What I did this morning.

Spent $31 on this :



Here is how it broke down.

1st & 2nd transaction:
3 boxes trix cereal
4 bottles all small and mighty
1 betty crocker frosting.

paid 11.41
Used 2 - $1/2 and a doubler
used 1 - $1/3 and a doubler
used 1 .50/1 no doubler
used $10 coupon from the sale going on (buy $25 of certain items, get a $10 coupon for your next transaction)

I did this twice.

As I look at this I realized that the checker (on BOTH transactions) didnt' scan my .50 coupon. I hate it when I get home and realize things like this. That would have saved me $1 total.

3rd transaction:
4 boxes of Fruit roll ups
3 big boxes of Cheerios
2 bottles Bertolli pasta sauce

paid $8.76

used
$10 coupon from the sale
Got a $1.50 off (buy 3 large boxes Cheerios, get instant $1.50 off)
.75/1 coupon, doubled.
$1/1 coupon, doubled.

All in all, not a bad day. Not a stupendous day, but not a bad day.

Why not?

Since no one reads this blog, I feel safe saying what I would never say out loud.

There are times when I'm worried about my relationship with my husband. Especially lately I feel like we have grown apart. Our physical relationship is at an all time high, but I feel like our interactions in real life are at an all time low.

Is one taking away from the other? I don't know.

We are in the middle of a tiff that has us both crying and upset. I won't rehash it here, but needless to say, I'm a bit depressed.

Another thing that has me down is my family.

With my parents on their mission, my sister AR is living at their home (next door) with her husband, 2 kids, and another on the way.

This property is a lot of work. There is a lot of weed eating, hedge trimming, etc to do. It is hard for my parent to do.

AR and her husband are having a mighty hard time keeping it up.

I invited the family over for a family work part this weekend and the response was, sorry, we can't make it.

I feel like crap about it and am very unhappy that they won't do their part to support their parents on their mission.

There is so much work to do and they all come over here and enjoy the area. They just don't want to do the work to keep it up.

I just got through talking to AR and I've realized that I'm spending a lot of energy on being mad. I'm just not going to worry over something I can't control.

What I can control is my attitude.

Thanks AR. I think you pulled me out of my funk.

Confession time

I had a chicken go broody last week.... I put 5 eggs under her.

I never thought that having kids was going to make me such a cry baby.

It used to take quite a lot to get me to cry. I just wasn't ever very emotional.

Well then I had kids. And I was pretty normal for the most part. But get me feeling proud and the tears just come out. Primary program. Kindergarten music program. give a prayer, give a talk, do anything in church.

When did I become such a crybaby? And why am I so affected by seeing my child in a program?

I wonder if its because she's growing up? I have to admit since we've been trying to get pregnant since last August, without success, it does make each and ever moment of these kids childhood that much more precious.

I just love my girls so much.

What is going on?

Well, you probably have been noticing the lack of posts here lately. I've been trying to maintain 2 blogs. 1 a journal for me, the other a blog for my family to read. The 2 blogs tried to coexist for a time, but it just wasn't happening.

So I split them and put edited versions on the family blog. I got behind on keeping this blog up, but now I've updated the posts on this one and changed a few things that should hopefully help me keep them both up.

We'll see!!

In the meantime, let me tell you about my week.

I have spent about 9 hours this past week at Albertsons. It seemed like each day would start with a trip there to spend doublers and get free stuff. the free stuff was great. The time spent there was tiring.

But I find it so hard to turn my back on coupon doublers. The doublers are good through Tuesday so I could potentially go back for more savings.

yay. (said in a weak voice).

5/11/09

Coupon insanity
I was at Albertsons this morning from about 8:30 until I just got home around 11:30.

Thats right folks. I was couponing for 3 hours. My dogs are barking. Ha Ha

Here is the result.

I spent approx 43.64 (I say approx because my brain is mush at this point.

Here is what I got.

Bandaids - 8
Mac N cheese - 6 boxes
Miracle whip - 1
capri sun (box) - 1
Cool Whip lite - 2
Halls cough drops - 1
Colgate Total - 3
zesty italian dressing - 2
Breyers Ice Cream - 6
Triscuit - 2
Ritz Bits - 2
Smartfoods snack - 2
Mr. Clean magic Eraser - 8
Ritz Crackers - 2
Graham crackers - 2
Wheat Thins - 1
Scotts bath tissue (4 regular rolls) - 2
Apple juice - 4

You may be wondering, what is she going to do with all of that stuff?

The first rule of couponing is basic. Stock up when its a good deal. Especially when its an awesome deal.

For instance, the bandaids were .50 per box and the Breyers was $1 per carton. The bandaids will last for a few years and don't expire. The ice cream could last the year, but we are coming up on summer, so we'll have to see.

Anyway, YOU can do this too!

Albertsons sent out an ad in yesterday's paper with Doublers in it. This happened in Idaho and Utah and Oregon from what I've read. I know at my store you can ask for these at the customer service desk. They will probably only give you 1, but at my store, they also slipped a few in with the ads at the front of the store. You know the place that as you walk in, you can grab the current weeks ad.

The doublers are only for yesterday through Tuesday, so you need to shop soon to take advantage. Also when the customer service desk is out, they are gone.

Now, you also may wonder where you can get your coupons. Well, if you have a printer and internet access I would suggest coupons.com. there are a ton of great Kraft coupons that go along with the current Kraft promotion. Buy $10 worth of marked Kraft products and get an instant $3 savings at the register.

So there you have it. go forth and prosper!!!

5/10/09

Insanity
I heard somewhere once that the definition of insanity was doing something over and over the same way and expecting different results.

Tonight some much anticipated coupons from Kraft were published. These coupons were limited in quantity and were great. $1 off for the most part.

Our printer has been acting up and is pretty much a very large scanner at this point. But I was crossing my fingers that it would pull through for me tonight. And you know what? It did. For the first 9 pages of my 14 page print, it was a pro. The colors were messed up, but I attribute that to hubby refilling the color ink cartridge rather than to the printer.

Anyway, I spent the next 20 minutes or so reloading paper into the printer. It would shoot a piece through, and then jam on the next piece. Its a strange error, but after reading up on it on the net, a regular problem.

So I was reloading and reloading and finally it decided to print again. I nursed it through the next few pages and finished the document.

Well, since the deals were so good, I had to go back and print more of the coupons we use the most.

So here I am again, reloading and reloading paper hoping that the result will change and I'll print some more coupons.

Am I insane?

4/12/09

so I live next to my photographically gifted sister. she is always coming up with great ideas and taking a bunch of cute pictures of her kids!

So the other day she said, i've got a sort of studio set up. Ya wanna use it?

So I did.

And she even took a bunch of pictures too.

And then she edited them so cute.

And then I had to CHOOSE!!!

What!!

So I've got 5 frames to fill. I would like to choose 2 pictures of each girl and then one of them together.

Here are the pictures I took.















And here are some that my sister AR took and then edited. Now, remember we were taking a lot of the same pictures, just from different angles. So her poses will be similar and her camera is a lot better than mine.













So, what do you think?

I've just realized that I've left pictures I like off of this post. There are just so many pictures to look through that I've forgotten to post some.

Oh well.

Oh, and my sister said that I could use her editing software so any that I took could be gussied up.

4/12/09

I've been taking this yucky stuff



Adding a little soap and water and the result was this



Then a I did this



and the result was this



and this



The next step is this



Once I'm done with that step, I'll post more pictures!

4/2/09

For my sister
http://krazycouponlady.blogspot.com/2009/03/cash-n-carry-chicken.html

But someone commented that the chicken was tough? Maybe not high quality?

and

http://www.kraftbrands.com/trailmixcrunch/

But the coupon isn't there anymore?

Ugh. I hate it when I tell someone about a good deal and it falls apart before my eyes.

3/29/09

Cross your fingers!
The fever that C started, ended about halfway through the night.

She is bouncing around today, no congestion or anything.

A has congestion, but it doesn't look like more than a basic cold.

We may get away from this thing without further victims!!

In other news Hubby made my day by doing a weeks worth of dishes on Saturday. And when i say dishes, I don't mean he just loaded the dishwasher. He loaded it twice! Wiped off the cupboards, swept the floor!

And when I told him how sorry I was that it was such a mess and how I'd help him after running a quick errand into Meridian, he said that it was ok, he understood that I'd been sick and he was willing to do it.

I don't think I can tell him enough how much I love him. He is awesome!

I'm going couponing again tomorrow. Albertsons is having a big kids post cereal sale tomorrow. The cereal is $1.67 per box and when you buy 5 boxes a $5 catalina will print, good towards your next sales order. And if you use it to buy 5 more boxes of cereal it will be something like .60 per box AND another $5 catalina will print.

I will most likely go tomorrow morning and then hubby will be gone most the rest of the day picking up a cord of free firewood from another brother in laws brother home that he is getting ready to sell.

Not going to say no to free firewood!

With hubby gone tomorrow I will most likely wash some of the wool waiting for me.

After that I've had a request to clean the bathrooms. :) Most of washing wool is hurry up and wait. So I'll clean the bathrooms while waiting. Not my favorite chore, but neither is washing wool. So I'll turn the radio on and sing and dance around for entertainment.

I'm excited to get my spinning wheel out. I have to wash and dye wool as well as comb it before I can even consider spinning it. But I'm looking forward to it anyway.

I have some new powdered dye that I found in a locally owned hobby shop that I can't wait to use. I've heard powdered dye is stronger stuff. We'll see.

3/28/09

I'm alive, I'm ALIVE!!!

I finally feel like a human being again! I slept pretty well last night. My coughing is still an issue and my lungs still crackle, but I feel so much better!

BUT

Now the kids are starting to go downhill. As we speak C is in bed with a fever. A is starting to cough, but it is still TBD as to whether it is a real cough, or a "I want to be sick too" fake cough.

So, another week of church missed and I predict that I'll make it 3 for 3 next Sunday when I predict that A will be down with this nastiness.

Oh well. I can deal with it much better since I'm feeling better.

I'm just not certain how it will affect C and if she will go to school next week. I guess we can just be happy that there is no school on Monday.

In the meantime, most everyone has picket up their milk. So yay!

Now I just need to get the powdered eggs, cheese and butter delivered. Hopefully this week!

3/26/09

Hope your spring break is better than mine
I've been sick with the flu. Not the throw up kind. Just the kind where coughing makes you want to die, fevers and strange dreams are how you spend your nights, and you remember how bad cough syrup is.

I've been sick since Monday night.

I just want to feel better again!!

Oh, and the kids are tearing up the house and the dishes need to be done.

Double double toil and trouble

So. I started responding to the question about coupons below, and my response got really long, so I decided to write a post about it.

I started off the morning by dropping by my newspaper guy. I got 6 papers and could have received more, but thought I should leave it for their other lady. I usually get the Press Tribune, and she gets all the statesmans. But there were only statesmans left. But there were so many left that the nice newspaper man split the pile and let me have 6 of hers and offered me 2 more if I wanted them! I like my newspaper man.

And I'm glad I didn't get any more than 6. I was really struggling with what to spend my Albertsons doubles on.

So after the newspaper guy, I went to Kmart. I went immediately to the cleaning isle because that was where the hot deals were. Cleaning products for 50 cents with coupon!! they were out of most everything, but I grabbed some lysol disenfectant 2/$9 and used my $2 off coupon on them (50cents!) and some lysol kitchen cleaner.

Btw, I will list coupons if I remember them. kmart doesn't put coupon details on the receipt.

Oh, and I don't want to forget, but the best way to determine if you should bother to stop by at all is to call ahead. Find out when the next truck will be coming and when the shelves will be restocked. If you are looking for specific items, ask about them.

Anyway, I stopped by the body care area and restocked on bandaids (paid a little over $1 per box) and found some great deals on deoderant and body wash, and other stuff.

Went and got some cereal where I discovered that they were running a General Mills promo. Buy $5, get $1 back, there was some other number and you got $3 back and finally, buy $20 and get $5 back.

I ran up to the front and confirmed that my store was taking internet printables and would double them. I would suggest confirming this before you fill your cart because sometimes a store will not follow corporate policy.

Here are my totals.

I ran my cereal first because the money back comes in the form of a coupon that prints after you pay (for use on your next sales order).

I spent $14.46 on 11 boxes of cereal and got a $5 coupon. so it was like spending 9.46 and less than $1 per box. Now these are the small boxes and if your kids eat a box in one sitting, it probably wouldn't be worth it to buy cereal.

Here is what else I bought - Remember, from memory, so I might get some things wrong (band aids, thought I paid more? can't remember the coupons...) because kmart doesnt have coupon specifics on their receipt, but I'll do my best.

olay body wash on clearance 2 @ 1/$2.99 (paid .99 ea)
Gillette combo shampoo/body wash for men - 2@ 1/$4.49 (paid .49 ea)
ponds face wash - 2 @ 1/$3.14 (I paid $1.14 ea)this was a splurge item for me.
Secret Deoderant - 3 @ 1/2.49 (paid .49 ea)
Gillette shampoo - 4 @ 1/$4.99 (paid .99 ea)
Degree deoderant - 3 @ 1/ $2.59 (paid .59 ea)
Suave shampoo & conditioner - 3 @ 1.79 (paid .62 ea) hmm cheaper at Freddies. whoops
Band aids - 2 @ 1/$2.79 (I think I paid .79)
flex band aids - 2 @ 1/$3.29 (I paid 1.29) they were Barbie :)
band aids - 1 @ 1/$2.59 (I paid .59)
band aids - 1 @ 1/$2.79 (I paid .79)
Lysol w/ bleach 4/1 kitchen cleaner - 3 @ 2/$5 (paid .50)
Lysol disinfectant spray - 3 @ 2/$9 (paid .50)

Paid $25.32. I challenge you to add this up and tell me if I remembered what I paid :)

Just don't forget that I have to pay tax on the whole amount before coupons.

Next I ran over to the Albertsons on 12th.
they made me run each 4 items as seperate transactions. Annoying, yes, but they could have stuck to the 4 coupon doublers per household per day rule and I would have had to sneak in several times to use up all 24 of my coupon doublers.

Here is what I got -

Finish powerball dish detergent. 3 @ $3 (paid $1.49ea)
Treetop 100% juice - 2 @ $1.99 ea (paid $1ea)

total was $ 7.10

next receipt
scotts bath tissue 1@ $2.15 (paid .15) was a 4 regular roll pack
Breyers ice cream 6 @ 2.50 ea (paid $1.50 ea)

total was $9.94

next receipt

Darigold chocolate milk 2 @ 1.25 (paid .50 ea)

total was $ .59

Next I ran over to the Albertsons over at Greenhurst. I could have stayed at the other store, but wanted to sit for a little (Tired by this time) and a change of scenery and get a bit closer to home since it was around 11am by this time.

this store was limiting you to 8 coupon doublers, and this cashier was making you run them seperately.

Here is what I got.

4 boxes playtex tampons 4 @ $3.50 (paid $1.50 ea)

total was 6.60

next receipt

Pringles - 2 @ 1.09 (paid .09 ea)
Kelloggs frosted flakes - 2 @ $ 2.50 ea (paid $1.50 ea)
playtex tampons - 2 @ $3.50 ea (paid $.50 ea)

total was $6.79

At this point I was tired and went home and cut my coupons out of the newspapers.

I was on a roll though, and wanted to get all my doublers done.

So I went back to the store with my last 7 doublers.

This time I got a cashier with an override key who let me run it all 7 as one transaction. YES!

Here's what I got -

Ritz bits - 2 @ $2.50 (paid $1.50ea)
Bliss easter eggs - 4 @ $3ea (paid $1 ea)
playtex tampons - 2 @ 3.50 ea (paid $1.50 ea)

total was $ 11.02

Then I went home and folded laundry for a few hours :)

My total spent today was $ 81.82

Considering that most days I spend nearly that much on groceries for a week, I think I did ok. I tried to stick with what we use, and only strayed to the dark side a couple of times (pringles and bliss candy). The things I spent a little more on like the ritz bits were for snacks at kindergarten, I felt ok about value for money.

$140.75 was the total I saved. So I should have spent roughly 222. I spend $81.72

Not a bad couponing day.

btw I'm tired of typing and reading and the kids are hungry so I'm not proofreading this. sorry :)

the worm

So tonight I went and dropped off some eggs at my sister AR's house. I also made arrangements with her to go to the KMART super coupon day tomorrow!!!

I'm just hoping there will still be stuff on the shelves.

Anyway, on the way home I saw a turtle sandbox that has been open all winter collecting snow that became water that became yucky yucky water (that I think is what made A sick BTW).

Anyway, I went and poured all the water out of it and leaned it against the pasture fence as a reminder that I need to disinfect it.

Well, underneath it was a big fat juicy worm. I couldn't just leave that chicken ambrosia there.

So I picked it up.

Worms are so slimy!! I dropped it 2-3 times and then finally cupped it in my hands. It was also very squirmy. It nearly squirmed out of my hands when I had to use a hand to undo the pasture fence.

Anyway it was so gross and slimy that I ran over to the chicken coup and dropped it in. Those chickens thought I had brought dessert. They fought over that thing like it was gold.

Pretty funny to watch. Almost worth the nearly throwing up that I experienced when handling the darn thing.

spring break

Is it wrong that the reason I'm looking forward to spring break is that I won't have to rush anyone off to the bus or go to preschool or anything!!! We're free!!

Oh, and Kmart is doing double coupons again and so is Albertsons!

Could this week get any better?

Oh yeah! No scouts!

I'm free!

We'll probably go to the library and maybe the park if the weather cooperates.

Hubby is home off on Monday so I'll probably do my couponing then. I won't have to take the kids and they won't get bored at the store. Besides, I can concentrate more when I don't have to placate them.

A couple of good coupon blogs I read.

athriftymom.com

krazycouponlady.blogspot.com

I'm still learning about coupons, so these blogs help me quite a bit.

I'm still not comfortable in Walgreens, and we don't have a Rite Aid anywhere near us, But you've got to start somewhere.

Charlie and the girls are doing well. Charlie has finally stopped the relentless scratching. At least, it seems like it since the bare spots where he rubbed his wool off on his back are growing back again, and no new ones have appeared. Crossing my fingers. I'm aiming for a late April, early May shearing.

I finally went through those last 2 fleeces. I haven't had any training in skirting the wool, so my attempts were poor. When going through the wool, I pull it apart so that when it is washed the water easily gets to everything. You see, a sheep's wool has lots and lots of greasy lanolin in it that has to be washed. Sometimes this lanolin is concentrated on the tips of the wool. It takes a lot of time to dissolve like that. So by pulling it apart and also getting rid of the worst bits of it, I'm able to wash it without going crazy and wanting to pull my hair out.

So now I have grocery bags full of stinky wool that needs washing. I guess I should do that this week as well....we'll see.

A was feeling yucky last night. She had a fever and a bad headache. I'm hoping that she'll feel better this morning. We've all had colds this past week, our fourth this winter. C and I take turns bringing them home from kindergarten and preschool.

Please!!!! Please!!!! teach your child to sneeze/cough/whatever into his elbow before they go to preschool and kindergarten. I've gotten 2 colds from kindergarten boys coughing in my face. You can only back so far away from them(The first was the Skylar cold, the 2nd was the Ernesto cold) and A has gotten 1 from Anderson in Kindergarten. I don't know where she picked up this last one.

Maybe we should go the Michael Jackson route and start wearing those face masks. :)

Speaking of Kindergarten, C is reading so well!!! I'm so impressed. Of course it helps that her preschool teacher had her reading. Starting out at the top of the class has really given her an advantage. And her teacher has been so helpful by continuing to challenge her.

Please! make sure your kids are solid on their letters and sounds before they start kindergarten. It will help them out so much!!! There are a surprising number of kids in C's class who are really struggling with identifying letters. I feel really bad for them because they are smart, but have had to start behind all the other kids.

The school is really good at working with them though. They have several teachers that give them one on one help. One in particular is specifically assigned the kindergarten.

I'm excited by this year's garden. Hubby has started to clear it out and we've started seeds inside. Now if only they would grow!! I don't think they are getting watered enough. But I don't want to water them to much.

The ward helped us get Mom and Dad's trees pruned. I'm so excited by the prospect of fresh fruit!!! Nothing makes me happier than a tree ripened peach or nectarine.

YUMMY!!!

And no goats to get out and eat the garden this year!!!!! YAY

Here we go again

so I haven't felt like posting lately due to the feeling of having way to many blogs to maintain.

One post for the personal blog, another post for the family blog. I was just feeling overwhelmed and not motivated.

So I am going to try for the easy solution. I'll post to the personal blog and then I'll edit it for the family blog.

I was going to make the family blog all sappy sweet and braggy. But I just can't do that. I'll figure it out. We'll see.

Well, I'm pretty sure that Charlie doesn't have scrapie. He is still alive and well and this has been bugging him for at least2 months. He is showing no other signs of scrapie.

So I'm thinking its a burrowing mite or something. But I can't treat it very well due to not being able to get the medicine through his wool onto his skin. Its called synergistic delice. Just had to say that. Synergistic.

Anyway, with all the warm weather, I'm considering having him sheared early just so I can save part of his fleece and treat him.

In the meantime I've got to to worm all the sheep and they all need a hoof trim. I'm just not sure how I'm going to get hold of half wild sheep. Charlie won't be a problem. I picked him up by his front hooves just the other day. It was kind of funny. He was taller than I would have supposed. I've just got to figure out how to get him on his tush.

I gave away 4 of my older chickens to a couple who just like chickens. They wanted them to raise chicks and play with their rooster. Seemed like nice people. Easier to give them away then kill them for the stewpot.

The cows are getting nice and fat. One more than the other. Though both are steer, one has horns and the other doesn't. I think it has to do with when they were fixed.

With the weather getting so warm, it has me thinking about yard work, pruning fruit trees, planting new trees, and lots of stuff like that.

I've asked the high priest group for help with pruning mom and dad's orchard. I'm glad they are willing. It will take a lot of weight off of the family. I'm going to have a hard time getting them out here to help with rearranging the sheds and cleaning them although they are all helping to mess them up and take things out without replacing it.

I feel a little like the little red hen. If you can't help take care of it, you can't have any. Is that bad?

I'm doing another powdered milk order. This time its much less stressful. The price is better and people who ordered before either didn't order enough, or liked it so much they told all of their friends and family about it, and they are ordering too.

So, after years of thinking about it, we finally broke down and purchased a flat screen tv. Hubby wanted a 42 inch, I said, maybe a 38 inch and after comparing prices and shopping around, we ended up getting a 32 inch from Costco.

We had to renew our Costco membership but for the warranty, we thought it was worth it. and it will be fun to have the membership for another year.

Hubby was thrilled and has proceeded to hook it up to the computer and now we can watch tv online. Its pretty cool.

I'm working on my 3rd pair of knitted socks. My first pair was a little short. They are ok to wear, but I would like a pair that fit well. So after making a pair for hubby (as requested) I'm now working on another pair for myself.

I've still got 2 fleece to clean from last year. I've got to get them at least processed before its time for this years shearing. I don't want to get to far behind. Also, I've heard that with time, lanolin hardens and is harder to clean from a fleece. Don't want to deal with that. Plus it kind of smells. :)

I knit socks!!!

thank you Bevs Country Cottage.

First you helped me make super awesome easy baby booties and now you have nursed this beginning knitter through socks!

I no longer have sock envy because I have a great pattern I can play with and have fun with.

How do they look?

Another one

We lost another chick. I'm starting to feel rather cursed.

This time it was not the weather or anything like that.

No, this time it was the other chicks. He managed to get trampled when I went out to feed them.

They always rush over to the side of the pen in anticipation of when I might throw a few handfuls of feed in to distract them.

They are usually the 3rd coop to be fed, and I'm not certain when it happened...

But when I opened up the coop, I was surprised to find a twitching and dead looking chick. It spasmed when I picked it up. I thought I had killed it.

I fed the chicks and did most of the chores all the while checking on it here and there.

It only got worse.

After some contemplating over the problem, hubby offered to kill it with the pellet gun.

I left the pasture to turn on the hose and was spared the noise of the gun. Hubby was nice enough to throw it over the fence afterwards and I couldn't help but go and look just to make sure it had died.

I was so glad that it did, and that hubby was able to put it out of its misery so quickly.

It was a rooster.

I think it gets worse the bigger these birds get.

I can't believe I've lost so many birds!

The end of an era

Late last week my 91 year old Grandma passed away quite expectedley. She had suffered from organ failure for the past month and basically got progressively worse.

My grandfather (her husband) had passed away in late August. So Grandma was going to get to be with her sweetheart.

I thought it would be a happy occasion with many happy reunions.

It surprised me however when I felt the tears come.

I came to the realization that a part of my childhood had come to an end. Some of my childhood memories had ended.

The memory I'm talking about is all the memories of Grandma and Grandpa and them in their house.

The crazy rug in the basement that we played hopscotch on. Aunt Linda's wedding. All the Readers digests in the bookcase and watching movies in the TV room. The crazy things Grandma and Grandpa had on their fireplace mantle and how they rarely changed. I mean how long was that crazy sundae looking thing there for anyway?

The pictures in the hallway and using the upstairs bathroom with the sliding door and Grandma's panty hose hanging everywhere. The weird bathroom downstairs where you weren't quite sure how to lock the door but you hoped you did it right.

Sleeping on the couches in the basement and the breakfasts that Grandpa would cook for us and how he would go to the store (even in his 80's) for the ingredients before we were even up.

The path in the backyard and how when I was young it felt like a secret forest.

These are all good memories, but with someone besides Grandma and Grandpa living there, it will never be quite the same.

I posted this on my family website, but so far, people have ignored it.

Sometimes I feel so out of synch with my family.

Unexpected

Tonight I had an unexpected conversation.

I had put the girls to bed and was kissing hubby goodnight. He has to go to bed really early. And rather than going to bed like a smart person would do, I stay up and work on projects.

Tonight when I went into the family room, I found A with a blanket and pillow on the recliner. She didn't want to sleep in her room, but I told her that the recliner wasn't an option.

I tucked her into bed and she told me that she had a bad dream. She had gone to the beach and died. This brought to mind all of the times that hubby and I will be into a show and not realize that a child has wondered into the room. We've been changing our ways and if we watch a violent show like Burn Notice or Life or whatever, we try to watch in another room or on a computer where they can't see. But anyway... I digress.

She told me that she died on the beach and that Jesus had come and told her that she shouldn't go to the beach without Mommy and Daddy.

So we said a prayer and asked that she would have happy dreams and no more bad dreams tonight.

So this led to a very sweet conversation about what would happen when we die. I explained that if she died, it wasn't something to be frightened of. I told her about how our spirit goes up to heaven and then she would be able to spend time with all of her grandparents who had passed away and how nice they were. And then I started crying because I had such wonderful memories of them all and how I missed them all (especially my paternal Grandfather who passed away when I was 8). So that led to me crying and A said "don't cry Mommy" or something like that. And I told her why I was crying.

I told her how I missed all of those people and how the thought of her dying made me sad. Then I told her that she wouldn't die for a long time. I told her that her Great Grandmother who is dying from organ failure right now was something like 96. I told her how it would take her 92 years to get that old. That was a long time. And in the meantime she would get older and go school, jr. high, high school, college, and how she would get married and have babies of her own.

Then C piped up from the other bed and said "Mommy I want to be a teacher when I grow up and have lots of babies." It was so sweet.

So I kissed A goodnight and then went over to C's bed. We talked a little about the Grandma who was dying. She asked me what happened when we died.

I told her about how our spirits were separate from our bodies and how when her body died that her spirit would go to heaven.

So this led to a short explanation of how when she was a baby inside my tummy her spirit joined with the babies body. I am sure I confused her a little. But I tried to break it down for her.

Then she asked about how babies get out of mommies tummy, or something like that. So I said that the babies grow in mommies tummy and then come out here in a special place here under my tummy.

I was very vague and just pointed to the bottom of my tummy.

I told her that I would explain it better to her when she was a little older. And she said "when I'm 10?" and I said, no, maybe when you are 7 or 8. And it dawned on me that she is nearly there.

Anyway, I kissed her goodnight and tucked her in.

It's just amazing to me the kinds of conversations that happen when you are least expecting them.


What a sweet experience. I love my kids so much.

I'm learning to knit!

So, a few years ago, I decided that I might be interested in learning to knit. I saw a learn to knit kit done by lions brand yarn. It was on sale and I've been interested in learning to knit, but was a bit intimidating.

I'm a pro at crocheting. I can follow most any pattern, and am able to make stuff without a pattern.

Well, I'm a sucker for a good sale and I decided that what the heck, I'll try it!

So, I bought the kit, followed the pattern. But I didn't like the finished project. It was pretty boring. So I took it out and then found an easy pattern for a really cute scarf on some internet site.

I made it through the project, but it was a bit scary. Knitting makes me feel out of control. I'm really in a bind if I don't count, or forget where I was, or lose a stitch!!!!!!

So after that scarf I put the knitting down. I thought maybe I would pick it up at a later date.

Then I got into spinning. I got so into it that I went from a learn to spin kit purchased off of e-bay to owning 4 Cormo sheep, a spinning wheel (majacraft!!!) and a newly acquired drum carder (Christmas! It is SO much faster!).

But lately, I've been feeling limited as to what I could do with all of my wonderful homemade yard.

I felt like I couldn't make any baby blankets with it (a past passion) due to felting and the need to wash baby items frequently.

And in the meantime, every time I was at a thrift store and I saw needles, I bought them (much cheaper). And I ended up with a decent collection of sizes.

Well, just recently I thought, why not pick up the needles again?

I decided to try and knit a scarf, you know, just to remember how to knit. Then I decided to suck it up and relearn how to pearl.

Ugh.

Anyway, I'm still refreshing myself.

I've just been knitting this and that. I started on a really cute scarf and then knit the kids some ear warmers (using the knit and pearl together and making a cute windy pattern).

I still have half a scarf on the needles at this moment, but I'm going to finish it. Its a simple knit stitch over and over. It would match the ear warmer I made for C perfectly.

Change

so why the change to a new address yet again?

Well, my family found my blog. I decided that I was ok with that.

Well, 2 of my sisters, AE and S decided to read all the way back to 2005 and of course become offended by what I said 2! YEARS!!! AGO!!!

I've moved on, but why can't they?

My sister S keep calling me and trying to get me to apologize for my entries.

I don't know why I should. I've moved on and those were feelings that are in the past. In fact, S and AE and I have probably already hashed out these situations.

For some reason reading about it for them is like opening the box again.

I finally just gave up.

I'm tired of changing my blog to suit them. I had to get rid of history, the older posts link and the search function. My blog looked so unfamiliar. I didn't recognize it anymore.

So I said to heck with it. I moved the blog to another account so they can't find it and started a new blog.

It will be filled with fluff. No deep seeded emotions or feelings. Or even things to think about.

Nope, it will be the braggy family blog that everyone and their best friend writes these days.

I don't think I've sold out due to the fact that this blog is still out there.

I've still got my rant and rave blog! So hallelujah!

A blog to check out

www.pioneerwoman.com

Strangely enough, it was hubby who pointed this one out to me.


Here are some other new ones that I enjoy.

http://sheepgal.typepad.com

and

http://jerrybaker-amg.blogspot.com

A letter

To any person who may have been diligent enough to read all my entries clear back to 2005.

First of all, props to you.

Second, I would like to state (as I stated many times in those early days) that this blog (especially in the beginning) was meant as a journal for me. An outlet, and a way to get feelings out without making my husband listen to them.

I have had people contact me telling me how they are offended with something I said, a story I told, or even a feeling I had.

I have had people tell me that they wish I would delete entries so that others couldn't read them.

I would like to say to you that I won't. This is my journal. If I deleted or otherwise altered those entries it would be like ripping pages out of my journal, and pretending that I wasn't feeling that way, or thinking those things.

I don't feel that it would be being true to myself.

So in order to please these people, I have altered my blog so that you can no longer access historical entries.

If someone finds a way to access historical entries, I would appreciate being let know so that I can 'plug the hole' so to speak.

For those offended by my posts, I will say this. You are reading my personal journal. I am allowed to have my own thoughts, feelings, and ideas. Also, please take into consideration that over the past 4 years I have matured, as we all have. You will notice this in the posts as you read them. I know that when I read old posts that I notice this about myself.

So, take this how you will.

couponing

So today I went a little crazy and bought about $75 worth of groceries. It only took 3 stores, but I ended up with a trunk full of groceries.

I started at the Albertsons that is farthest from my home. I bought 4 boxes of Quaker instant oatmeal (buy 4 get them for $1.50 each) and 5 boxes of quaker cinnamon Life cereal (Fred Meyer coupon for 5 for $10). Then I used 2 $5 off coupons from the sale the week before (buy $30 of certain items, get 3 $5 off coupons for your next order), and some mfg coupons (2 - $1 off when you buy 2).

I paid $2.16.

Then I ran the deal again. 5 boxes of Life (Freddies 5 for $10 coupon) and my mfg coupons (2 - $1 off when you buy 2). And another $5 off coupon from the sale the week before.

I paid $3.60

I was so impressed with myself I had to call Milton and tell him about the awesome deal I had just gotten.

Then we went over to Subway and had lunch - Just over $6. but since this isn't groceries, I won't add it to my total.

Then we went to the Albertson's closest to my house and ran the deal 2 more times.

The first time I bought 4 boxes of Captain Crunch that Albertsons was having a sale on (buy 4, get them for $1.50 each)
And I bought 4 boxes of Cinnamon life and 1 box of Captain crunch using the Freddies coupons and the MFG coupons.
I spent around $14.96 (can't find the receipt)

The second time I bought the 4 boxes of Cinnamon Life and 1 box of Captain crunch.

I spent $8.60

Then I went over to Walmart and did our regular shopping and only was able to use $1.25 worth of coupons. But I was also in the 20 or less checkout. I spent around $48. I had some non grocery items to buy as well as 2 large Pace Salsa's which are around $7 each.

so this is the story of how I got a trunk full of groceries for around 77.32

There are still people doing better than this. But I'm still learning. There are tricks that I have yet to figure out. But in my favor, I will say that its hard to think this all through while keeping track of 2 hungry kids :) .

Another one

We had another chick die. Unknown causes.

I was checking the small chicken coop for and egg yesterday (the silkie is living with the chicks) and in the second box I checked there it was. A dead chick.

It took me by such surprise that I couldn't help but say "oh!"

Anyway, I have now idea why it would have died, except maybe exposure? Maybe it got to cold?

8 eggs today, 4 eggs yesterday. I'm not sure what is going haywire here. Oh well. All the better reason to not keep all these darn chickens.

I've come to realize that 1) I like chickens. Some are really quite nice. Others are snotty and the rooster is just a big goofball. 2) I can't make money from selling eggs.

So I've got a couple of options. First one is to wait until spring and see if I can sell hatching eggs. People have broody chickens but either don't have a rooster or can't have one. So they look for hatching eggs. If this doesn't bring in the money ($4-5 per dozen) then its on to...

option 2! - which is to keep about 5 chickens and maybe a rooster and be happy about it.

Why is it that every make money scheme I hatch turns into a rotten egg?

One of these days ... :)

I realized today that my sheep need some attention.

Charlie pulled out a big patch of his wool. He likes to rub on anything that will stand still. The calf hutch. The chicken coop. I've looked closely on his skin, and none of the other sheep are itching, so I don't think it's lice. But I may treat them for it anyway just to be sure.

For sure I'm going to sew them coats. I bought the material off of e-bay this morning. So it will be happening soon. I'll have to post pics. But how will I get them to hold still enough to put them on?

The other thing is that they all need a good hoof trimming. I just don't know how I would be able to wrangle them enough to hold still for it.


Don't they have pens that are for one sheep/calf where you can confine them and do all that needs doing?


I'll have to investigate.

The cows are doing great. They are gaining weight like champs. We started slowly adding grain to their diet of alfalfa. They are now getting about 5 lbs of grain per day.

We've come to realize something. Cows aren't cheap. I don't know if we will be doing this again.

But it's been a good learning process.

I've learned a lot about all sorts of different animals here on our small acre.

I've learned that I don't want goats. Not even angora goats. They are brats and a pain in my behind.

I don't like rabbits. They poop a lot. But maybe if one of the kids wanted one and was old enough to care for it.

I don't want a cat. 'Nuff said.

Don't want a dog. We love 'em, but hate the land mined.

It's really been a learning experience here. I feel bad that we've had so many animals through here, but I feel like it was necessary to find out what worked for us.

And all of the animals went on to a nice home. Well, except for those darn angora goats. 2 of them were eaten. And mighty tasty they were too I heard. But after they ate my garden 3 + times, I felt like justice was done.

chicken update

I'd just like to annouce that now that the chicken house is freshly cleaned, the egg production is on its way up again.

today we had 7 eggs. The most eggs we've seen in a week.

Yahoo!

Oh, and I've started giving away roosters.

I've got 2 going tomorrow. So that will bring me down from 26 to 24 chicks. I'm crossing my fingers that the guy shows.

Back to the daily grind

So now that the holidays are gone, we are just back to the daily grind.

Hubby has to take a week off at Chinese New year. So I'm looking forward to that. I kind of what to do something, but am not sure what yet.

C still loves school and A loves preschool.

The snow has melted for the most part and until today the weather has been pretty mild. Today was a little cold.

Today I got to choose between cleaning out the hen house or cleaning the kitchen.

The egg production has been extremely low because the odor of the hen house so I chose that project.

It was smelly and dirty. As always, I felt like everything I had on needed to be washed and I need a shower!

The only thing I didn't like was that my dishes needed to be done when the scouts were doing a project around the table.

I have one annoying scout who loves to say things like today "The table needs to be wiped off. There are Cheerios!" and when we were passing out the scouting for food flyers he said some lovely things about how my car needed to be cleaned out.

When he said the car comments, I invited him to clean it. Today when he mentioned the table, I said that I had to clean out the hen house, and then when he said something about it again I reminded him that I am his scout leader, not his mother and then wiped it off.

Considering that all it had was a little jam from lunch and a couple of cheerios from breakfast, he should feel pretty lucky.

Its really the way he says it. Like "I can't believe you don't have a spic and span house!"

He is the rudest boy I have ever met. I know he must have manners in there somewhere. He has a very well behaved family.

UGH.

I wish someone would tell him about how every person in the church is a volunteer at their calling. We don't get paid. Sometimes we don't even really like what we are doing, But we do our best anyway.

The truth of the matter is that I'm still recovering from my herniated disc. Most of my days are good ones now which is awesome. But my stamina is still not as good as it once was. Its getting there though.

I now can stand at the sink (it bothers my back) long enough to load the dishes, wash the pots and pans, and clear off the cupboards. But then I have to sit down for a while. If I push it, It can be sore for the next few days.

I'd love to be able to clean the whole kitchen at one go, but I'm not there yet.

But considering that just over a year ago I had trouble sweeping the floor all at one time, I am improving a whole lot.

And as I improve my house is getting more and more under control. But I can't push it. That is the one thing I've learned. Knowing when to take a break.

I know that people look at my house (I know I do) and think "What a dump!" this is only 2 years old?

Well, I wish I could tell them why its not as clean as I would like.

But I can't.

I guess the one thing I would like to tell people would be, "Are you sure you know the whole story?" Are you sure you are accurately judging me?

And I've definitely learned not to judge people on looks, or their home.

Don't get me started on our Visiting teaching group where we met at my home and the other 2 ladies looked a little uncomfortable on my ragged soon to be reupholstered couches. They barely even spoke to me.

The reason my couches have yet to be reupholstered is that I'm a little intimidated by the project and I really haven't made the time yet. And hubby put the fabric in another room and I don't see it often and its easily forgotten about.

Maybe I need to work on it during the Chinese New Year break.

I'm sorry for this rambling post.

I have to go and tuck the girls in now.

Tater Tots and dead animals

Well, winter is officially here with a vengeance.

We are now dealing with frozen water for the animals and a lot of slogging through snow to feed them.

And there is another side to winter. An unexpected side. A deadly side.

I have had to deal with 4 dead field mice so far this winter.

Yes I said 4 dead mice.

I didn't know this before, but have now been educated that where there are chicken houses, there are usually mice.

I thought this couldn't be the case because so many people over on www.backyardchickens.com talk about how their chickens will kill all sorts of small snakes and mice if they get into the coop.

Well, I didn't account for the fact that once a chicken is asleep, you could basically do anything you want with it. They can be moved from coop to coop and hung upside down if you want.

So this must be when the mice come in to play.

In our small coop where all the baby chicks hang out, I've been using a small bucket of water to supply them with water. Last year I fought against a freezing outside waterer all winter. This year I've resorted to a small bucket. It seem to do well. Most of the time it has less ice than an outside waterer and I can refill it everyday with hot water so that it stays liquid longer. also, the chicks keep a hole open on their own if ice forms. Then they can stand on the ice and drink.

Hey at least they have water.

Anyway I've found a total of 3 dead mice in the water this year already. The first time it was 2 and it grossed me out. But yesterday it wasn't so bad when I found 1 hanging out alone.

Can I just comment about how strange it seems to see them in there? They look so natural. Like they are going to hop up and go on their merry way.

their ears are perky and their paws are usually out like normal.

Its just wierd that they look so alive but are so dead.

UGH.

The 4th mouse I found in our alfalfa. I was getting some for the sheep and I noticed that between 2 bales of alfalfa it looked like something had tunneled through. So I went to move the bale.

That's when I saw it. A dead mostly unrecognizable, mostly decomposed mouse on top of the very bale I was moving.

YUCK!

No I didn't touch it. Yes, I moved it with a strand of alfalfa. I just realized that I'm going to have to see it again today... What the heck am I going to do with it? I guess I'll throw it in the bushes or something like that.

So on to the other dead animals around here.

Back around Halloween we hatched chicks. We incubated 44 or so eggs and 22 hatched. I then bought 9 more chicks to bring new blood to the flock.

We lost the first chick to unknown causes. I think he may have been dropped by someone and it was just to much. If you've ever handled a new chick, you will know that they can be hard to hold on to because they want out of your hands!!!

The second got trampled in the brooder (basically a warm protected home for baby chicks, usually a cardboard box with pine shavings). Probably happened during feeding time.

The 3rd chick was rather a sad loss. We had gotten a new rooster for fresh blood for the flock. He was a few days younger than the rest of the crowd and seemed peppier. He was easy to spot and fun to hold.

Well, one day I was out feeding the chicks (by this time they were outside) and I noticed that somewhere his toe had gotten opened up, and the tip of it was gone. I don't know how or why, but I couldn't do much. I just made sure he got a good meal and that the toe got a quick cleaning off.

The next morning I found him wedged between a nesting box and a wall. Stiff as a board. Frozen solid. Don't know what exactly happened.

Monday, I found the 4th chick. Somewhere during the day the chicks managed to break the 250w 120v (I think?) light bulb that was in their coop. This is a huge bulb and provided a lot of heat.

The light was on in the morning, but when I was out there with the scouts (8yr olds) I found the broken light bulb and noticed a dead chick outside in the run.

It had snowed that day and the poor chick was mostly covered. I don't know what happened. Probably died from exposure.

Luckily, most of the chicks were fine because at this age they have most of their feathers.

I've since replaced the light with a 60watt bulb. It's not as hot, but it's sort of a relief.

The 250 watt bulb almost caused a fire (I found it as it started to give off a lot of smoke) and it always worried me after that.

Its been 2 nights since the light bulb change out and the chicks are doing fine.

So now that I've told you about the dead animals, its time for the tater tots.

Cecilee came home from school one day talking about tater tots. It took me a while to figure it out, but turns out what she was talking about was tank tops.

She had worn a cute sun shirt type outfit that we had put a pretty white shirt under. She was trying to tell me that her friends had liked her tater tot.

It was pretty cute.

Now she keeps trying to layer her clothing for unknown reasons. Yesterday she wore the 'tater tot' under her normal shirt. She said it was to keep her warm.

Yes she has a warm coat, goes to school on the bus and they make the kids play inside on cold days. So its not that she needed more warmth.

Its just kind of funny to see these new ideas that she brings home from her friends.

Anyway she tried to do it again this morning. But no 'tater tot' in sight. She had 2 different shirts, both of them the flowing dress type shirts. There was no way one was going to fit well under the other. It was pretty funny.

No, I didn't let her wear them both.

A new post

I feel like I need to put up a new post, but don't have a subject in mind....

Hmmm

Well, we are on our way up to Salt Lake for a weekend getaway without the girls. We'll be staying in Provo and will be attending the BYU Vs Wake Forest BBall game.

The girls will be staying with their Aunt in Meridian.

Am I the only one who gets all paranoid when taking a big trip and leaving the kids with someone else?

I start worrying about our wills and stuff like that.

Our wills need to be updated so badly.

For example, A who is 4 now, is not even mentioned.

Also, the family that we have named as guardian have moved to another part of the state.

We feel it very important that the people who raise our kids in our place be based out of the same area that we are. Both of our families are from this area and I want the kids to be around a lot of family.

I think I may have to go and rewrite the wills.

What do you think of this bag?

BE HONEST!!!

Tears

So I've been on a crying jag this morning.

I don't know why. It was like I couldn't control my tears at all. totally out of control emotions.

I'm really not sure why either.

Last night, I had a dream that woke me up. I don't remember many details. I was in a school and something happened and at some point the children were being evacuated. It was a boarding school. Anyway as far as I knew It was just me in the dream.

But as the kids were evacuating from this huge building with multiple stories and apparently not enough exits, in a panicky sort of way, I came upon C my oldest. Her shirt was half off and she was shaken. I picked her up and we were trying to find a good exit. Anyway, I think hubby rolled over because all of a sudden the building trembled and we needed to get out NOW. Then I woke up.

Luckily it was about time to get up because this whole thing really disturbed me and I was troubled by the dream.

Hubby's alarm clock went off and I was able to tell him the abbreviated version of my dream. Just I dreamed that I lost C. Of course, I was fine until I actually had the words out and then I got choked up and cried.

Hubby came over to comfort me and I was sad for a little, but was able to shake the dream off after a minute.

I thought I was fine. I gave both the kids and extra big hug when they got up and we went to church and all was fine and dandy.

Well about half way through the meeting (fast and testimony) I lost it. The whole meeting pertained to losing a family member it seemed like because a grandma died this week after 10 years of failing health due to parkinsons.

So I'm not sure why I was crying. I should mention that I can't get through a funeral without crying during a good part of it.

That, and this dream, and we found out that hubby's grandma died this week as well, and the funeral is next friday.

I am also super tired from a very full day yesterday full of a craft show and a 2 hour shopping trip for a double coupon Wal-mart event.

And my Grandpa who sealed hubby and I passed on a few months ago passed on.

And that got me thinking about hubby's father who passed on a few years ago.

And a little about the tubal pregnancy.

It all had me hugging my family tight and crying throughout the meeting.

I know about the plan of salvation. I know it's true. I have a testimony of it.

But I just couldn't stop crying after Sacrament meeting.

So I went home. I was hoping the change of scenery would help me shake it. It has helped. And hopefully my eyes are no longer red and swollen.

I wonder if I'm going through something hormonal or what.

"Twilight" series - Don't waste your time

Warning, spoilers ahead!

So this past week I was helping out at preschool like I do every Tuesday and the teacher said something about the "Twilight" series and I said that I hadn't read it yet and I found myself going home with all 4 books.

I had been sent off with a parent telling me it would help my marriage and another telling me how I wouldn't be able to put it down.

I was confused and skeptical after all this.

These ladies had been gushing as they talked about the series. They had been telling me about how they would have to edit the 3rd book before they could let their VERY young teenagers read the book.

I later had a conversation with my husband about the whole thing. He said that the guys at work all said the series had made their wives horny (excuse my language). Apparently this was the marriage help that everyone was talking about?

So I began reading later that day. After dinner. I had been told to put something for dinner in the crockpot because I seriously shouldn't start the series without doing at least that. I wouldn't be able to PUT IT DOWN!

I read most of the first book that night. I stayed up until 1am. Not because I couldn't put it down necessarily. I think more because I felt like it was expected of me. That and I was in front of a nice fire in our woodstove and was SO comfortable.

I finished the book the next morning. After reading it I was let down. First of all I would never let a teenager read these books. Especially a girl.

The main characters, Bella and Edward 's relationship really bugged me. Bella was so extremely obsessed with Edward that it bothered me. Seriously, why would you want your teenage girl to think that this was normal?

I also didn't like how Edward spent a few nights sleeping with Bella. Yes, he was in full control of himself, and they hadn't even kissed. But what message is this sending? That its ok to lie to your parents? Its ok to let someone sneak into your bedroom at night and sleep with you? Ugh.

I finished the 2nd book the next day. I won't lie, it was well written. I just wasn't getting what people had let me to expect.

After this one, here is what I was left thinking. And I think this is where I was just over the books.

Girls already get hit with the 'someday your prince will come' stuff from a young age. Why would you then subject them to these books where you learn that after your prince comes he will then leave you and send you into a horrible life altering depression. I wouldn't want a girl to think that was necessary. Or even an option.

Oh and here's the best part. After he leaves and she tries to kill herself with extreme sports, he falsely learns that she had died and begins to take measures to kill himself. The only reason he doesn't is that she is able to find him and make him aware that she is still alive.

UGH

So as I started the 3rd book I realized that I was over the series and at this point was just skimming in order to finish the books so that I could get on with all my Christmas crafts and other things I wanted to do.

I would find myself seriously skimming and not paying attention. At that point I would put down the book and come back to it when I was in the mood to read some more.
Not nearly the 'can't put it down' that I was promised.

And may I say that my very moral father would have called these books from the beginning 'porn', or as that one lady would say in "The Music Man', smutty books!

The 3rd book has an uncomfortable to read bedroom scene in it. Oh and the whole 3rd book Bella is trying to sleep with Edward. The first of the 4th book they finally get married. The honeymoon isn't a play by play, but has enough info in it to make it feel wrong to read it.

I FINALLY finished the last book.

Here is what I got from the book. The inability to sleep without the hall light on for a few days due to all the vampire action.

Needless to say, I won't be seeing the movie and will not be recommending the books.

I will also say that the very staid church ladies who recommended the series to me have me looking at them differently.

I can't believe they didn't chuck the series out the window at the end of the 2nd book.

Those who are allowing their 14 year old girls to read this stuff and encouraging their young teenage boys to read it have me shaking my head.

In summary, don't waste your time on the 'Twilight" series.

Check out my younger sister's blog

http://laurainreallife.blogspot.com/

Sneaky sheep, dispatching roosters, and other fun adventures

So Monday morning we found that our sheep had decided to chew on a chicken coop latch and 3 roosters and a hen got out.

After chasing them for 10 minutes, it became obvious that the last thing they wanted to do was go back inside THAT run. They had only been in that run for a few days. I guess they liked the other one better. Go figure.

So hubby decided that we needed to harvest them about a month early. The hen was one who hadn't laid an egg for about 2 months. She and the 3 roosters were eating rent free. (the rent being egg laying). The roosters were a Rhode Island Red/Pinnon Hatch cross. They were not Pure (for my hatching egg scheme) so they were destined for the freezer.

Hubby got out his pellet gun. Dad gave that to him last year when we harvested the turkeys. why is it that harvesting food around here has tragedy involved?

Anyway, a pellet to the head and the turkeys were gone. It took about 10 seconds of flapping, but it was quickly over.

Well, this time the roosters and hen were out running around. so hubby had to be a 'hunter' of sorts to get this guys.

His first shot took down the most flighty bird (my suggestion) and we thought it was over pretty quickly.

It took about 5 shots to get the next guy. Hubby thinks the target is off on the pellet gun.

****warning do not read on unless you are up to graphic descriptions that will have you slightly disgusted****

Imagine our surprise when after the 2nd bird stops doing the flop of death, the first bird sits up and starts looking around.

Hubby didn't believe me when I told him the first bird was still alive.

Anyway, I'll skip all the awful details.

The short story is that the first 2 birds were very hardy and had to be shot point blank a few times. I feel very awful about this and we are rethinking the whole pellet gun option. We may use the cone method and 'pithing'.

The 3rd bird went down with one pellet (thank goodness). I don't think we could have taken any more.

The 4th bird ran into the neighbors yard. we thought never to be seen again.

We found him last night (1 day later) and hubby took him down with 1 shot after he got home from work.

so that takes care of 4 non-producing birds from my flock.

That leaves me with 16 hens and 1 rooster. 5 of those hens aren't laying yet. 2 Ameracaunas are 6 months old and better start soon or they will be dinner. the other 3 are not old enough yet.

In the other coop I've got 2 roosters and 4 hens (from my own stock!). None are pure bred, but all could be kept or sold as laying hens in the spring. The 2 roosters will be dinner at some point.

I've also got about 28 eggs in a incubator right now. They are supposed to hatch tomorrow. But this morning I woke up to a partially cracked egg. It was dripping a sort of bloody yolk mixture. but more cracks keep appearing, so I guess it may hatch after all.

YAY!

Lets just hope I get more than one bird from this hatch. They are destined to be sold as laying hens for $15 each in the spring. Hopefully that will help pay for feed and the new coop I have hubby building for me right now.

I've started keeping a notebook and recording all money going out and coming in on the chicken business.

If it doesn't make money, I'll sell my stock and just keep a small flock of 3-5 birds. The rooster will either be eaten or sold.

I really hope it doesn't come to that. I'd love to be able to do more to contribute to the household.

(and help pay for my sheep)

Where did the time go?

I love John Denver music. It has so many memories.

Here's an update on everyone.

Hubby almost got laid off at work. He was able to avoid it again, but they announce a layoff about every 18 months or so.. we're thinking about the possibility of another job. But not very seriously. Mostly we are thinking of ways to save money and make more money.

C is in Kindergarten. She loves school and loves riding home on the bus. The other day I was helping out in her classroom and was there until it was time to go home. so naturally she would be coming home with me. Well as soon as she heard this plan she started crying and saying she wanted to ride the bus home. Crazy kid. I finally was able to bribe her with a trip to McDonalds (that didn't happen, but that is a different story).

A is in Preschool. I help out there 1/2 the time for 1/2 off tuition. She loves it. She has gotten better at sitting still and focusing. She also is minding better. When she started she had a hard time focusing. It is still a problem, but not nearly as bad. She will sit still for story time and circle time. When everyone is in groups, she does a good job staying in her group. But it's not strange to find her group hopping.

I'm still going strong. I'm trying to get ready for a craft fair in 2 weeks. I've been making wool crafts and everything else I can think of. I've got gourds, indian corn, hair bows and wool felted bags.

Nothing is quite finished yet. I suppose I should focus on that next!

So onto my other business proposition.

Eggs, Chickens, and Hatching eggs.

1 dozen regular eggs can bring in $2.

1 dozen hatching eggs can bring from $4-5 .

Needless to say I'm trying to gear up to be able to to the hatching eggs.

I just don't have the space I need.

I think I'm trying to do to much. Hubby is building me a 3rd chicken coop, but I can easily justify a 4th.

I've also got about 28 eggs in an incubator that I will raise until they are pullets and sell for $15 each. The roosters will stick around for about 4 months and then hit the freezer.

Its all about being self reliant. But if I ditched the rooster idea I could have more room for other chickens.

My problem is that the breed that will be the most popular is the rhode island reds. In order to gather the hatching eggs they have to be in their own separate coop. So thats one coop down. Also, they have to have a dedicated rooster. There goes my only rooster.

The other coop is for the misc hens. They are for eating eggs. I had thought to sell their eggs cheaper but there are a lot of people out there with broody hens in the spring who don't want to get a rooster and don't want to spend an extra dollar for Rhode Island Red hatching eggs. But the new problem is that the rooster is in coop #1. so I guess I need another rooster?

Anyway, coop #3 is the problem. I've been using it for the roosters, but in a few weeks I'm going to have a ton of baby chicks (I hope) and I'm not sure where they will go after the brooder. Hubby is going to harvest some non-laying chickens in about a month. Maybe the 3 extra roosters will have to be harvested early.

I guess it could work out. I'm still working things out.

Is it just me ? Every time I eat something with pumpkin and spices I get the worst heartburn. It's awful.

Anyway, I'm officially the crazy chicken lady. Not so crazy though if I can bring money in with it.

Right now the only money going out is the money for feed. That will be expensive over the winter. But I have a lady who has a small hatchery operation who is after my RIR hatching eggs even during the winter. So I may be able to pay for their feed like that.

The only problem I have right now though is the fact that I seem to be trading her eggs for chicks (More RIR for my hatching eggs scheme). 1 doz eggs for 1 sexed bird (guaranteed hen). I think it could work though. I just have to treat it like a business and keep books.

Lets do that here.

Right now they are going through 1 bag of scratch grains and 1 bag of layer feed every 2 weeks. That comes to $50/month (with a $5 off coupon).

So far they are not bringing any moolah in. Except for the 1 doz eggs I sold to the hatching eggs lady, but do those really count since I'll be bartering for new hens with that?

I'll be posting an ad on Craigslist to sell fresh eggs tonight.

Sorry for the rambling chicken post.

And the beat goes on

C starts Kindergarten on Thursday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so excited!

She's so excited!

She already loves her teacher.

I'm just starting to realize how this is going to change our mellow stay at home life. I'm not sure if I'm ready.

A is going to start preschool in September at the same place that C was last year. I'm excited about that. I'm hoping it will help her on focusing. She tends to sit and stand and move about an awful lot in primary.

I subbed in C's class last sunday and was rather appalled at the fact that she was the worst sunbeam in the class. The rest were sitting and doing what they were supposed to do. A was moving from one teacher's lap to the other and would stay put for about a half second.

We are now actively working on the skill of sitting still and listening.

Ar is coming to live next door at Mom and Dad's house. I'm so excited! I may start a countdown calendar to put on the wall. Each day we could blissfully remove a number until she was here. OK, I'm only full of a little bit of cheese. We are all really excited though.

to change the subject.

The rooster has stopped doing his job. I guess that 8 hens were overwhelming to him. I guess anyway. I checked some eggs today and nope. They were not fertile.

I'm not sure what to do.

He has also started crowing like he is going hoarse. It is strange sounding. Maybe the 2 things are related?

I've been making fruit leather like it's going out of style with my brand new to me dehydrator! But! My kids have been eating it nearly as fast as I've been making it.

Also I think I need to cut the sugar down. I didn't put much in, just enough to cut the sourness, but I think it needs less.

Sunshine almost always makes me high. I love this song. Sorry, if you don't know what I'm talking about, one of the new songs on my blog is "sunshine on my shoulder" by John Denver. I love some of his songs.

The garden is doing well. Everything but the tomatillo volunteer is producing. I'm not sure why, but it just gets bigger and bigger and despite trimming refuses to give us any fruit.

Speaking of fruit, the blackberries are going crazy! We picked 3 times last week and each time get about a gallon of berries. I'll probably go and pick today as well and get that many. When they come on, they come ON. Hubby is looking forward to the jam.

One of those Days

Yeah, today was one of THOSE days.

I knew that C had a doctor's appointment this week some time because she needed to have her school boosters done.

Our dr's office is one of those that calls the day before an appointment. Well, I got nervous because school starts in a few weeks and we hadn't received the reminder call. I made the appointment clear back in June, so the fact that I forgot the exact date is not all that unusual.

I called this morning and had a mini heart attack when they told me that the appointment had been Monday. The nurse said I must have received a phone call reminder. Well, I didn't. If I had I would have been there at 8:30 monday morning.

So, I had to figure out when and where C would get her shots.

This whole thing ticked me off anyway because her original appointment had been in July and when I had called to see if it could be pulled in, they pushed me out because the doctor would be on vacation. OK, gee thanks.

So anyway, I tried several things including an appointment at a free back to school thing put on by SW district health the next town over. Problem was that it was the Saturday before school started. I needed the immunizations done before I could REGISTER her for school.

After exploring several options I made an appointment at hubby's work's doc in the box. It is 2 towns over (at the FAR end), but they could get us in THIS friday! YAY!

So I ran the immunization record down to our regular doctor to have it updated for the appointment (I had forgotten it the last few appointments). They were able to update it while we waited. YAY!

On the way home I thought we should swing by the school for a list of school supplies. On the reader board it said that kindergarten signup had been Monday. So we missed it and didn't even know about it.

I stopped by the office and got the supply list and the kindergarten packet.

I got home and started filling things out.

One thing I needed was a proof of address like a utility bill.

We don't have a natural gas hook up out here so that was out of the question. Our electricity (what they suggested) was online. So we don't have a bill. So I called the customer service line and they said that because it was all done online they don't even generate a printable bill. The guy offered to send me a screen shot of the bill and send it to me.

I said sure. But what he sent me could in no way be used to prove that we live where we say we do. It doesn't even look like it was sent by them.

So a panicked call to the school later and I was searching for our garbage bill. I just hope that works. If not I threw in a few doctor bills, stuff from the government, the bank statement. Stuff like that. Something has got to work. Maybe the sheer quantity of stuff coming to our address for me will work.

So anyway I got through that stuff and the next thing is birth certificate. I look through the safe. It wasn't there. So I went through it again. Not there. I called hubby and he said it's got to be in the safe. So I went through it again.

Then I went through the entire house. Anything that had bits of paperwork, anything that was sentimental that it could have been tucked into.

EVERYTHING.

Not there.

Some time during this search I thought, maybe I could go pick up another copy of it at city hall.

Nope.

They closed the customer service desk in 2004. The only way to get a copy is to mail in for one, or fax in for one. The problem with both is that it takes a LONG time. We're talking weeks and weeks.

But they did contract with a company who could take and process your order online for an additional 10.50 .

so the gov't wants $13 and the service wants $10.50 . It costs $23.50 for a copy of a birth certificate.

Needless to say I threw up a little in my mouth as I typed in my credit card number.

There are no words.

Busy Busy

There is so much going on!

The garden has really started producing. We have been spoiled with yellow zucchini, onions, shallots, tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, rosemary, thyme, potatoes, and all sorts of berries! Strawberries, yellow raspberries, and marionberries that are all so yummy!

And then at Mom and Dad's place there are red raspberries, blackberries, and the fruit trees are going crazy! About 2 weeks ago was the apricot harvest and just this morning I cleaned off most of a peach tree.

There is still a lot of fruit to come. There are 2 more peach trees, and a nectarine tree to go. The grapes are coming! As well as the pears and apples. I'm just trying to keep up.

I had thought I would buy a fruit dehydrator and make all sorts of fruit leather, but they are unexpectedly expensive. So instead of paying to much in haste, I'm going to process and freeze the fruit so that as soon as I have one I'll be able to dry it.

I'm hoping a good deal will come along soon because I would like to dry fruit and veggie slices for snacking.

My sister and her family will be coming to live at Mom and Dad's house in about 2 weeks. That should be fun. As long as we don't grate on each other's nerves and end up hating each other. But I'm sure that won't happen :)

The sheep are doing well. They are at Mom and Dad's and are basically worry free right now. Thank goodness.

The chickens are fine and the baby chicks will soon be laying. Any week for some, and any day for others.

The rooster has decided to man up and very nicely fertilized some eggs for the incubator.

I collected 16 and they are on day 2. This will take 21 days so they will hatch the week after school starts.

Also, once the silkie goes broody again (any day now!) I'll put some eggs under her.

Somehow we will have baby chicks around here.

Speaking of school - the fact that C will be starting kindergarten is freaking me out!

But enough of that.

We have 2 new occupants of the pasture. Two Jersey steers. They are just months old and super adoreable. I'm trying not to learn their names and not get attached. If I get to attached then it will take me anywhere from 6 months to a year to be able to eat them. At least, that is how long it took for me with the turkeys.

We'll fatten them up for around 2 years and then put one in the freezer and sell the other to pay for expenses. If it went well, we would buy another 2.

I have to say that I'm totally impressed with out pasture animals. Every one of them has a purpose. A clear purpose. Eggs, meat, and wool. YAY!

I'm thinking about going the midwife path for my girly doctor. I'm still debating over that.

Well, enough for now. I've got 2 boxes of peaches waiting for me in the other room and I've promised hubby that I would make bread this week. The kitchen is clean (mopped yesterday!) so I guess I can't put it off any longer.