and I think the larger need is for some alternative heat right now. I'd rather put $600 into a heat stove than the electric bill.
If you have any thoughts or ideas to share on helping us cut the cord, do let me know! I could use all the tips I can get.
Another one has come and gone
Another year has come and gone, and I have to say, I'm kinda glad. I don't usually say that 'cuz with each passing year and/or day, I get a little older, but 2008 wasn't a banner year for me. The whole thing with mom's Alzheimers taking over her life poor heart and me having to put her in a home wasn't a good thing to say the least. Not too mention the hurricanes that hit us, the lost of several people in my life and last but not least, my husband wanting a divorce, well as I said, I'm glad it's over. I do hope and pray 2009 brings a much better outcome. I do see good things ahead for me if God willing.
The last couple of days were busy ones for me. Not long ago my husband came home with two little pigs and on Tuesday we slaughtered one for a New Years gathering here at our home. So I have been getting ready for that, cooking and baking, and yesterday we had 27 people here for lots of good food and a good time. It didn't take as long to cook the little fellow as I thought it would. We put him on the rotisserie around 6:30 yesterday morning and it was done by noon. Pretty good. We still had lots of fire so I ran to the store and bought four chickens to cook. I figured I wouldn't have to cook for a couple of days. Well to my surprise, most of it all went. There is no chicken left, what didn't get eaten here was taken home by some family members. Not fair! LOL
The guys are out fishing this morning so I will be working on school plans for the rest of the year. I do half in August and the other half now. This is just incase we get off schedule or Zach falls behind in something that we need to keep working with, which is the case in Math this time. So with that said, let me get off of here. I have a batch of clothes to put out on the line and one to fold, then off to the lesson plans.
I do hope everyone had a wonderful New Years and that everyone HAS a great new year filled with blessings and prosperity.
New Year, New Beginnings
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
--Alfred Lord Tennyson
We had a wonderful time with my sister and her family ringing in the new year. The children were excited to see it come in. I was excited to hold my little niece! She is just precious and growing so much. She spends much more time awake and gazing into your eyes. I love talking to her and seeing her little smile.Tonight, I found a darling pattern for fabric Mary Janes that I'm going to make for her for the summer. (A pair in every color!)
We all managed to stay awake to see the ball drop and then we parted ways. The air was bitter cold, so I was happy to have a short drive home. Everyone celebrated today with pork and kraut. I love the first day of January. Everything seems fresh and new. I always wonder what the year will bring and there's always something to look forward to. For one thing, I know I will have a son who will be driving! (Should I look forward to that?)
No doubt, there will be many joys and trials. I remember saying the same thing on this day last year and by the end of the month, I was facing some very frightening symptoms. Those first few months were the absolute worst. It's hard for me to believe that it's nearly been a whole year of tests and procedures. I saw my neurologist last week and he agrees that my biopsy results are good news. However, he believes that I have MS. In my heart, I have felt this all along. I'll be going for a repeat MRI in a couple of months, but in the meantime, I am starting a medication to help control the symptoms. Maybe I should be fearful, but I'm really not. It has nothing to do with me...I mean, I am not especially strong or courageous. I just think the Lord has given me peace.
Anyway, we have a busy weekend to look forward to. On Saturday, all of our menfolk (my sister's family and my own) are spending the entire day in the woods dragging logs and cutting, splitting, and hauling the wood. From big to little, they'll all have a job. We're hoping to have enough to finish the winter and then some. While they're out working, my sister and I will prepare a nice noon meal for the "crew." It's supposed to be quite cold (which is good for operating the tractor on solid ground) so a nice hot lunch should help to warm them up a bit. I haven't decided on the menu yet, but that's a job for tomorrow.
For now, I am being called to read the very first bedtime story of the new year. :-)
Baby Pics
Dh and our DS were having a little "chat" today. LOL it was so cute!
New Stove
The night before our Thanksgiving in early October our oven died. The dial that sets the temperature broke. It would turn on but you couldn't tell what setting it was at. Eventually we figured out were to set it for most baking. But then a few weeks before Christmas it started surging temps. cold one min to hot the next. We have already had the thermostat, 2 oven elements and many burners replaced on this thing...We decided not to try and have it fixed again. There must be something wrong with it that causes the burners and thermostat to keep burning out. We searched every were looking for used stoves. We finally found one place. They must be in high demand right now! Dh looked and they had this very old yellow stove. The store thinks it's from the 60's. But I tell you it cooks better then any stove I've ever had!! They sure made things to last back then. It also has an extra broiler oven on top. I LOVE it!!
This pic is just after dh brought it in the house.
First batch of cookies as a "test". Bakes great! My other stove was alway burning everything or under cooking.
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