Quiet Life Homestead

Container Gardening & Recent Happenings

We purchased some plants from WalMart and are going to try container gardening.  We bought a tomato plant and a bell pepper plant, both which already have yummy things growing.  Also we purchased some seeds which we're starting in small containers which we will later on transfer to larger ones.  Also, we bought two hanging plants (strawberry and tomato) that are more like kits.  Charlie surprised me with an herb collection kit and some basil and lavender.  This will be our first garden of any type in a few years, so I'm pretty excited to see how it all works out.  I'm going to move everything outside tomorrow as the storms should all be history by then.  My aloe plant got a little too wet so I had to bring it in, hopefully it will be okay.

We bought some turkeys from Target tonight, one goes into the freezer and the other into the fridge to thaw.  I want to try Trisha Yearwood's turkey recipe and see how it works for us.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

Last night we left the kids here while we made a quick trip to the grocery store.  They were under orders to peel potatoes for mashing.  While we were gone they not only peeled and cut the potatoes (plus put them on to boil) but rearranged the living room!  We were only gone maybe 20 minutes, but they got lots done.  We were so surprised!  I think maybe we'll keep them!  :)

Rainy Wednesday & A Thomas Jefferson Education

Its raining right now, just a light, relaxing rain.  I was getting sleepy studying A Thomas Jefferson Education and so I decided to check in and see how everything was going.

I'm really enjoying the book and have learned SO MUCH!  I've had to set aside my homekeeping book for right now, as A Thomas Jefferson Education is an interlibrary loan and I can't renew it.  I'm finding myself encouraged and I love how it works with what we already are doing (Robinson and personal library books).  I am going to probably have to tweak the list a little bit in order to take out what we don't need and make sure we have what we do need.

I spoke with my sister yesterday as it was her 40th birthday.  We're going to go to Stillwater again in a few weeks and the kids are very excited about that.  This time I hope to be able to walk around the campus (Oklahoma State University)  a bit and maybe even visit the student union to see about picking up some veterinary books for Bethany.  We'll probably eat at Eskimo Joes since last time we ate at Mexico Joes.

I guess I'd better get back to my studies.  The kids are outside playing baseball and the ham is in the oven smelling WONDERFUL! I hope you enjoy the rest of your day!

Saturday

I just read Kitty's page about the Duggars!  They are such an inspiration!  I read the article to both Charlie and Dallas and they both thought it was neat.  I've always wished that I could have more children and I love to see how He's blessed them.

Charlie's teaching a basic leather class this morning and we're going to go with him.  The store will be open while he's teaching, but we thought we'd come and sweep the floors and such.  Actually, the kids will probably sweep the floors while I help with the ever present inventory count.

For an early Mother's Day, we went last night and ate at El Chico.  Also, we went to Bath and Body Works so I could purchase more soap for the house.  They are currently having their 5 for $10 sale and so I loaded up on 15 bottles (three bathrooms plus the kitchen).  I know the soap isn't exactly economical, but we purchase it because I'm not allergic to it (the cheaper soaps make my hands hurt and the skin peel) and also its great for cleaning leather dye and paint off the hands.  My third Mother's Day gift was getting to purchase the Home Management Binder and Mom's Survival e-books from Candy.  I haven't gotten to look at them just yet, but I will as soon as I get off here.

Tomorrow we're going to do our traditional zoo trip and have invited Charlie's parents to come with us.  I hope the weather will be nice.  The zoo is having an orchestra come to play classical music in the afternoon, but it will be too packed at that time.  I'd like to go first thing in the morning, before the crowds and before the heat, especially if his parents come.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Mother's Day!

Pet Odors

Thursday Thoughts and Happenings

Well, we made it through the storms last night.  We live on the south side of our little town and on the north side (approx 5 miles or so) they had 85 mph winds.  We had rotation and wind and rain, but that was all.  Charlie insisted that we all get into the fraidy hole and to me that was much worse than anything else.  I'd rather try my "luck" with the tornado than to be where there are spiders!  I saw a mole cricket in the dark and just about lost it.  Dallas shone a light on it to prove that it wasn't a giant spider, but I know what eats mole crickets and was ready to get out of there!  Once the rain left and we'd had our dinner - I only made it maybe 5-10 minutes in the shelter and then went back into the house - I took a shower.  I felt like things were crawling all over me!!  Yikes!!!

We've been doing really well with our nightly Bible studies.  Sometimes its hard to remember to make time for it, but we've only been doing it for a week or so.  My poor hubby,  he wants to really dive into what we're reading (Matthew right now) and pick apart every verse (and sometimes word) for meaning and such.  Me, I want to get to the meat of what we're suposed to be doing, how to live, etc.  We had a great talk after the kids went to bed last night and shared our views and all.  I told him that I'd try to be more patient, and he promised to not get too bogged down.  I'm trying very hard to be supportive and to let him go at the pace he feels is best.  I just have this almost urgent feeling of we need to change and we need to do it ASAP.  We're still trying to find a church home.  Each one we've visited has left us feeling empty.  Don't get me wrong, we're not looking for a "feeling" what we want is some place where the people are as hungry and serious about truly living the Christian life as we are.  Its really bad when you're trying to hear the sermon and the people in front of you, or even the ones in back of you, are just talking away about their weekends, what so-and-so is wearing, etc.  I'm just tired of compromising, tired of being too much into the world and not enough into the Word, so to speak.

Charlie's newest article is already out although we haven't seen it yet.  Hopefully it comes in soon.  He's bogged down working on the next one because they asked him to add some things and to even write a second article on those things (basically how to carve stars).  Dallas sold one of his wallets the other day to our local librarian.  He was very excited and so proud to be able to help the family with groceries and such!  All three of my guys have been working hard on getting projects finished to sell.  Pretty soon we'll be able to start going to some shows and such. 

Bethany continues to get better all the time.  She's FINALLY back up to 100lbs!  Also, she's been going outside and playing with the boys and the neighbors almost every day.  Her energy is almost back to normal, and we're praising God for her recovery! 

I have lots of cleaning to do, so I'd better get off here and get started.  Oh, on the homekeeping subject, what I'm starting with is Training Our Daughters to Be Keepers at Home and Home Comforts.  Thank you for the ideas.......

Rainy Day & Homemaking Ideas Requested

We woke up this morning to the refreshing sound of rain!  I love the rain!!  Something about it refreshes me.

Today will be a cleaning day on our little homestead.  The kids will do their schooling and then they will join in.  I broke down this morning and purchased some dishwasher detergent.  I still haven't been able to get Maa's baking soda & salt recipe to work for me, it keeps scratching the dishes, no matter how much or little salt I use.  We'd been trying to have the kids do the dishes, but they kept piling up with other things we've been having to do lately.  I'll get us caught up and then they will get back on task with it. 

I was planning on making some bread today but will have to put it off.  Does anyone else have problems with their bread if they make it on a rainy day?  Mine just doesn't seem to rise like it should with all the humidity.

I've decided that I'm going to give myself a home-making, home-keeping (whatever you want to call it) course to learn all the things I never have learned but need to.  I'm talking about basics and on.  I was wondering if anyone has suggestions on some books and such that have helped them in the past and that they would recommend.  I'm wanting to learn some of the following: how to simplify, how to run a home more effecently (spelled wrong, sorry), home sewing, etc.  I do have a copy of Training Our Daughters to Be Keepers at Home.  Should I start with that?  Any ideas would be appreciated.

That time of year again

The kids have an appointment at the library tomorrow afternoon.  The summer reading program is getting ready to begin and this year all three of the kids are old enough to volunteer.  Unfortunately, the library is rather small so only two of them will be working on any given day.  I was wishing that all three could work on the same days to save on gas, but it isn't going to happen.

Some of the birdseed we've been putting out all winter seems to have begun growing.  We aren't quite sure what exactly is growing, but it will be fun to watch and see.  We've been enjoying observing the trees and noting which ones have leaves.  We lost a lot of limbs this past winter and at least one really big tree.  It will be interesting to see if any of the trees have problems this year. 

We have a chance for thunderstorms tomorrow and Friday.  We haven't had much bad weather, just some rain. 

Does anyone know if you can plant regular pinto beans?  By regular I mean, the kind you purchase at the grocery store.  I thought about trying to see if it would work but wondered if anyone else knew.

What's been going on lately

Hey all, I sure haven't been keeping up here lately, even though I said I would.  Now I have to catch up on all that's been going on with you all. 

We now have neighbors living next to us.  They are very nice and have a boy inbetween our boys' ages so they play football and baseball all the time.  They used to homeschool and are new to the community.  Unfortunately, their mobile home blocks out our wonderful view of the trees and wildlife.  It takes some getting used to, but we knew we couldn't be here all by ourselves for ever.

I've been sewing like crazy (quilt tops) and am almost ready to start quilting (hand - I can't stand machine quilting).  I might as well admit it - I don't do well fighting all that material to try to quilt it on my machine.  It just seems easier to put a hoop on it and do it that way.  We still haven't started making clothing yet, for some reason I keep putting it off.  I need to stop that and just dive into it.

I've been crocheting dishrags and pot holders with all the spare yarn I've inherited.  Bethany would help, but right now she's working on making enough yo-yos to make a doll.  The boys and Charlie have been working on leatherworking projects, trying to get them done to sell.  The goal is for Charlie to be able to make a living on his leatherworking and magazine work. 

We took Larken to the vet last month to "get the works."  She had her dew claws removed (kept scratching her eyes trying to groom like the cat), spayed, current shots, heartworm test and preventative medication, and ended up getting eye and ear medication as well as antibiotics for the staff infection.  We didn't realize she still had the staff from last year, but apparently she did.  Tomorrow she takes her last antibiotics.  Also the vet said that she's allergic to most dog food and wants us to purchase some food that costs approx $70 for a 30lb bag!  Being an english bulldog, her mouth is really weird and so she has problems with small food - being able to chew it instead of just swallowing it.  We're currently looking for cheaper hypoallergenic food (venison and potatoes) as her first bag is almost gone.

Bethany's doing quite well, back to normal in fact.  She's been doing great remembering her pills and its nice to not have any appointments for a few months.  We go back in July for a check up. 

On the homeschooling front, we've gone 100% back to the Robinson method - with adding a few books.  The kids are progressing quite well in both the reading and in their Saxon math books.  We keep plugging away in spelling and are getting ready to do a bit of grammar as a refresher.  With all we're trying to get going, this simplification is really helping and it is refreshing to hear the kids remark on what they're learning.  Now if I can only find a way to get them studying the vocabulary..........

We planted some onions, not sure if they're going to grow or not.  The peppers haven't done anything yet either.  We found a new (to us anyway) vegetable stand type facility and will probably go there a lot this year.  We had planned on asking for permission from the land owner if we could pay a type of rent on the property next to us so we could plant a garden - but people moved in on it.

Also, the flowers (bulbs) we planted last year haven't come up yet.  I guess they must have been annuals (isn't that what they're called if you plant them each year).  At some point I'd like to get some more but will do research to see what kinds automatically come up next year.

Spring - For the Time Being, At Least

We're having wonderful weather today and are suposed to for the next few days.  The boys have been playing outside once their schoolwork is finished and I may even get Bethany to go outside.  We have a nature reserve type place near here and may go there tomorrow.  I'm hoping the ticks and fleas aren't out yet.  It seems every time we go (Oxley Nature Center) we get covered in ticks and mosquitos.  I suppose I can see if we have some repellant handy.

The kids and I watched the movie Martian Child yesterday and really liked it.  Also, we watched Sense and Sensibility - Bethany's going through quite the Jane Austen faze right now.  I honestly had never seen Sense and Sensibility before, though I've seen both Pride and Prejudice and Emma on several occassions.  I need to do a search and find a list of all Jane's books so that Bethany can read them all.

I STILL haven't planted anything, I haven't even purchased any seedlings or seeds.  I may go to Sutherland's this weekend and see what they have to offer.  Also, we found a really good produce market and will be checking that out as well.  I know it would be cheaper to grow our own food, but we still don't have permission from the lot owner.

Time to go outside............................

Driver's Ed and Other Adventures

Dallas officially started Driver's Ed today.  I had purchased Driver Ed in a Box and we finally got Oklahoma's permission to begin.  He's not liking it very much right now - mostly it is the woman's voice on the computer.  Also, I think that he was expecting to get into the car and start driving.  I explained that we do this first, then is the permit test, THEN he gets to learn to drive.  If anyone's reading this who lives in Oklahoma and has been through this, do we still have to get the reading test? 

Bethany's back to her old self.  Her energy is back to normal and today she ate TWO chili cheese dogs!  She still hasn't gained the weight back, but we're being patient and encouraging her to eat what she can.  Her doctor's appointment went really well and we go back later this month for another follow-up.  Bethany will have to take birth control pills to keep her other ovary under control, I hate that she has to take them, but at this point, we're praising God that she's alive!  Also, if this is what it takes to help her keep the ovary so she can possibly have children later, we're gonna do it.

I've been reading the book The Forgotten Man lately and am learning a lot about the Great Depression and the 1920s and 1930s in general.  I must admit that a bit of the financial stuff goes over my head, but not so much that I'm discouraged.  I may need to purchase a copy because it is taking me a long time to read it and there are others waiting for it at the library.

Well, I think that's all for right now......

Some Progress in Simplification, Questions, Too

I've finished the master bathroom and am almost finished with the master bedroom.  Right now, I've got a bunch of boxes with material in them that I need to get organized. 

We're really trying to simplify our lives and thought we were almost there - financially anyway until all this stuff with Bethany came up. 

I got several books from the library on decorating and have been looking at them for inspiration as far as what to keep and what to toss.  We're still trying to find a system that works as far as sewing machines and sewing supplies - where to put them, etc.  We were given a box of thread and so we're pretty well set in that area.  If you sew, what does your sewing area look like? 

Also, we're looking into starting a container garden and are trying to decide whether to purchase seeds or seedlings.  Have you found much difference?  I know the difference between the two, but am asking if you've had more success with one or the other.

We're out of birdseed once again and are trying to decide if we want to purchase more.  After a few days of having the seed out, we get a bunch of black birds who come in and scare all the cardinals and such away and eat the food.  Does anyone know, is there a way to keep that from happening?

We've had a few days of great temperatures  but Monday it will drop about 40 degrees.  I can't remember a winter hanging on so long here in Oklahoma.  Its pretty weird. 

Anyway, if you have any advice on the above topics, I'd really appreciate it.

Saturday Evening

We just got back home after a short (24 hour) trip to Oklahoma City.  Yesterday, we met my mom in Chickasha for lunch then went to the college where Charlie and I met (USAO).  We spent a little time reminiscing - the kids thought we were silly!

Today we went to the Friends of the Library book sale where we got some great bargains - I purchased two Saxon math books for $1 each for example.  We ended up spending about $43, not too bad considering everything was either fifty cents or a dollar!

Afterwards, we went to the Oklahoma City Zoo.  Charlie hadn't been since all the improvements had been completed.  So we went (and were a bit cold), but we enjoyed it.  He took lots of pictures, some hopefully will end up in his artwork or leatherwork at some point.

I think we're going to eat something light and then hit the rack.  But I wanted to check in......

Tuesday Afternoon

Hi all!  Thought I'd come on and give an update on Bethany.  She's doing very well!  You would not know that she had surgery a week ago by looking at her.  The tenderness is still there, but that is to be expected.  Now if we can just get her to eat more, I swear, she looks like a skeleton.  I know that will come with time......

So, not to be outdone, Charlie has an infection near a nerve in his jaw.  One of his teeth has a cavity and I guess that's where this all stems from.  He went in for an emergency visit and they gave him antibiotics and pain meds.  That was Friday, now his left side of his face is all swollen up and there's much pain and pressure.  He phoned the dentist and they said that he probably needs stronger antibiotics, but are very busy this week so he should see if someone else can work him in.  Gee, thanks a lot!  He's going to a different dentist tomorrow morning so hopefully they can figure this out.  They were shocked on the phone that the other dentist didn't at least phone in a stronger antibiotic.

Otherwise we're doing pretty well.  The kids are working hard on their homeschooling - though not as hard as I'd like.  We're talking about trying to go to Oklahoma City this weekend for the library book sale, but may just have to visit Gardner's used books here instead.

Has anyone seen the previews for Prince Caspian?  I wonder why they are skipping all through the Chronicles of Narnia series.  I know that The Magician's Nephew was the last to be written, but as it is set in front of The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, it explains so many things.  Then they've skipped over The Horse and His Boy for Prince Caspian.  Oh well........

My seed catalogs have started coming in the mail and we're getting very excited about planting.  Since we're still here on the rented lot, we'll have to use containers for the most part, but this year I want to be better prepared.  Now we have a better idea of sunlight and water areas - hopefully that will help.  We'd love to have our own land, but I don't think that's going to happen very soon, so we'll make do.

I've been trying to rearrange the living room so Bethany and I have more space for sewing.  Charlie brought home a bunch of boxes yesterday so we're going to go through our possessions to try to get rid of some and thus have more room.  One of the biggest messes is Charlie's "leather shop" area.  I'm not going to mess with it though since another magazine article is due next week.  I'll just try to focus on my stuff and the kids stuff and look the other way on his.

Hope ya'll have a great day - might be 60 degrees here!  :)

Tuesday

Bethany continues to improve.  It is such a blessing to see her upbeat spirit and smiles.  I was thinking about it last night and realized how close we were to losing her.  It seems sometimes we take our children, or other loved ones, for granted until either we lose them or almost do.  I wonder why that is?

We're excited because Jericho returns tonight!  Lost started two weeks ago and we've been watching it, but it will be nice to have this one back on as well.  We've also been watching the Terminator series since it started, so we have three shows.  This will be our last year of television shows since we are determined NOT to get the upgrade in order to watch television next year.  Our XM gives us all the news and sports we could possibly want, and after all, television is a waste of time.....

I put the kids back into Saxon for math.  They are behind where they were before we put them into Rod and Staff, and I am a bit upset about the wasted time, but they are working through these at a good pace and seem to be enjoying math again.  Charlie bought me a new printer that I can use to print out our Robinson books, so we've been able to go back to the combined Robinson and personal book list.  This is the first time I've been able to print the books out with no difficulty and it is so refreshing to not have to worry if a printer is going to konk out on me.

We had rain and thunder last night along with cold temps.  I'm really looking forward to spring.  I purchased two types of bird seed and some squirrel feed at the store Saturday morning and the little critters are just loving it!  The dog and cat sit in the window and watch for hours.

Charlie went to work for a few hours so he could check on the store, do paperwork, etc.  He's still there as he had lots to catch up on.  I went to the library yesterday to relax - books do that for me, and I guess part of why he went to work is for the same reason. 

Bethany received some flowers and a "goody bag" from Charlie's co-workers today as well.  Her face lit up so beautifully.

I'd better get off here and see about doing some housework.  I've been letting it slip these last two weeks and its driving me crazy.......

Update on Bethany

Bethany's been doing "laps" around the house this morning.  She still walks with some difficulty (due to the abdominal muscles) but is doing really well.  Her spirit is up and she's a little work horse.  We don't have to tell her to walk or to rest, she pretty much takes care of it all by herself.  I showed her at the hospital how to get out of bed by herself - I had three c-sections so have some experience with that.  Also, I encouraged her to get up and walk every so often.  Once we got home yesterday I showed her how to lay down and get up from both my bed and hers, also the toilet and the chair.  I made her do it on her own as much as possible with me observing, now she's doing it all on her own.  Sometime during the night she got up and used the bathroom, then woke one of her brothers to help her get back into bed - they are on the other side of the house from Charlie and I, so he was closer.

I helped her with her first shower earlier, having her do as much as possible, and she did really well.  I wish I'd recovered from my surgeries that easily.  I spoke with a friend from soccer and she said that both she and her sister-in-law each had children with only one ovary.  It is very encouraging!

News Around Here

Once again, I haven't been writing like I should.  I really need to work on this!  Lately, I've been trying to keep homeschooling going, house cleaning, etc. 

I spoke on here once before, not too long ago about Bethany having a pain near her right hip.  Well, I took her to an urgent care facility yesterday, who promptly placed us on an ambulance  to the hospital (to a different hospital - we'd been to two others for this previously). 

She had blood and urine tests, an x-ray, CAT scan, and ultrasound.  She underwent surgery last night which lasted from 9-midnight, and ended up having her right ovary and fallopian tube removed.  

She's here, at home, now, resting and doing very well for a 12 year old.  She's in pain but being a trooper.  She will end up having to take birth control pills (or something like them) from now on to keep her left ovary from freaking out and messing up like her right one did. 

Please keep her in your prayers.................................

Saturday Evening

Once again, I've let life slip by and haven't been on here in what feels like ages!  We're all doing well and I hope all ya'll are, too!

I spent quite a while yesterday online, checking out various colleges to see their requirements for homeschoolers and such.  It's not as bad as I had thought it would be.  Of course, I may say otherwise when I'm having to make out the transcripts and such.

Its very cold here but still no snow.  We had a light dusting a few weeks ago, but that's all.  Up in Michigan, they've been having snow and I really miss it!  Oh well, I say, "Come on spring!"  I'm ready to have the windows open with the breeze going through.  I pray this year we'll have fairly mild temps like last year (except for August).

Anyway, I'll try to do better keeping tabs.  I'm going to check out how a few of ya'll are doing........unless dinner stars to burn!  :)

January 2

Silly me mentioned last night that we should start getting up early from now on...... It seems my early bird first born heard this night owl and figured she was serious.  Well, actually I was serious, until 6am!  Now I'm ready to order DNA tests! :)  My two other children (also pretty night-owlish) are trying to stay awake on the sofa.  We're all waiting for the coffee to be ready......................

We changed our living room around yesterday and it looks really neat.  I've given up posting pictures, so you'll just have to trust me on it.  Also yesterday ended our year sabbatical from video games.  I told the kids they would survive. 

I'll try to get on here once I'm more awake....................................

Sunday Happenings and Whatnot

We've been working hard, trying to get the house ready for company.  My mom and sister (and her kids) will be here tomorrow afternoon/evening and then Charlie's parents are coming over for Christmas dinner.  We've never had his parents over and so I'm a wee bit nervous, but I know all will be just fine.

My asthma has been kicking up quite a bit lately.  Nothing to be too concerned with, just an annoyance.  At least we have inhalers now.  When I was a kid, I had to take some awful liquid stuff.  YUCK!

We got a light dusting of snow yesterday.  The boys played outside in it for an hour or two and had a great time.  Of course it wasn't enough snow to really do justice to football and hockey was totally out of the picture, but who cares?! 

Our power went off for about two hours yesterday.  We watched the transformer blow - very pretty, but scary!  Right afterward, the firemen came around in their firetruck just to check out the neighborhood and make sure everyone was fine.  I told the kids that is one of the reasons why its great to live in a small town.  People care.  When I called 911 when my dad went into his coma (way back in 2002) in our small town of Mustang (where we had lived for 20+ years), help came before I even hung up the phone.  And ALL the firemen, emts, and a lot of the police came.  You'd think we were having something happen that had injured several people - nope.  They all knew my dad and wanted to help out!  My dad died a few days afterwards and I remember seeing quite a few of those same guys at his funeral.  As much as I like moving around, I very much appreciate the benefits of planting roots in a small town. 

We watched The Miracle Worker on OETA (PBS) last night.  I hadn't seen it in many years and it was the first time for Bethany and Cody.  They really enjoyed the movie and for once in a week everyone wasn't counting in my dreams last night (we just finished inventory at Charlie's store), they were all signing to each other!  We had started learning ASL when Charlie first started losing his hearing, but once it leveled off, we stopped.  I have a feeling that there will be a request to pick back up on it now.

Well, the coffee Cody made is now ready and Dallas is chomping at the bit to go onto foxsports.com so I'd better sign off.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

Tuesday Evening

I'm so tired!  We've spent all day at Charlie's store helping count the inventory.  It looks like we'll have to be there at least tomorrow, if not Thursday as well.  At least they aren't expecting us to do it this weekend!  I'm hoping we get finished tomorrow so we can get back to our homeschooling.

We aren't going to go to Wichita this weekend, so I don't know when we'll be having Christmas with Charlie's family.  We're all still recovering from unexpected expenses from the ice storm, so it may be a week or two.  My family will be here on Christmas Eve but will have to go back sometime Christmas Day because everyone has to work the day after Christmas.  We don't buy presents, we make them, but we are so far behind this year, it isn't funny!  We may just have to give IOU's.

The weather's pretty nice, highs around 56 or so.  Much better than last week!  I'm ready for spring - who's with me?!  I like the snow - although we don't usually get much, if any, in Oklahoma.  I just wish we could have snow with warmer weather!  I know, I'm a baby.

Wishing warm thoughts......................................