If you remember, I made some big resolutions back at the beginning of the year. Since this is the last day of February, I thought I'd check my progress!
1) 365 Grateful
I haven't been doing this every day. I have been taking pictures, but I haven't been diligent. I'll post pictures from Feb. tomorrow. In the meantime, I've started a Gratitude Journal that I will be keeping throughout Lent. I've already decorated the front cover, and have already added two items to my journal.
2) Lose 10 pounds.
I lost 2 more this month. When you add that to January's stellar loss of 1 pound, that's 3 pounds that I'm down. Slow and steady wins the race, right? I have 7 more to reach my goal. It seems like a daunting task, but hey, I've already lost 3 pounds this year. That's progress!
3) Run
Way too cold. Way too snowy. I haven't been out... at all. The roads have just been too dangerous for me. I don't even know if I'll be able to finish the Color Run at this point.
4) Get out of Debt
Working on it. We've paid cash for every single thing we've bought this month. Even the new floor in our hallway. That was a cash purchase.
5) Finish Cleaning Out the Basement
Didn't even touch it this month. On the up side, I did lift up over 600 pounds of ceramic tile off of the floor, and hubby hauled it to the dump. I cleaned out (and am still sorting) items from the closets: the linen closet by the bathroom door and the coat closet by the front door. I found 10 pairs of outgrown boots. I've been trying to give them away to families we know who have kids before I haul them to Goodwill.
6) Finish Oldest Child's Quilt.
No progress was made. When we pulled up the tile in the hallway, we had to move the china cabinet. All of the china from the cabinet is now sitting on the table where I usually use my sewing machine.
7) Spend More Time With My Family
Done and Done. Lots of snow days. Lots of time with daughter this month. Middle child is home for the weekend, too. We are looking forward to a great weekend!
8) Finish Writing the Book I Keep Saying I'm Going to Write.
I edited and added pictures for two more chapters. Out of an original 12 planned chapters, I now have finished, edited, and "prettied up" 3 chapters.
9) Finish the Hallway Bathroom
Still saving money for this. Hope to have the work begun in June.
10) Get Back Into My Music
I'm still singing with the church choir, although I admit that getting to church no later than 7:30 on Sunday Morning is a bigger challenge than I originally thought it would be. The reward is that I get to go to Victor's Sunday School class after. He is an amazing teacher, and makes getting up early worth the effort.
Our director has been pulling lots of Gospel music. Two weeks ago, we sang "Order My Steps". We'll be singing another Gospel piece on Sunday.
How are you doing on your resolutions?
Friday, February 28, 2014
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Tales from the Classroom
The nicest thing about the better weather is that I've been able to get back into the classroom and see some of my favorite kids. As always, the kids are wonderful, and I have some wonderful tales to tell...
I was working with a reading group of 5 kids, and we were discussing what kinds of books they like to read. I heard "Scooby Doo", "Lego", "Junie B. Jones", and then, this little guy chimes in with "I like the ones that have pages in them. It's better if they have words on the pages, too."
A 7 year old and I were discussing the new terminology used in subtraction. You might remember it as "borrowing" or "regrouping". Right now, the kids are decomposing numbers. This young man had been working with his Dad the night before, and he was attempting to regroup the numbers, and he tells me "Now, back in the day, they used to..." I laughed so hard, I never heard the end of his sentence.
And this little gem, from another second grade friend. I'd been working with him in Special Ed. I dropped him off in his room and helped him get settled. As I stood up to leave, he looked at me and said "Bye, bye, sweetie, you have a great afternoon!"
There are days when working with the kids is wonderful!
I was working with a reading group of 5 kids, and we were discussing what kinds of books they like to read. I heard "Scooby Doo", "Lego", "Junie B. Jones", and then, this little guy chimes in with "I like the ones that have pages in them. It's better if they have words on the pages, too."
A 7 year old and I were discussing the new terminology used in subtraction. You might remember it as "borrowing" or "regrouping". Right now, the kids are decomposing numbers. This young man had been working with his Dad the night before, and he was attempting to regroup the numbers, and he tells me "Now, back in the day, they used to..." I laughed so hard, I never heard the end of his sentence.
And this little gem, from another second grade friend. I'd been working with him in Special Ed. I dropped him off in his room and helped him get settled. As I stood up to leave, he looked at me and said "Bye, bye, sweetie, you have a great afternoon!"
There are days when working with the kids is wonderful!
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
What does your garden grow?
We are very close to the first week in March. On Saint Patrick's Day, I will plant my peas, and soon after that, I'll start tossing some other cool weather veggies into the ground.
In the meantime, I've been perusing seed catalogs, the grocery store, and the nursery, looking for foods that my family will eat. It won't do me any good to plant stuff nobody will touch!
After much thought and deliberation, I've decided that this is what will be going in the ground this year:
Peas
Onions
Potatoes
Green Beans
Black Beans
Tomatoes: Plum, Cherokee, Siberian (all heirlooms)
Peppers: cowhorn (an heirloom), jalapeno, and I'll give the bell peppers another shot.
Celery (New to me. I've heard this one is tricky)
Summer Squash: Yellow, Zucchini, Patty Pan
Butternut Squash
Cantaloupe (New to me. I've heard this one grows very well in our area.)
Spinach
Lettuce
Swiss Chard
Sunflowers
I'm still debating another attempt at Sweet Potatoes. I tried them two years ago, and they were a miserable failure. I'm also debating beets. I really like them roasted, and I hear they are really good raw. I've also looked at Kohlrabi. Nifty little bulbs of awesomeness. They taste great in a stir fry. I'm not sure exactly how to describe them.
I already have:
Strawberries, and I did not move them in the fall! Rats. I'm going to try to move them this spring as soon as the ground is warm enough. They've spread all over the yard and really need a box of their own.
Blueberries, I need to trim back the branches. They didn't produce well last year, and it looks as if they have been overtaken by wild grapes. I may have to give up on the blueberries and stick with the grapes.
Grapes. These things grow like weeds. I need to give them an arbor to grow on, and tidy them up a little bit.
Garlic. Planted in the fall, harvest in early summer. The garlic scapes (where the flower bud is housed) will come up in early spring, and they need to be cut off so that the garlic bulb will plump up. Garlic scapes are tasty! They taste just like garlic, but look like a green onion stem. They don't taste quite as strong as a bulb of garlic will.
Rhubarb. It's an annual. It grows strong all summer long, and I cut off what I need, as I need it.
Asparagus. Love asparagus. It takes years to get a decent bed going, and then harvest only lasts a few weeks before they leaf out into ferns. (And by a few weeks, I mean two, maybe three, tops.)
Apple tree. One tree. I need to get out and trim it back soon - you know, like as soon as I can walk across the yard without sinking knee deep in mud.
Raspberries. Again, the canes really need to be trimmed back. The birds like to keep planting wild grapes in my raspberries, and it's a continual battle to see which of us will win-- the birds with their grapes, or me and my berries!
The last thing I'm debating is planting a tree or two. I attempted to plant almond trees a couple of years ago, but they both ended up dying. They really aren't native to Maryland. I'm not sure what I was thinking. I've been looking at pecan trees. There are varieties that will grow well in the fluctuating temperatures we have in Maryland. I've been researching them heavily this winter.
Last but not least, I've been looking at Meyer Lemon Trees. I'd have to pot it and bring it inside in the winter. It's a small tree, so it shouldn't be that hard. I just need to check and make certain that I have the determination to carry through with hauling that tree inside and out again twice a year.
What are you going to plant in your garden this year?
In the meantime, I've been perusing seed catalogs, the grocery store, and the nursery, looking for foods that my family will eat. It won't do me any good to plant stuff nobody will touch!
After much thought and deliberation, I've decided that this is what will be going in the ground this year:
Peas
Onions
Potatoes
Green Beans
Black Beans
Tomatoes: Plum, Cherokee, Siberian (all heirlooms)
Peppers: cowhorn (an heirloom), jalapeno, and I'll give the bell peppers another shot.
Celery (New to me. I've heard this one is tricky)
Summer Squash: Yellow, Zucchini, Patty Pan
Butternut Squash
Cantaloupe (New to me. I've heard this one grows very well in our area.)
Spinach
Lettuce
Swiss Chard
Sunflowers
I'm still debating another attempt at Sweet Potatoes. I tried them two years ago, and they were a miserable failure. I'm also debating beets. I really like them roasted, and I hear they are really good raw. I've also looked at Kohlrabi. Nifty little bulbs of awesomeness. They taste great in a stir fry. I'm not sure exactly how to describe them.
I already have:
Strawberries, and I did not move them in the fall! Rats. I'm going to try to move them this spring as soon as the ground is warm enough. They've spread all over the yard and really need a box of their own.
Blueberries, I need to trim back the branches. They didn't produce well last year, and it looks as if they have been overtaken by wild grapes. I may have to give up on the blueberries and stick with the grapes.
Grapes. These things grow like weeds. I need to give them an arbor to grow on, and tidy them up a little bit.
Garlic. Planted in the fall, harvest in early summer. The garlic scapes (where the flower bud is housed) will come up in early spring, and they need to be cut off so that the garlic bulb will plump up. Garlic scapes are tasty! They taste just like garlic, but look like a green onion stem. They don't taste quite as strong as a bulb of garlic will.
Rhubarb. It's an annual. It grows strong all summer long, and I cut off what I need, as I need it.
Asparagus. Love asparagus. It takes years to get a decent bed going, and then harvest only lasts a few weeks before they leaf out into ferns. (And by a few weeks, I mean two, maybe three, tops.)
Apple tree. One tree. I need to get out and trim it back soon - you know, like as soon as I can walk across the yard without sinking knee deep in mud.
Raspberries. Again, the canes really need to be trimmed back. The birds like to keep planting wild grapes in my raspberries, and it's a continual battle to see which of us will win-- the birds with their grapes, or me and my berries!
The last thing I'm debating is planting a tree or two. I attempted to plant almond trees a couple of years ago, but they both ended up dying. They really aren't native to Maryland. I'm not sure what I was thinking. I've been looking at pecan trees. There are varieties that will grow well in the fluctuating temperatures we have in Maryland. I've been researching them heavily this winter.
Last but not least, I've been looking at Meyer Lemon Trees. I'd have to pot it and bring it inside in the winter. It's a small tree, so it shouldn't be that hard. I just need to check and make certain that I have the determination to carry through with hauling that tree inside and out again twice a year.
What are you going to plant in your garden this year?
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Police Search For Suspect In Fatal Road Rage Case « CBS Baltimore
I'm including a link to a news story about a young man who was killed on the way home a couple of months ago. He was chased by someone in a black truck, who then ran the man off of the road, got out of the car, and shot him multiple times.
Police Search For Suspect In Fatal Road Rage Case « CBS Baltimore
Please share the story far and wide. This person needs to be found before he kills again.
On a side note, this young man grew up down the street from a friend of mine. She is friends with the family, and his death left a community devastated. Any information at all would be appreciated.
Police Search For Suspect In Fatal Road Rage Case « CBS Baltimore
Please share the story far and wide. This person needs to be found before he kills again.
On a side note, this young man grew up down the street from a friend of mine. She is friends with the family, and his death left a community devastated. Any information at all would be appreciated.
Monday, February 24, 2014
My Accomplishments
What a weekend! I went on a retreat with the women from our church! Lots of fun, lots of laughter, and lots of Bible study. I came home yesterday afternoon feeling rejuvenated and as if I could tackle anything that is out there.
I have to share one funny story- we stayed in a retreat center. My bed was an interesting one. You know how beds can get those big, concave lumps where people have slept or sat a lot over time?
My bed had the concave hollows on either edge of the bed. They were significant hollows. It was a double bed, and there was a tiny space down the middle that was firm, and provided enough support to almost sleep.
The only problem was that every time I rolled over, I would hit the edge of the hollow, slide and "bonk"... I was on the floor.
Then, I was wide awake. Since I was up, I'd start the entire bedtime routine over again, take a drink of water, go to the bathroom, lay back down, start to fall asleep, roll over onto my side and "whump" - I was on the floor once again.
It made for an interesting night!
I spent Weds. of last week at a legislative advocacy day with our denomination. I enjoyed meeting other people of the same faith. I met the Bishop of our conference. That man is an astounding public speaker. I don't often enjoy listening to people speak, but I could have listened to him all day long!
I was assigned to a group that approached a legislator about our issue. I enjoyed speaking with the legislator, and hearing his thoughts. While we will never be able to change one legislators mind on an issue in a 10 minute meeting, we can present the church's stance on the issue, and listen to his thoughts. We met with a very well spoken legislator who had given serious thought to the issue, but had not yet made up his mind about what would best represent the views of his constituents. It's an exhilarating day, and a unique opportunity to participate in the democracy in which we live.
I substituted two days this past week. Not as many days as I wanted, but it's actually good news, because the weather has improved enough that we were able to have school again.
My meals were provided on the retreat. Not too sure what husband and daughter did while I was gone, not too sure I want to know.
I cooked from scratch every day I was home. Again, not too sure what husband and daughter did over the weekend, not too sure I want to know!
Husband is working on the new floor in the hallway. It's a beautiful laminate. It's been a week since he started on it, and he's making progress. The end of the hallway down by the bathroom is tricky, as the hallway narrows significantly and quickly before it dead ends in a linen closet.
I made a huge batch of taco seasoning from scratch. I store it in an old spice container. Since I make it myself, I know that there is no salt in the seasoning, and there are no "extra" ingredients added to prevent clumping or whatever reasoning they have for adding some of those questionable ingredients.
You can find the recipe for the taco seasoning mix that I use: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/taco-seasoning-i/. All Recipes has several other taco seasoning mixes listed. This one is my particular favorite.
I'm getting the list together for a major grocery run on Friday or Saturday. I would like to plan for groceries for a month out, but since daughter is a vegetarian, I do need to shop for veggies a couple of times a week until the farmer's markets open back up again at the end of March. For now, I'm going to do the big run this week, and then I'll make stops at the store once or twice a week after that to pick up more veggies for her. We do try to eat what's in season, right now, that means we are eating a lot of the big "winter" squash. They are good, but I'm ready for some fresh lettuce!
It's chilly here in the Mid-Atlantic, but at least we didn't have any new snow on the ground overnight! We're still heating our house with both electric heat and the wood stove. We're quickly getting to the point where I'm going to heat solely with wood and turn the electricity off. We're supposed to have a return of an arctic air mass this week. Once it blows itself out, then I'll turn the electric heat off and heat solely with wood.
Have a great week!
I have to share one funny story- we stayed in a retreat center. My bed was an interesting one. You know how beds can get those big, concave lumps where people have slept or sat a lot over time?
My bed had the concave hollows on either edge of the bed. They were significant hollows. It was a double bed, and there was a tiny space down the middle that was firm, and provided enough support to almost sleep.
The only problem was that every time I rolled over, I would hit the edge of the hollow, slide and "bonk"... I was on the floor.
Then, I was wide awake. Since I was up, I'd start the entire bedtime routine over again, take a drink of water, go to the bathroom, lay back down, start to fall asleep, roll over onto my side and "whump" - I was on the floor once again.
It made for an interesting night!
I spent Weds. of last week at a legislative advocacy day with our denomination. I enjoyed meeting other people of the same faith. I met the Bishop of our conference. That man is an astounding public speaker. I don't often enjoy listening to people speak, but I could have listened to him all day long!
I was assigned to a group that approached a legislator about our issue. I enjoyed speaking with the legislator, and hearing his thoughts. While we will never be able to change one legislators mind on an issue in a 10 minute meeting, we can present the church's stance on the issue, and listen to his thoughts. We met with a very well spoken legislator who had given serious thought to the issue, but had not yet made up his mind about what would best represent the views of his constituents. It's an exhilarating day, and a unique opportunity to participate in the democracy in which we live.
I substituted two days this past week. Not as many days as I wanted, but it's actually good news, because the weather has improved enough that we were able to have school again.
My meals were provided on the retreat. Not too sure what husband and daughter did while I was gone, not too sure I want to know.
I cooked from scratch every day I was home. Again, not too sure what husband and daughter did over the weekend, not too sure I want to know!
Husband is working on the new floor in the hallway. It's a beautiful laminate. It's been a week since he started on it, and he's making progress. The end of the hallway down by the bathroom is tricky, as the hallway narrows significantly and quickly before it dead ends in a linen closet.
I made a huge batch of taco seasoning from scratch. I store it in an old spice container. Since I make it myself, I know that there is no salt in the seasoning, and there are no "extra" ingredients added to prevent clumping or whatever reasoning they have for adding some of those questionable ingredients.
You can find the recipe for the taco seasoning mix that I use: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/taco-seasoning-i/. All Recipes has several other taco seasoning mixes listed. This one is my particular favorite.
I'm getting the list together for a major grocery run on Friday or Saturday. I would like to plan for groceries for a month out, but since daughter is a vegetarian, I do need to shop for veggies a couple of times a week until the farmer's markets open back up again at the end of March. For now, I'm going to do the big run this week, and then I'll make stops at the store once or twice a week after that to pick up more veggies for her. We do try to eat what's in season, right now, that means we are eating a lot of the big "winter" squash. They are good, but I'm ready for some fresh lettuce!
It's chilly here in the Mid-Atlantic, but at least we didn't have any new snow on the ground overnight! We're still heating our house with both electric heat and the wood stove. We're quickly getting to the point where I'm going to heat solely with wood and turn the electricity off. We're supposed to have a return of an arctic air mass this week. Once it blows itself out, then I'll turn the electric heat off and heat solely with wood.
Have a great week!
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Pictures from Annapolis
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| A canon from the Oyster Wars inside of the House Office Building. Sure, we can't bring metal into the building, but they have a honking big canon stashed just inside of the front door. |
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| The State House. I'm standing on the street between the office buildings. |
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| The dock in Annapolis. Look! There's still ice in the water! |
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| More of the dock. |
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| A seagull, standing on the ice in the water. |
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
My Accomplishments
It's been an interesting week! Since we've been snowbound for most of the past week, virtually no money has been spent. I haven't been to the grocery store in almost two weeks, but I did manage a quick trip to the library for books and DVD's before the last storm hit!
1) We are replacing the floor in the hallway. We paid $250 for a laminate flooring, and tore out the old tile ourselves. We paid $40 when we dropped the tile off at the landfill. So, for a new floor in the hall and entryway in our house, we are going to pay less than $300. The bigger question you are asking yourself is, "How do you know how to replace a floor?". Ahh.... two things. One, we have a book "Flooring 1 - 2 - 3" that we bought from Home Depot and use as a reference. Two, we have been volunteering for Habitat for Humanity and Christmas in April since we were in college. One great thing about this? You walk into a build site with only the ability to paint a wall or hammer a nail. Over time, the contractors who volunteer their time pull people to work with them, and train them how to do a different job. So, over time, you pick up a wonderful skill set of handy skills that serve you well in real life. That's one of the perks of volunteering that nobody ever mentions!
2) Cooked every meal (except on Valentine's Day) from scratch. I found a wonderful recipe for Moroccan Chick Pea Stew that was totally awesome! At this moment in time, the link isn't working, as their server is down! As soon as their server comes back up again, I'll post the active link!
3) We checked out the first four doctors (Doctor Who) from the library before the snow hit. You know, you forget about how bad the original set design was until you go back and watch. Of course, the first Doctor was broadcast in black and white, and the sets were cutting edge for the time! I found a spice packet for Bangers and Mash, and another one for Custard, the last time I was at the grocery store. They were on the clearance rack, for $1 each, so I picked them up and we enjoyed an interesting variation on an English feast while watching the Doctor on Friday night.
4) One of the bad things about tearing out the floor is that I had to empty out two hall closets. There was a lot of crap in those closets. I'm still sorting through everything I pulled out of them. It looks as if I'm going to have another big run to Goodwill in the not to distant future.
5) I finished our income taxes. It's been an experience! Even though we use the software, it's still entirely too much time spent digging through little pieces of paper, attempting to track down the correct information. I'm glad that this job is over for another year!
6) I finished and mailed out the shawl that had been custom ordered from my Etsy shop. She had chosen a beautiful color, I really loved the finished product! It was beautiful!
7) I registered to take the PRAXIS subject exam in Special Education. I really do feel pulled to work with Special Education, and the first step to doing this full time is to get the endorsement on my certificate. I'll be taking it on the computer, in a testing center in April. Time to start studying!
8) I cleaned out my car!
I won't be posting tomorrow- I am attending a legislative advocacy day in conjunction with the United Methodist Women tomorrow. We are going to be learning more about pending legislation relating to Domestic Violence, and then we are going to meet with several representatives to discuss the legislation. I'll post the story about my day on Thursday. I love this day... I get to see our democracy in action, meet with our elected representatives, and find out more about a critical issue.
What did you accomplish this past week?
1) We are replacing the floor in the hallway. We paid $250 for a laminate flooring, and tore out the old tile ourselves. We paid $40 when we dropped the tile off at the landfill. So, for a new floor in the hall and entryway in our house, we are going to pay less than $300. The bigger question you are asking yourself is, "How do you know how to replace a floor?". Ahh.... two things. One, we have a book "Flooring 1 - 2 - 3" that we bought from Home Depot and use as a reference. Two, we have been volunteering for Habitat for Humanity and Christmas in April since we were in college. One great thing about this? You walk into a build site with only the ability to paint a wall or hammer a nail. Over time, the contractors who volunteer their time pull people to work with them, and train them how to do a different job. So, over time, you pick up a wonderful skill set of handy skills that serve you well in real life. That's one of the perks of volunteering that nobody ever mentions!
2) Cooked every meal (except on Valentine's Day) from scratch. I found a wonderful recipe for Moroccan Chick Pea Stew that was totally awesome! At this moment in time, the link isn't working, as their server is down! As soon as their server comes back up again, I'll post the active link!
3) We checked out the first four doctors (Doctor Who) from the library before the snow hit. You know, you forget about how bad the original set design was until you go back and watch. Of course, the first Doctor was broadcast in black and white, and the sets were cutting edge for the time! I found a spice packet for Bangers and Mash, and another one for Custard, the last time I was at the grocery store. They were on the clearance rack, for $1 each, so I picked them up and we enjoyed an interesting variation on an English feast while watching the Doctor on Friday night.
4) One of the bad things about tearing out the floor is that I had to empty out two hall closets. There was a lot of crap in those closets. I'm still sorting through everything I pulled out of them. It looks as if I'm going to have another big run to Goodwill in the not to distant future.
5) I finished our income taxes. It's been an experience! Even though we use the software, it's still entirely too much time spent digging through little pieces of paper, attempting to track down the correct information. I'm glad that this job is over for another year!
6) I finished and mailed out the shawl that had been custom ordered from my Etsy shop. She had chosen a beautiful color, I really loved the finished product! It was beautiful!
7) I registered to take the PRAXIS subject exam in Special Education. I really do feel pulled to work with Special Education, and the first step to doing this full time is to get the endorsement on my certificate. I'll be taking it on the computer, in a testing center in April. Time to start studying!
8) I cleaned out my car!
I won't be posting tomorrow- I am attending a legislative advocacy day in conjunction with the United Methodist Women tomorrow. We are going to be learning more about pending legislation relating to Domestic Violence, and then we are going to meet with several representatives to discuss the legislation. I'll post the story about my day on Thursday. I love this day... I get to see our democracy in action, meet with our elected representatives, and find out more about a critical issue.
What did you accomplish this past week?
Monday, February 17, 2014
Stardate 2.17.2014
Captain's Log:
Weather is a brisk 18* F today. We have broken through the snow bank at the end of the driveway. Vehicles have sallied forth and the residents are no longer snow bound!
600 pounds of ceramic tile fell victim to our cabin fever. With the liberation of the driveway, we have taken the victim to the landfill.
Yesterday was a day of measurement and more cleaning. The dust from the grout is everywhere. We have vacuumed again and again to get the dust up off of the floor. Measurements were taken not once, but twice, and a plan has been adapted for the layout of the new floor.
The table saw has been liberated from the garage, and is now on the carport, serving valiantly in the battle against cabin fever.
More snow is expected overnight.
The crown molding at Home Depot has begun it's siren call...
Weather is a brisk 18* F today. We have broken through the snow bank at the end of the driveway. Vehicles have sallied forth and the residents are no longer snow bound!
600 pounds of ceramic tile fell victim to our cabin fever. With the liberation of the driveway, we have taken the victim to the landfill.
Yesterday was a day of measurement and more cleaning. The dust from the grout is everywhere. We have vacuumed again and again to get the dust up off of the floor. Measurements were taken not once, but twice, and a plan has been adapted for the layout of the new floor.
The table saw has been liberated from the garage, and is now on the carport, serving valiantly in the battle against cabin fever.
More snow is expected overnight.
The crown molding at Home Depot has begun it's siren call...
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Stardate 2.15.2014
Captains Log
It is snowing again.
This marks day 3 of the enforced confinement brought on by the snowstorm.
Thursday began the confinement with 20 inches of snow falling in a 24 hour period. The streets were impassable.
Friday was bright and sunny, however, the equipment necessary to liberate the inhabitants of this particular establishment did not appear until late Friday afternoon.
This morning, more snow began falling, conditions quickly deteriorated, and the inhabitants were forced once again to remain in confinement.
Cabin fever is beginning to set in.
The terra cotta ceramic tile floor in the hallway that has been loosing tiles over the last 8 years is the latest victim of this cabin fever. This floor has been a problem for every so often, as you walk along, you will hear a crunch, look down, and realize that another tile has broken underfoot.
Thursday, I decided that this madness must end.
I began pulling up tiles - both the offensive ones that had pulled up or broken, and the innocent ones that were still attached to the floor.
By the end of the day on Thursday, I had pulled up the tiles from the entire hallway. This includes the entry hall from the front door, back to the bedroom doors.
Friday, I decided that since the floor was pulled up, I should paint the ceilings and trim. I also touched up the paint on the walls.
Last night, husband and I hauled the tile out to the van.
This morning, I have spent hours sweeping and vacuuming the floor, in a futile attempt to pick up the last of the dirt and grit off of the floor before we attempt to lay the new floor.
Husband has been battling valiantly to clear the driveway enough to end our enforced confinement.
It is snowing again.
This marks day 3 of the enforced confinement brought on by the snowstorm.
Thursday began the confinement with 20 inches of snow falling in a 24 hour period. The streets were impassable.
Friday was bright and sunny, however, the equipment necessary to liberate the inhabitants of this particular establishment did not appear until late Friday afternoon.
This morning, more snow began falling, conditions quickly deteriorated, and the inhabitants were forced once again to remain in confinement.
Cabin fever is beginning to set in.
The terra cotta ceramic tile floor in the hallway that has been loosing tiles over the last 8 years is the latest victim of this cabin fever. This floor has been a problem for every so often, as you walk along, you will hear a crunch, look down, and realize that another tile has broken underfoot.
Thursday, I decided that this madness must end.
I began pulling up tiles - both the offensive ones that had pulled up or broken, and the innocent ones that were still attached to the floor.
By the end of the day on Thursday, I had pulled up the tiles from the entire hallway. This includes the entry hall from the front door, back to the bedroom doors.
Friday, I decided that since the floor was pulled up, I should paint the ceilings and trim. I also touched up the paint on the walls.
Last night, husband and I hauled the tile out to the van.
This morning, I have spent hours sweeping and vacuuming the floor, in a futile attempt to pick up the last of the dirt and grit off of the floor before we attempt to lay the new floor.
Husband has been battling valiantly to clear the driveway enough to end our enforced confinement.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
When the Electricity Goes Out
True story. We had this conversation at school yesterday during lunch.
One of the interns had been without power for 3 days during the last ice storm.
She was talking about all of the hardships they'd suffered, and then, she said this:
We tried to flush our toilets first thing in the morning, and they didn't flush.
We called a plumber who came out to the house, took one look around and told us our power was out.
My Dad said "Yes, we know, but our plumbing isn't working."
The plumber said again "Your power is out."
Dad got a little mad at this point and said something else to the plumber who replied "You're on a well, aren't you? Wells require power to work. How else do you think that water comes up out of the ground?"
We asked if the plumber had charged for the call, but she told us he didn't. She said he just walked out to his truck, shaking his head.
Someone asked her how long they had lived on a well?
"All my life. But, we're from California. Wells out there are different. They don't require electricity to run."
There was dead silence in the room as all of the teachers stared at one another, unsure of what to say, or how to say it without offending her.
The teacher sitting next to me and leaned over and whispered: "I think we've left a child behind."
One of the interns had been without power for 3 days during the last ice storm.
She was talking about all of the hardships they'd suffered, and then, she said this:
We tried to flush our toilets first thing in the morning, and they didn't flush.
We called a plumber who came out to the house, took one look around and told us our power was out.
My Dad said "Yes, we know, but our plumbing isn't working."
The plumber said again "Your power is out."
Dad got a little mad at this point and said something else to the plumber who replied "You're on a well, aren't you? Wells require power to work. How else do you think that water comes up out of the ground?"
We asked if the plumber had charged for the call, but she told us he didn't. She said he just walked out to his truck, shaking his head.
Someone asked her how long they had lived on a well?
"All my life. But, we're from California. Wells out there are different. They don't require electricity to run."
There was dead silence in the room as all of the teachers stared at one another, unsure of what to say, or how to say it without offending her.
The teacher sitting next to me and leaned over and whispered: "I think we've left a child behind."
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
You Know...
I grew up in the Mid-West. Ohio, Illinois, and Oklahoma. We had Snow - with a capital "S" when I was growing up. I remember snow that came up above the roof of our one story house in Ohio. I remember when we lost power - but it really didn't matter that much because the snow came well up past the halfway point on our house - and insulated the house from the worst of the cold. I remember being able to open my window and grab a handful of snow to throw a quick snowball at my sister - inside of the house.
Snow and winter in the mid-west is different than snow in the Mid-Atlantic.
In the Mid-Atlantic, we typically get snow once or twice a year. We'll have flurries on other days, but everything comes to a screeching halt when snow is in the forecast. I usually laugh and carry on, and I enjoy the weather.
I revel in snow days. It's a chance to enjoy the snow, and a great opportunity to spend time together as a family. We bake, we play games, we go sledding. In general, we have a ball.
A couple of years ago, we had Snowmaggedon - a series of winter storms that dumped a bunch of snow on us. We missed well over a week of school, and had a ball hanging out together, watching old movies, and reading. It was great!
And now, the weather forecast for the next few days is coming out...
Wow.
I'm quoting directly from Foot's Forecast here:
LEFT: Latest precipitation projections show 1.0-2.5 inches of liquid stretch from Louisiana to Maine for the period Tue 2/11 to Sun 2/16, suggesting a possible subtropical moisture feed (known as an "atmospheric river") may be a factor this storm's outcome.
Preliminary reports are coming in with the words "significant impact".
This is going to be awesome!
Bring it on!
Snow and winter in the mid-west is different than snow in the Mid-Atlantic.
In the Mid-Atlantic, we typically get snow once or twice a year. We'll have flurries on other days, but everything comes to a screeching halt when snow is in the forecast. I usually laugh and carry on, and I enjoy the weather.
I revel in snow days. It's a chance to enjoy the snow, and a great opportunity to spend time together as a family. We bake, we play games, we go sledding. In general, we have a ball.
A couple of years ago, we had Snowmaggedon - a series of winter storms that dumped a bunch of snow on us. We missed well over a week of school, and had a ball hanging out together, watching old movies, and reading. It was great!
And now, the weather forecast for the next few days is coming out...
 |
| image: http://www.footsforecast.org/ |
I'm quoting directly from Foot's Forecast here:
LEFT: Latest precipitation projections show 1.0-2.5 inches of liquid stretch from Louisiana to Maine for the period Tue 2/11 to Sun 2/16, suggesting a possible subtropical moisture feed (known as an "atmospheric river") may be a factor this storm's outcome.
Preliminary reports are coming in with the words "significant impact".
This is going to be awesome!
Bring it on!
Monday, February 10, 2014
My Accomplishments
This past week was very productive!
Because of the snow and ice, I had no jobs outside of the house, but I got a lot done inside!
1) I stewed up a bunch of pumpkin and froze it in portions for pumpkin bread and pumpkin muffins.
I don't can pumpkin- the FDA advises against this, as it can harbor bad bacteria even after it's been processed.
2) Celery was on sale at the grocery store. I bought a lot of it, cut it down, and flash froze it on cookie sheets. Another staple, frozen and ready to use later.
3) I finished the shawl I've been working on and mailed it out.
4) We didn't get the branches in the back yard cut up. Instead, we helped cut down branches that had fallen off of several of the trees at the church. We split the wood with the other family that showed up to clean up the deadfall Saturday morning.
5) We had no meals out this past week. Every meal was cooked from scratch. Chili, vegetable soup, veggie stir fry, and baked potatoes were among the items on our menu. I made a couple of batches of gluten free muffins, and gluten free waffles.
6) I attempted to make a loaf of gluten free bread from scratch this week. It's still not the final product I want, but it was more edible. I've finally figured out how to make decent gluten free muffins, pizza crust, and waffles. I still need to figure out the magic behind the bread. I'll be doing a little more trial and error!
7) Even though it was cold and frozen outside, I used the indoor clothesline to line dry our clothes. Not only did they not use any electricity to dry, the extra humidity from the drying clothes made the house a little more comfortable.
8) I renewed my teaching certificate. Not only does it keep my options open should I ever need a teaching job, it translates into $25 extra for every day I work. Pretty nice payback for keeping my certification current!
Because of the snow and ice, I had no jobs outside of the house, but I got a lot done inside!
1) I stewed up a bunch of pumpkin and froze it in portions for pumpkin bread and pumpkin muffins.
I don't can pumpkin- the FDA advises against this, as it can harbor bad bacteria even after it's been processed.
2) Celery was on sale at the grocery store. I bought a lot of it, cut it down, and flash froze it on cookie sheets. Another staple, frozen and ready to use later.
3) I finished the shawl I've been working on and mailed it out.
4) We didn't get the branches in the back yard cut up. Instead, we helped cut down branches that had fallen off of several of the trees at the church. We split the wood with the other family that showed up to clean up the deadfall Saturday morning.
5) We had no meals out this past week. Every meal was cooked from scratch. Chili, vegetable soup, veggie stir fry, and baked potatoes were among the items on our menu. I made a couple of batches of gluten free muffins, and gluten free waffles.
6) I attempted to make a loaf of gluten free bread from scratch this week. It's still not the final product I want, but it was more edible. I've finally figured out how to make decent gluten free muffins, pizza crust, and waffles. I still need to figure out the magic behind the bread. I'll be doing a little more trial and error!
7) Even though it was cold and frozen outside, I used the indoor clothesline to line dry our clothes. Not only did they not use any electricity to dry, the extra humidity from the drying clothes made the house a little more comfortable.
8) I renewed my teaching certificate. Not only does it keep my options open should I ever need a teaching job, it translates into $25 extra for every day I work. Pretty nice payback for keeping my certification current!
9) I've managed to get some form of exercise every day this week. Important for my health, difficult to do in this weather.
10) I got my blood work done. Good to know that my numbers are right where they should be, better to know my doctor has baseline data on where my numbers are now.
What did you accomplish this week?
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Stewing Pumpkins
Because of the weather, I've been at home more than usual this week.
I had a few pumpkins stored away that I needed to deal with.
There are two kinds of pumpkins. There are the big Jack O Lantern pumpkins that we see in October, gracing the front porches of homes and businesses everywhere.
Then, there are the smaller pie pumpkins. These little gems are smaller. I grow these in my yard, but I've picked them up at farm stands for a dollar or less.
These pumpkins are virtual powerhouses as far as stretching food goes.
Not only can the seeds be roasted and eaten, but the pumpkin itself is full of nutrient rich goodness that will keep you healthy and can be used in foods ranging from bread to soup!
Traditionally, I've cut up my pumpkins and roasted them in the oven.
This week, I decided to toss them in my crock pot to see if the job could be done more efficiently.
First, I washed the outside of the pumpkins well. They've been sitting in storage for months now, and they are dusty.
Next, I cut them down into smaller pieces. I saved the seeds in a colander so that I could clean them out and roast them later.
Finally, I put the pieces, rind side up into the slow cooker. I covered the bottom of the pot with an inch or so of water, put the pot on low, and checked it every once in a while to see when they were finished, as well as to make certain that we didn't run out of water and burn a pot of pumpkin!
4 hours later, I ended up with a wonderful pot of stewed pumpkin.
I pulled the pumpkin away from the rind, mashed the pumpkin with the potato masher, and threw the rinds onto the compost pile.
I used a cookie sheet for the mashed pumpkin. Using an ice cream scoop, I put a large scoops of pumpkin on the cookie sheet. I froze the pumpkin on the cookie sheet in the freezer. Once it was completely frozen, I popped the scoops off of the cookie sheet and into a freezer bag. I have a half cup of pumpkin in each scoop. Most of my bread and muffin recipes call for 1 cup of pumpkin. When I need it, I can pull out two scoops of pumpkin, give them a quick shot of heat in the microwave to defrost them, and then add them to my recipe.
I used a potato masher for this because I enjoy doing things the old fashioned way. I've also used a food mill and a blender to process my pumpkin. You could also use a fork. The pumpkin is very soft at this point - like a very ripe banana. It's easy to mash! You gotta work with the tools you have on hand! Don't go out and buy something to process pumpkin - that kind of defeats the whole purpose of cooking from scratch to save money!
I smell pumpkin bread in my future!
I had a few pumpkins stored away that I needed to deal with.
There are two kinds of pumpkins. There are the big Jack O Lantern pumpkins that we see in October, gracing the front porches of homes and businesses everywhere.
Then, there are the smaller pie pumpkins. These little gems are smaller. I grow these in my yard, but I've picked them up at farm stands for a dollar or less.
These pumpkins are virtual powerhouses as far as stretching food goes.
Not only can the seeds be roasted and eaten, but the pumpkin itself is full of nutrient rich goodness that will keep you healthy and can be used in foods ranging from bread to soup!
Traditionally, I've cut up my pumpkins and roasted them in the oven.
This week, I decided to toss them in my crock pot to see if the job could be done more efficiently.
First, I washed the outside of the pumpkins well. They've been sitting in storage for months now, and they are dusty.
Next, I cut them down into smaller pieces. I saved the seeds in a colander so that I could clean them out and roast them later.
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| Pumpkin cut in half. The seeds and pulp will get scooped out first. |
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| Scooped and cut into smaller pieces. This is about the size of pumpkin I used. If I'd needed more space in my crock pot, I would have cut these pieces in half. |
Finally, I put the pieces, rind side up into the slow cooker. I covered the bottom of the pot with an inch or so of water, put the pot on low, and checked it every once in a while to see when they were finished, as well as to make certain that we didn't run out of water and burn a pot of pumpkin!
 |
| In the slow cooker. The pumpkin rinds are facing up, so the heart of the pumpkin will get steamed with the water. |
4 hours later, I ended up with a wonderful pot of stewed pumpkin.
I pulled the pumpkin away from the rind, mashed the pumpkin with the potato masher, and threw the rinds onto the compost pile.
I used a cookie sheet for the mashed pumpkin. Using an ice cream scoop, I put a large scoops of pumpkin on the cookie sheet. I froze the pumpkin on the cookie sheet in the freezer. Once it was completely frozen, I popped the scoops off of the cookie sheet and into a freezer bag. I have a half cup of pumpkin in each scoop. Most of my bread and muffin recipes call for 1 cup of pumpkin. When I need it, I can pull out two scoops of pumpkin, give them a quick shot of heat in the microwave to defrost them, and then add them to my recipe.
I used a potato masher for this because I enjoy doing things the old fashioned way. I've also used a food mill and a blender to process my pumpkin. You could also use a fork. The pumpkin is very soft at this point - like a very ripe banana. It's easy to mash! You gotta work with the tools you have on hand! Don't go out and buy something to process pumpkin - that kind of defeats the whole purpose of cooking from scratch to save money!
I smell pumpkin bread in my future!
Thursday, February 6, 2014
In the Aftermath of an Ice Storm
The East Coast was hit with a massive snow and ice storm yesterday. Here in our neck of the woods, we saw ice. Lots of ice. Preliminary estimates are coming in at 0.5 inches. Half an inch of ice doesn't seem like enough, but it's enough to bring trees down - on power lines, houses, and cars.
Our neighborhood was fortunate. We live in an old subdivision. (As in 50 years old.) The neighborhoods around us have been in place for 20 years or less. I believe we are on a different circuit than the new neighborhoods, as we usually have power even when they lose power. Even though our lights blinked on and off yesterday, we never once lost power. There are some advantages to living in an older neighborhood!
The big disadvantage to living in an old neighborhood? Our trees are big. They are very big. They are old. And they fell. Yesterday morning, I awoke to the huge flash of light that was a transformer exploding somewhere. (5:30 am) Not sure how long our power was going to last, I hopped into the shower and then moved to an area of the house that would not be impacted should a tree fall down.
I went outside around 7 to take a look at the damage, and I could hear the sounds of tree branches cracking, breaking, and ripping followed by a loud "thud" as the branch hit the ground. I watched as the neighbor down the street from us lost all of the trees in his yard in a 3 minute period. Rip, crash, smash, branch after branch came down, and then the trees themselves split down the middle to the ground.
We could still get in and out of our neighborhood to the main road yesterday, but most of the streets to the neighborhoods were blocked with downed trees. As soon as the ice stopped falling, people were out in our neighborhood with chain saws. Since most of us use wood stoves to heat their houses, the wood was quickly cut down and added to woodpiles for next season.
Unfortunately, the damage north of us was significant. Daughter and I drove up there this morning and had our breath taken away by the damage. An entire Christmas Tree farm was wiped out. The trees were destroyed by the ice. A big wooded area close to the road had lost most of the old growth trees. Live power lines were still down, and road crews and police officers were manning the ends of the roads, keeping people from venturing down the road. Power is still out in large chunks of the county, and most of our schools are without power. Those schools that have power are being used as shelters. SO, we had no school today, I'm not sure if we will have school tomorrow or not. The kids have been to school one day this week - Tuesday - and they went in as a 2 hour delay.
I've heard that those who are without power up North of us have moved food outdoors - to the north side of their house and buried it in the snow. Some have put their milk and orange juice into their snowy bushes on the North Side of the house to keep it cool.
Remember I had said yesterday that I had filled my freezer with water containers filled with water? The purpose was to keep the freezer as cold as possible so that I wouldn't face this situation. We also have a generator that we can run every so often in order to keep a freezer full of frozen food cold. I think I would be worried about critters breaking into my food supply outdoors, buried in the snow. I'd have my food in a cooler, filled with snow if it were me. With all of the snow and ice, the critters are starved, and just a tarp or the packaging is not going to stop a hungry animal from digging into my food.
One last thought about ice storms. We do have a grill and a propane stove. We have a sheltered area outdoors where we cook. It has a little roof so that we can use it in inclement weather. We've used it before when the power has been out. We went to the trouble to make it sheltered and with a roof so that we could cook outdoors. Cooking indoors on a propane stove is bad. When you cook with propane, (or kerosene), you build up carbon monoxide in your house Carbon Monoxide kills. If you are without power, and need to cook, DO IT OUTSIDE.
Be safe!
A few pictures from our ice storm:
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| This tree is old. I'm not sure how old, but we're estimating close to 100. It's been here since this neighborhood was farmland. This tree was one of those trees that the farmer plowed around. I took this picture at daybreak on Weds, a couple of hours after the storm had started. You can already see the branches starting to pile up under the tree. |
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| Icicles on the clothesline. |
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| The berry bush in front of my house. |
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| This is my tree this morning. Take a look back at yesterday's picture and today's picture. There's a lot less of the tree up in the air. Look at those branches on the ground around the tree. |
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| Branches on the ground. You can't see it, but there are still several more, dangling overhead that have not yet dropped. |
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| This was a big branch. I'm 5'5" tall, and this branch is a good 6 or more inches higher than I am. |
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| That birdhouse was up on a post under the tree branch on Tuesday. Compare my hand to the size of the branch. That was a big branch. When we cut the branch down this weekend, I want to count the rings and see how old that branch was, so I can get a better idea of how old the tree is. |
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| A better view of the branch, looking up towards the end from where I was standing by the split. |
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Preparing for an Ice Storm
It's 6:10 am here, and we have had ice falling all night long.
I hate ice. It's dangerous.
Yesterday, I dropped daughter off at school and then ran a couple of errands. I ran to the grocery store and picked up some extra non-perishable canned foods and a few more bottles of water in case if we ran out of power.
I filled the car with gas.
When I returned home, we had a half cord of wood sitting in the driveway. We spent last night moving the wood up under the carport. If our power goes out, at least we'll have a way of keeping the house warm! Even better, the wood is up under the carport, so it is dry.
All of our electronics have been charged and are still charging. Cell phones, laptops, Kindles, Nooks, everything has been and is being charged.
For dinner last night, I made two huge pots of chili. If the power goes out, we will have some cooked chili that we can heat up on the woodstove for dinner.
I have the rechargeable, hand cranked lantern ready to go. Once the sun comes up, we'll have some kind of light. I'd rather not pull the candles or the lantern out until tonight, if the power is out.
Even as I write this, our power keeps blanking in and out. I have heard the explosions as transformers in the area are exploding. I am curious how long we are going to keep power, and if it does go out, how long we stay out.
Oh- one last thing I did last night... I filled a whole bunch of water bottles with water and stuck them in the big freezer. All of the empty spaces are filled with water bottles. So, if our power goes out and I keep from opening the freezer, the food in there should remain good for quite some time.
The ice chest in the kitchen is on standby, too, ready to accept the stuff from our fridge, if need be.
I forgot to mention - our gas cans are filled, and we have the generator on stand by, under the carport, chained up to the bolts we installed just for the generator.
I just heard a major tree fall in our front yard. I believe it may have taken out my Civic.
I am going to sign off now. If you are on the East Coast in this ice storm, stay safe.
I hate ice. It's dangerous.
Yesterday, I dropped daughter off at school and then ran a couple of errands. I ran to the grocery store and picked up some extra non-perishable canned foods and a few more bottles of water in case if we ran out of power.
I filled the car with gas.
When I returned home, we had a half cord of wood sitting in the driveway. We spent last night moving the wood up under the carport. If our power goes out, at least we'll have a way of keeping the house warm! Even better, the wood is up under the carport, so it is dry.
All of our electronics have been charged and are still charging. Cell phones, laptops, Kindles, Nooks, everything has been and is being charged.
For dinner last night, I made two huge pots of chili. If the power goes out, we will have some cooked chili that we can heat up on the woodstove for dinner.
I have the rechargeable, hand cranked lantern ready to go. Once the sun comes up, we'll have some kind of light. I'd rather not pull the candles or the lantern out until tonight, if the power is out.
Even as I write this, our power keeps blanking in and out. I have heard the explosions as transformers in the area are exploding. I am curious how long we are going to keep power, and if it does go out, how long we stay out.
Oh- one last thing I did last night... I filled a whole bunch of water bottles with water and stuck them in the big freezer. All of the empty spaces are filled with water bottles. So, if our power goes out and I keep from opening the freezer, the food in there should remain good for quite some time.
The ice chest in the kitchen is on standby, too, ready to accept the stuff from our fridge, if need be.
I forgot to mention - our gas cans are filled, and we have the generator on stand by, under the carport, chained up to the bolts we installed just for the generator.
I just heard a major tree fall in our front yard. I believe it may have taken out my Civic.
I am going to sign off now. If you are on the East Coast in this ice storm, stay safe.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
New Glasses
It's been five years. The dreaded "you're getting old" note from the MVA is coming, letting me know that I have to have a note from my eye doctor stating that I've had my eyes checked in the last year before I'm allowed to renew my license. Seeing as that note will be coming in July, I decided to be a little proactive, and get this taken care of early in the year so that renewal will be easy come July.
Of course, I need new glasses. Even worse, I need bifocals. I went ahead and got progressive lenses so that it won't be quite as obvious that I'm wearing bifocals. (Although, the attempts to line up my glasses with the music in the choir loft on Sunday morning should have made that fact clear to anyone who was awake enough to pay attention.)
I'd never really been a fan of my old glasses. They are round frames. I have a round face. It just seemed like too much "round" all in one small space!
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| These are my old glasses. Honestly, for a pair of glasses that are 5 years old, they don't look bad, do they? |
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| But look at the sides. You can see the wear on the ear pieces. The paint has peeled off of the metal. |
Sadly, it's harder than you'd think to find a nice looking pair of metal frames right now as most of the frames are plastic. Fortunately, we were able to find something I liked fairly quick.
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| These are them. Pretty, aren't they? They are Vera Bradley glasses. (not a plug - it's what I could find!) You can't even tell that they're progressive lenses! |
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| Look! The paint is intact! I wish you could see the beautiful pattern on the outside of the frames. It's a golden brown, dark golden brown pattern. Simple and understated. No matter how many times I tried, I just couldn't get the pattern to show in the picture! |
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| The new frames! There's a little bit of bling, just past the metal "y" on the frames. |
I'm still having trouble adjusting to the fact that I don't have to pull my glasses halfway down my nose and look over the top rim to read something. Sunday morning was a hoot --- trying to line up the "reading" area of the lenses and see the choir director at the same time. If he hadn't kept moving around so much, I might have had an easier time of things!
I was warned again and again to be careful going up and down stairs... that distances are deceptive with Progressive lenses, and I would trip and fall unless if I really made a point of putting my head down and looking at the stairs through the top part of my glasses.
I learned that lesson quickly when I was walking out of the optometrist's office and out to the car. I went to step down off of the curb to get out to the car and promptly fell off of the curb as I underestimated the distance from the curb to the pavement. Lesson learned. Besides the injury to my dignity, I was fine.
However, I do think my dignity has been permanently damaged. Between falling in the parking lot at Wal-Mart on Thursday on a patch of ice, and then falling again with new glasses on Friday, I'm thinking the dignity might not ever recover. Good thing I was wearing jeans and not a dress!
The biggest problem with the new glasses? I can see all of the little bits of dirt and other stuff that I was missing before. I've spent more time cleaning over the last few days.
Having said that, I'm off to go wash that pile of dirty dishes in the kitchen sink!
Enjoy your day!
Monday, February 3, 2014
My Accomplishments
It's been a couple of weeks! We still had month left at the end of the money, so we were extremely creative.
We were able to put gas in both cars to get husband to work every day. If I didn't have a sub job, I stayed home and worked on stuff around the house.
We've had some interesting dinners in the meantime:
Fajitas in Rice Wrappers
Baked Beans
Refried baked beans made into flour tortillas. (I made the tortillas from scratch)
Veggie Soup
Pasta Fagioli
Arroz con Pollo
Veggie Stir Fry
Baked Potatoes with Broccoli and Cheddar Cheese
Roasted Potatoes
Waffles
Scrambled Eggs
Hubby got paid on Friday, the first things we did was go out and buy groceries. We focused on the staples: sugar and flour, olive oil, lots and lots of root veggies: carrots, turnips, sweet potatoes, etc. We also bought some meat, and it is safely tucked in the freezer, waiting to be used.
Last weekend, another one of my girls pulled off her Gold Award Project. I spent the day with her, yet again amazed at the initiative, innovation, and enthusiasm of this young lady. He project ran most of the day. It was awesome.
I subbed for three days, and took oatmeal for lunch each day. A very inexpensive meal, it has "staying" power, and keeps you filled up for hours.
Yesterday, I stopped by the grocery store and checked out the "seconds" of fruits and veggies. I found six pounds of brown bananas for $1. We are putting the brown ones into smoothies first. The bananas are pretty heavily spotted, so we'll use the most heavily spotted ones first. If they start to turn brown really fast, then I'll peel whatever is left, slice them and freeze them for smoothies.
We had a load of firewood delivered yesterday. We got most of the wood stacked up under shelter, which is a good thing, considering that it is snowing again today. We've got a warm and toasty fire going in the woodstove. Hopefully, this will help keep the electric bills for heating down.
On Friday, I took the checkbook down to the college. I bought textbooks for the oldest child. Four hundred dollars, 3 textbooks. Two of the three were used textbooks. Two of them will be used next semester, so he won't have to pay for them next semester. (But, there will still be more textbooks next semester.) Still an outrageous sum, but I'm glad we paid cash. We don't have to worry about paying for it when the credit card bills come in.
We had a date at the dump on Saturday. Since everything today is shut down because of the snow, we're going to spend the afternoon cleaning out some more of the basement.
Right now, daughter and I are watching Sherlock on PBS. We're having a hard time getting moving this morning!
Have a wonderful week!
We were able to put gas in both cars to get husband to work every day. If I didn't have a sub job, I stayed home and worked on stuff around the house.
We've had some interesting dinners in the meantime:
Fajitas in Rice Wrappers
Baked Beans
Refried baked beans made into flour tortillas. (I made the tortillas from scratch)
Veggie Soup
Pasta Fagioli
Arroz con Pollo
Veggie Stir Fry
Baked Potatoes with Broccoli and Cheddar Cheese
Roasted Potatoes
Waffles
Scrambled Eggs
Hubby got paid on Friday, the first things we did was go out and buy groceries. We focused on the staples: sugar and flour, olive oil, lots and lots of root veggies: carrots, turnips, sweet potatoes, etc. We also bought some meat, and it is safely tucked in the freezer, waiting to be used.
Last weekend, another one of my girls pulled off her Gold Award Project. I spent the day with her, yet again amazed at the initiative, innovation, and enthusiasm of this young lady. He project ran most of the day. It was awesome.
I subbed for three days, and took oatmeal for lunch each day. A very inexpensive meal, it has "staying" power, and keeps you filled up for hours.
Yesterday, I stopped by the grocery store and checked out the "seconds" of fruits and veggies. I found six pounds of brown bananas for $1. We are putting the brown ones into smoothies first. The bananas are pretty heavily spotted, so we'll use the most heavily spotted ones first. If they start to turn brown really fast, then I'll peel whatever is left, slice them and freeze them for smoothies.
We had a load of firewood delivered yesterday. We got most of the wood stacked up under shelter, which is a good thing, considering that it is snowing again today. We've got a warm and toasty fire going in the woodstove. Hopefully, this will help keep the electric bills for heating down.
On Friday, I took the checkbook down to the college. I bought textbooks for the oldest child. Four hundred dollars, 3 textbooks. Two of the three were used textbooks. Two of them will be used next semester, so he won't have to pay for them next semester. (But, there will still be more textbooks next semester.) Still an outrageous sum, but I'm glad we paid cash. We don't have to worry about paying for it when the credit card bills come in.
We had a date at the dump on Saturday. Since everything today is shut down because of the snow, we're going to spend the afternoon cleaning out some more of the basement.
Right now, daughter and I are watching Sherlock on PBS. We're having a hard time getting moving this morning!
Have a wonderful week!
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