Our mermaid ...

  Kaya gives the new pool two thumbs WAAAAAYY up and I'm almost certain she is half fish! The child could live in the pool!! Add in that it's a nice family way to unwind in the evenings and one of the best exercises/therapies for MS for Steve..it's a win win situation :) Granted I like it even more because we caught a great sale LOL
  Kaya has been spending lots of time in the pool and is really doing well with getting  on her boogie board and kicking across the pool. She will go underwater as far as her nose almost under..but alot braver than she was before! She has an issue with ANY water in her eyes so I think that is where it stems from. 
  She's excited to share pool time with her cousins :)
  Steve is going to build a dressing screen for me...that way Kaya or whomever can change behind it on the porch sparing wet feet across our hard wood floors. Then the screen will fold flat against the porch/house wall when not in use! 
  Kaya says in the water her mermaid name is "Leah" and loves to give everyone mermaid names lol She has found out that Mommy was right..braided hair is MUCH easier to comb after hours in the pool. Those curls combined with lots of water play...yeah..left down is rough to comb out!!
  I'm glad she's enjoying the pool. Even though we have solved the drought situation in this area..it has rained nearly every day since we put the pool up!! I kid you not it has rained at some point in the day every day since last Sunday!! Trying to think positive...saves on watering the garden! haha

About that Pantry...

  Everyone should stock up. Looking at pantry pictures gives you ideas on how to transform, create or modify your existing or pantry to be. Realistically having a pantry not only saves on your budget, helps during emergencies or natural disasters, is a big plus in a sagging economy and saves grocery trips because you tend to keep basics. Honestly...looking at pantries is slightly addictive only in the sense you think "OHHH I so would do mine that way" lol 
   I researched and used a Mormon Pantry approach. I personally am not Mormon and although I have Mormon friends I can't say that every single Mormon does a pantry. I do know the church encourages it's members to start with a 3 week, then a 3 mo and finally keep a year pantry for security during hard times. They also encourage members to not only tithe to the church but to tithe to a cash emergency fund in case banks would go down and to basically try to think long term. Some parts of a Mormon pantry is also ideal because several Mormon families (not all..but alot) have larger families so a pantry helps. I do think it's interesting and a nice thing in large Mormon communities such as Salt Lake City etc they actually have dry and wet canneries. You can have your food items canned in 5lb cans and up. Many churches open their cannery to the public and sale to the public so many times a month to help Non Mormons keep a full pantry. Me personally I am not interested in the philosophical aspect of why they do pantries (although I do find all religions interesting) nor do I ever find myself saying "I wish I could keep 200 lbs of barley flour onhand and 10 lb containers of pudding" LOL but the pantry idea for basics works.  
  Alot of Mormon ladies use a rotation calendar for their pantries. I'll show you how the calendar works:
 Jan: Beverages...and pantry rotation check
Feb:Breakfast foods
March:Oils/fats
April: Meats
May:Grains
June:Condiments
July:Snack foods
Aug:Fruit/vegetables
Sept:Tomatoes/Pasta
Oct:Beans/Soups
Nov:Holiday foods
Dec:pantry basics
  You basically do your regular shopping and then you concentrate on the items designated for the month. Sales for the items actually do run those months (soup sales start in Oct and continue through Dec) so you get more items for the cost. You can alter the list to include items like :August:fruit/vegetables/school lunch boxes...and you can even add in non food items. July has more sales for say charcoal so in July you could put ..July: snack foods/cookout items/paper goods. Alter it to fit your area of residence and your needs. In January you do rotation...check your dates, see what you have not used at all and reevaluate how you buy items. If you tithe to yourself for items it adds up. Say you start by tithing 20 dollars extra a shopping trip. You hit a 10 for 10 sale..buy 20 and you've stocked your pantry alot!! Idealistically you will get to where once a month you won't grocery shop at all or say every 3 mo you won't have to shop..you simply use up some out of your pantry to keep the rotation fresher.
  It's also a good idea to look up recipes for items. Try something new. Lentils can be bought cheap and easily stocked up on...then you can try out a new recipe with the item.
  If you make a menu for the week and then buy 2 extra of say 3 items on the list..you've started stocking your pantry. Some people grocery shop only every 2 weeks so they can alter their shopping list around their menu. 
   I like to hit after holiday sales too. Paper plates with Cmas designs or snowflakes can be used at home for longer than the holiday. Candy/cake decorating items usually go half price after the holiday and can be used all year long. Alot of stores celebrate say July 4th with family size items due to cookouts then it goes on sale after the holiday. If the package isn't resealable put it in a resealable bag or divide out into bakeable/cooking proportions and you've stretched your money..and your pantry!
  Add onto your pantry list by buying up on fresh goodies in the summer and canning or freezing them. Your freezer is another pantry! Buy up on items, even cheese can be purchased on sale in large amounts and frozen! , and freeze. Butter and shredded or square cheese can easily be frozen for later use.
  As for helping others a good pantry charitable program I saw was to make use of buy one get one free. Every so often do the buy one get one free...keep one for yourself and put one in a bag for a food pantry or as a secret friend gift to someone you know needs the help. If you do this with enough items...canned goods etc have long shelf lives so you can do the buy one get one free for a month or two..you can have a decent bag of items to donate to someone that really needs it.
  Just remember there is a fine line between hoarder/end of the world nutcase....and normally stocking up. There is nothing wrong with being prepared and taking care of your family..there is something wrong if you have totes in your basement with over 1000 tubes of toothpaste and deo (yes, I saw that on tv once!!) that you will never use up in a lifetime. To me that is wasteful.

Living on a budget

  Here at the Hacienda the word is ..budget lol Not always everyone's fave word but when we decided when Steve lost his job at the factory and we had Kaya that he would stay home with her...budget was the word. Then last year we found out Steve had MS and budget became the BIG word. Shots, medicines, dr appts, speciality appts, you name it adds up. We as a family have never really been ill. Matter of fact I've had my insurance for almost 20 yrs and I've met the deduct twice..once when Kaya was born and last year!! Thankfully in most areas all 3 of us are healthy. But..we've always budgeted. We are also a bit environmental and fresh food aware and that shows in our lifestyle. Don't get me wrong we love a good splurge for take out on pay day night and we have ate instant mash potatoes lol but we try hard to keep our core at healthy. It's even more important now that we are finding some seriously strong links medical wise to MS and processed foods/salts etc. But that is another blog lol
  Soo I thought I'd list some of the things we do around here. Maybe you already do it, maybe you'll find a cool tip or ..maybe you'll share something of your own.
   1. We grow as much of our own food as we can. Gardening is a HUGE stress reliever for me. I've done it my whole life. We literally canned every item we ate in the winter when I was a kid give or take a few items. Even if you only grow a few plants..you are offsetting your produce budget and if you have children..teaching them where their food comes from. You also control the freshness of the item and how it's grown (we use no unnatural pesticides etc due to our tortoise that roams the yard in warm weather lol). The most common response is "I don't have space for a garden." Or some may say their homeowner's association etc won't allow a garden. If you have potting soil/garden soil, a pot..then you have a chance to grow food. Think of veggies you like, do a little research and get to growing :) 
2. Hit the farmer's market when you can. Most times farmers will sell items much cheaper than grocery stores. Keep in mind the weather and time you go. If it's near the end of the sale some farmers will mark down items significantly just so they don't have to drag it home. You can ask farmers about their items (such as how it's grown etc) but most farmers market farmers have a pretty good reputation for good produce. Markets, even our smaller ones, are expanding so if you think you might buy bread items, meat etc pack a cooler with ice. 
3.Get creative with your food items. If it's cheaper to buy in bulk at the market or you have bulk items from the garden research how to freeze or can them. Tomatoes can become paste, sauce, juice or frozen to be added to chili and recipes. Peppers can be frozen whole or canned. If you do items like broccoli you will need to blanche it before freezing it. Lettuce is the only item that cannot be frozen and reused due to it's high water content. If you have only a few veggie items left cut them into pieces, put in a baggie and label..they often make good stirfry items or soup add ins later. Large family packs of hamburger or any meat is usually cheaper than small packages. Simply divide into 1 lb freezer bags, label and date and put in the freezer. 
4. Go for fresh meat if at all possible. May sound "snobby" but we mainly butcher our own meat or buy from a processing plant that butchers fresh. Say you pay 2.85 a lb for store bought hamburger. You pay 3.85 a lb for fresh from a processing plant. It's 1 dollar more BUT when you fix it there is a significant less amount of fat so you actually get meat, not fat and a small amount of meat after fixing it! You also get a higher grade of meat than you do at the grocery. If you butcher then the cost goes down significantly. We normally do at least 400 lbs of beef in the summer and it averages out at say 1.85 per lb...for all meat cuts. We get tbones, roasts, you name it. Price steaks in a store..you'll find that rib eyes might run 8 bucks a lb  and they may not run a lot cheaper from a processing plant but they are non hormone and fresh...and if we butcher our own beef the cost is insanely cheap compared to grocery stores. Just make sure you have enough freezer room and think out how you have it processed. It costs more for say cube steak so we simply have round steaks cut then tenderize them ourselves. Easy to do and saves money.
 5. Find ways to lengthen the time of your produce and on hand items. Onion slings are easily made and can store several onions for quite awhile. Herbs can be saved easily by using ice cube trays. Simply add olive oil to the tray slots, add desired herb and freeze. Plop in soups or recipes when needed. Same can be done with left over chicken/beef broth. Freeze milk if it's on sale. Take out a cup , recap and freeze. Milk will be yellowish due to milk fat but a few good shakes will remix it and it's ok to drink but works great for baking etc. Eggs can be bought up when on sale and froze. Just break two or three eggs into a bowl, scramble and put in freezer bags.Label and then thaw out a bag when baking. Bread can be frozen...I just sock it in the freezer (I have found that cheaper bread freezes better and multi grain white bread will get an off "smell" to it if frozen) but some put a napkin in the front of the bag, retie and freeze. 
6. Think ahead and of emergencies. Freeze up several milk jugs of water. Not only will it keep your freezer running more efficiently but if the lights go out you have ice against your food that may just save it!! You also have water to drink if you thaw it. The average family of four uses apx 1 gal of water per person per day (conservative estimate) so try to have gallon jugs of water in storage. We try to keep as much as we can on hand. Worst case scenario we never need it..we simply use it to water with etc as water can go out of date. I stock up on flour. We bake a ton in the winter/fall/spring. I freeze my flour for 2 hrs before putting it storage (kills any chance of flour bugs). I also freeze up extra sugar. I make up homemade brownie mix and bag it up, write directions on the front and then all I have to add is wet ingredients when we want something sweet. 
7. Use your pantry wisely. I'm not blessed with a walk in pantry (dreams dreams lol) so I make use of the space I have. We also built pantry shelving in the garage that once done will be useable for bulk items etc. I follow the Mormon churches list for pantries broke down month by month. No I am not Mormon but those ladies can make a mean pantry lol The important thing is to build your pantry around your family. I will blog the Mormon church pantry schedule in another blog.
8.Processed foods are not great but realistically we've all had to toss a frozen pizza in the oven from time to time. Catch a sale on the ones your family likes and toss in the freezer. Add a salad, a few fresh toppings of your own...quick meal on a budget done on a busy day. 
9.Learn to COOK. So many people say they can't do it and shy away from it. I've always cooked but when I taught my cousin to cook I told her pick an easy basic straight forward recipe. Practice it till it's perfect. Then deviate from it with your own ideas. Anyone can cook if they try. A home cook meal whether elaborate or down home simple is a prize in itself. It saves on the pocket book, you control what is in it and it's healthier than processed. Plus you get the satisfaction of knowing "I did that!!"
10. If a store has a 10 for 10 sale stock up if you truly use it. Only use coupons on items you actually like. And ONLY do rebates if you will actually remember to mail them in. Otherwise you've wasted your money and time. It's fine to bargain shop at different stores but realistically if you go to 4 grocery stores then you've probably lost valuable time and gas money. If you have a store that will comp..comp!! I do it alot. 
11. I'm a tea/water drinker but others in the house are pop drinkers. I try to catch sales and they drink what is on sale lol I also make sure to keep bottles of water on hand so they can mix flavorings into it, I keep chocolate syrup with added calcium on hand, and I keep lemonade mixes, juice etc so expensive pop isn't always the answer. We also recycle all our aluminum cans so it makes money back. Kaya is pretty much milk or water and I'm thankful for no fights over pop etc. So I always keep one jug of milk in the house fridge and an extra one in the garage fridge so I don't run out. Same with all drinks..I try to keep so many in the house fridge and a set in the garage fridge. Cuts down on the electric bill and the air conditioning in the summer because they can get drinks out of the garage instead of coming in the house when outside.
12. Do laundry late in the evening. Some electric companies offer cheaper rates at that time. It will also pull less on your electricity due to it won't heat up the house as much. We don't use lights when just watching tv in the front room to save on electricity. We don't allow water to run when brushing teeth and we try hard to conserve water. We don't set acs under 72 unless just freakishly hot out and we use a time control thermostat for our furnace. We are VERY lucky to have cheap utility rates, only use basically one tank of propane a WHOLE winter, and a relatively good water bill!! We recycle all our plastics we can , our cans, our cardboard (some we save for the fire pit), and we compost all non meat/no dairy leftovers. So our trash isn't too bad to haul either :)
13. We all use tpaper, soap, laundry soap, toothpaste. Buy when you have coupons and buy up if on sale. You know you'll use it. Don't get insane like hoarders lol but it's items families use alot. Some make their own laundry soap. I've not tried it but there are good recipes out there for regular or front load washers. You can make your own fabric softner, febreeze etc. Again I've never tried it but know plenty that have. 
14. Get generic prescriptions when you can. They cannot make a generic without it testing identical to a name brand. Unless you have a reaction or are sensitive to generics use generic scripts. Also if you get a discount program along with your regular insurance have them see if it's cheaper to run the discount card then it is your insurance card. I can get some of Kaya's inhaler meds (which she rarely has to have) cheaper by not using my insurance card (it's 4 bucks either way) and using my discount card. See if mail order or 60 or 90 day orders are cheaper for you. We use mail order for Steve and with MS we've learned you research research!!!!
15. Trade clothes with others. I've been lucky until last year to have a friend that her granddaughter was one size bigger than Kaya. She trades us the hand me downs (always in great shape). Now I pass Kaya's clothes to her little cousin. Kaya is lucky to get lots of new clothes but some kids out there are not so lucky...I've heard of people in neighborhoods doing supper shares (one family tonight will make supper big enough to share with the cul de sac, tomorrow it's another person's night) but I have no experience in that area lol I do share coupons with family...we pool ours together and what I don't use gets passed to another and vice versa.
16. Lose name brand loyalty. Unless you have a food item that you truly love and know that you'd never ever eat a generic etc in it...try the store brands etc. We have some items that we just won't eat the generic brand of  and it would be a waste to even try another. Remember that with some things..you are only buying the label. Say at Walmart...store brand milk is made by Deans in a Deans facility and shipped on a Dean's truck. There is no difference in the basic make up of the milk you simply pay a higher price for the namebrand. Don't buy a half gallon unless it's on a severe sale or you will not drink up a gallon.You pay alot more for a half gallon of milk. Save a half gallon milk jug, wash it, fill it from the gallon jug and freeze the leftover milk in the gallon jug. Will save money in the long run. Generic bread is made in the same bakery as the name brand (Great Value/Sara Lee). If you do shop at Aldi's or a store of that type watch your produce etc. Sales will also run on odd days at those stores too. If you have a grocery store that offers gas points when you shop..get the card. You will always buy gas so it's a win win situation. 
17. Shop the out side of the grocery store. From the deli to the bakery then around to produce, meat then dairy etc. The outside of the shopping aisles is the healthier places to shop. Inside aisles have the processed items that are made to last longer. Think about it....meat and produce are on the outside sections of the grocery...instant mash potatoes, frozen meals, etc are on the inside. Learn to cook with items you may have never tried...legumes, rice etc. to round out meals. Americans tend to think meals are suppose to be meat heavy when most heart drs will tell you to shop the outside of the store and fill a smaller plate up with veggies and less meat. 
   So all in all you have to make your budget work for your family and your lifestyle. Our lifestyle of cooking at home may not work for people that like to eat out. You have to adjust your budget to the life you have or the life you WANT to have. Sometimes you find out that you don't have to have what the Jones's have...you can be happy with what you have :)

My water baby :)

  Kaya did awesome this week on her "chore list" for our neighbors. We've known them for a long time and they are very nice people. They went away camping for a few days and asked Kaya if,since her garden was so pretty, could she water their garden and plants, help her Daddy put the dogs in and out each day? That they would pay her and let her swim all she wanted. Kaya of course took the deal right away lol 
  She did great the whole time..watered, never threw a fit over getting out of the pool and helped take the dogs out and put them up each night. She'd lock their kennel, give them a treat and say "Have a good night I'll see you in the morning. Don't be scared..it will be ok".
  When they got back home Kaya earned her first "paycheck" and was super excited. They bragged on her a ton about how well she had done and told her anytime she wanted to swim to have at it.
  I can say it was nice seeing her splashing and having fun. We don't do the public pools and normally only do creeks or the lake etc. But after seeing how happy and what a great time she had plus the benefits of how well the water relaxed Steve's leg muscles we may have to consider getting us one next year. Nothing fancy or inground etc..just something they can both enjoy.
  Of course she HHHHAAAD to go to the store to spend her money. Normally a certain amount of money she gets..whether bday, earned etc..has to go to her savings account. This time we told her that the whole amount was hers. She quickly picked out one of her fave toy lines and was so proud to have purchased it herself :)
  I'm hoping that not only will she have money in savings but it will teach her to budget, that hard work earns you something besides just money and that you have to balance out what you really want with how much money you have.
  Very proud of my little worker bee :) and LOVE that she is a water baby. She cannot get enough of water whether it's in the creek, the lake or the pool. 

An issue with anger

  I am rarely an angry person. I feel things happen in life as they happen and you might as well deal and move on. I don't let a lot of things frustrate me and I've learned that you have to let go and stop worrying. Not an easy factor for a worrier and a fixer like me but I've made huge leaps in that area.
  This week..I've had a hard time with my anger. Not at my family or Kaya or even one certain person. My anger has been at MS. This last week has been one of the hardest we've had in nearly a year. It's warmed up, we had been insanely busy getting gardens/yards ready/done and Kaya's bday party.Every day we have an outside thing to do.  We've had lots of things to do on weekends. And MS rose it's head this week with a roar.
  Normally we deal, figure it out and move on. Which we did. But this time for the first time in a LONG time I felt anger. Anger at the hellacious disease that robs Steve of feeling good. That made him so sore the day after Kaya's bday party that he could barely move. That made him feel as if he was trying to reach the surface of the water but bricks were holding him down. That made him emotional and frustrated. That made us feel tension in the house and between us because of that "egg shell affect". You know the feeling that some simple thing will set off nerves and result in an unnecessary fight. Thankfully we don't bicker alot and we've learned to step away and let tension and stress ebb away and then tackle the situation.
  I've felt my anger too towards certain people and I hate that. I can't let people climb up my back and get to me with so much on our plates. But sometimes I just wish that people would pick up the phone and call and check on Steve. Not call and tell him their woes. Not drop an email with the lines "I'll help anyway you need anytime buuuutt....." Or even better is when I try to be the bigger person and explain to them what is going on ..say on a Sat. and not one single one even felt the need to check on him until Friday..and one hasn't asked at all!!
  So I decided I could fester the anger or just let it go. MS is here to stay and we can't always control every single day or minute. People are going to do as they want. Unless you have a chronic illness or the spouse/support team member of a person that has it..you have no clue. I can't expect others to understand fully when some days I don't fully understand it all LOL
  I have found myself saying that I wish certain people could see Steve's frustration and anger at himself and the disease then maybe, just maybe they'd understand that it's a serious illness. But then I realized that it wouldn't humble them to the case at hand..only frustrate Steve more if people could see him struggling.
  It's our battle but we are not alone. Lots of people care and ask. We take every day as it is and it's made us realize even more that the small things make our life :) That maybe today Daddy doesn't feel like jumping in the trampoline with Kaya and Mommy will do it..but Daddy will help her bake some cookies and we'll pull out the paints and have fun.
  So I'm thankful for the great days, love the good days, and we love each other just a tad bit stronger on the rough days :) 

Schooling choices

  We have been looking into all the options for Kaya when she starts school. It's doubly interesting because locally our town has had an issue with a teacher being busted for drugs..but that could happen in public or private school.  So we decided to look at all kinds of options to prepare for when Kaya does go to school.
  We started with the local Catholic school. We are not Catholic but they have a reputation that is split. Some say it's excellent small classes others say that the kids come out to middle school less prepared. So we listened to people's opinions that had sent their kids there and then looked at the tuition work page. Very interesting. They will state over and over that they are "very open and loving school setting for all faiths" but if you are not Catholic in their parish then your tuition is nearly double!! At $5680 est it's a steep price for a year. Plus you have to add in to that cost $500 for books and you have to purchase uniforms and gym uniforms. You can receive a non parish grant IF you sign paperwork you will attend mass weekly and be a financial cornerstone of the church. That's great but I'd be a hypocrite attending Mass to save money...and I'm pretty sure the Lord would see my true heart and the churches. The second scholarship takes 500 off a year but you must attend and help at every single school function and fundraiser as well as SCRPT programs. There is no way that either of us could attend or financially do EVERY single program!! The third for 500 off would be volunteering 20 hrs a school year which is more feasible. But even with a scholarship flat tuition would be over 400 a month. Not in our budget. I also questioned where our hard earned money would be spent when my daughter couldn't attend Mass fully or take the classes for confirmation etc attached to the church.
  Another option is the local Christian Academy. We looked at private religious schools first mainly because many have high academic standards, small classes, good teacher/student ratios and more secure environment. Our second school was a bomb too. Our cousin attends the church connected to the school so we went to her for info as they have no website and no info on the computer (that alone made me rethink the school...it didn't sound open and inviting if that makes sense). Once we received the list of things you cannot do etc we quickly realized it was not the choice for us. If Kaya attended there I could not cut her hair, could not allow her to wear any jewelry, could not allow her to paint her toes or fingernails, her shoes would be measured for height, her skirt would have to go past her knees and her shirt sleeves over her elbow, no tv, no dancing, restricted music and the kicker....When I would pick her up I'd be required to follow the same rules...I would have to have a skirt on that went past my knees, elbows covered, no makeup, no jewelry (Not even my wedding band!!) or it would constitute Kaya being put out of the school. We would also have to attend church for a certain amount of hours a month for approval. I wasn't totally surprised with all the rules but to be honest a bit shocked by the absolute dictation of your life and outward appearances. How could I explain to Kaya that her teachers say women cannot wear pants or that dancing is a sin then allow it in our home? Believe me I have no issues with Kaya seeing or learning different faiths and questions and curiosity do not scare me. We do all kinds of different things in our home and I truly believe if you do not seek..you will not find. But it's quite another to tell a child her worth is based upon her hair being long but that if she wears a bracelet then it's sinful. Just a murky area. And how would we fit into the parent mix at the school functions and meetings?! Do I put on a fake personality and wear a skirt to fit in or do I try to be me..and my child pay for the consequences. Don't get me wrong..I'd give up anything I had to to allow my child every single chance in life...but..I won't stifle her soul and her being to get her into a school that MIGHT prepare her for college or her dream job.
   So far looking at private or religious schools has given me the feeling that schooling outside of public school or homeschooling is reserved for only people of money. That if you do not have a certain bank account amount then you are not going to "fit in" at these institutions. That the chance to give your kid a better education or even a strong faith based education is not in site if you do not have the moola. I also feel that they are entirely allowed to set all rules and faith rules they want (otherwise I'd be a hypocrite on things such as freedoms and censorship) but I have a feeling their openness to other faiths is not..that open.
  So onto public school. I came out of public school..loved it and did well. Steve came from public school and hated it. But I've explained to him he had no parental involvement at all, n one did homework with him, no one kept track of him. We are not that way. That the media and people fuel the fire about public school by focusing on bad teachers and lose sight of the good teachers that make a difference. So public school is definitely on the table. My main fear is the immense size of our school system here compared to my tiny hometown school I grew up in. Steve's main fear is security and dealing with less than desirable parents that could care less about their kids or anyone elses.
  Sending her to my school is an option. But we would have to add in the transfer fee since it's another county, the gas for a 40 mile trip TWICE a day,and the bad roads if the winter gets bad. It's an option but not a likely one. I love the idea of her having a small class, involved teachers and to be honest..my environment. Call me a control freak lol but I know the school, most the staff and that comforts me. Here..I know noone, I know very few parents of any kids etc.
  Homeschooling is another option. Steve is passionately for it because it's controlled, we have a more hands on approach and it has different forms. You can have home school groups and programs as well as set your own pace at home. My qualms with it is the fact I feel there is restricted socialization, makes me nervous about advancement past a certain age, I'm NOT a school teacher or certified in education, and I'm afraid we'll fail Kaya.
   Soo all in all it's still an investigation. I know if we approach it hands on no matter where we send her she will do great. We are involved parents, we will expect the best out of her and her teachers and our faces will be very visible at the school lol

5 yrs ago today....

    June 12, 2008..1:11am...our world changed in a way that constantly never ceases to amaze us. We earned the title of "Mamma and PappaBear" to a beautiful 9 lb 5 oz baby girl.
    

Today she turns the big 5!!! Hard to believe!!

1. What is your favorite phrase: I can do this!

2. What is your favorite food: spaghetti, yogurt (reg or Greek!), red hot dogs

3. Fave take out: mini corn dog meal from Steak n Shake or salsa/white cheese and chips from Mexican

4. When you grow up, what do you want to do: toss up as she wants to be a veteraniaran, a teacher, a heart dr and a sword swallower ;)

5: What is your favorite color: Purple and Pink

6. What is your favorite song: anything with a good rhythm!!! From country to rock to salsa. She loves old rock

7. When you're outside, what is your favorite thing to do: jump in the trampoline, swing , play with her pets

8. If you could go anywhere in the World, where would you go: nowhere my home is awesome!! 

9. What is your favorite snack: yogurt or cookies...will snack on porkrinds if given the chance!

10. What's your favorite movie: Too many to name!!

11. What is your favorite thing to do inside: watch my animals, read books, play with my dollhouse, do artwork/crafts

12. Favorite garden item: tomatoes (to eat) ...tomato worms to watch!! lol
    Kaya has went from a tiny baby into an active 5 yr old. With a passion for dance and music, a big heart, love for all things creepy and scary lol, and a magnet for dirt as she'd rather have her shoes off and playing in the dirt. She loves her baby dolls and often says she's afraid she'll have to wait till she's 18 for Santa to give her a baby sister (insert eye roll) and is a pretty funny kiddo.
  So thank you Kaya for giving us five years of joy. Parenting isn't the easiest job but no job worth doing is!! Being your Mamma and Daddy is the best thing ever :)

A booming garden

  Even though we started our garden out a little earlier than most and heard "it'll die" from various freeze warnings etc..ours is doing awesome!

   We have been blessed with lots of strawberries and have yet another round coming on. Some ready to turn and more blooms. We did nothing with the plants over the winter other than let grass cuttings get on them and they have boomed this year. They are literally taking over the area where they have been planted. Very tasty and they make a mean homemade strawberry shortcake :)
 

We do a force spot type of planting. We don't measure it exactly and by some "methodical" gardeners you have to have a certain spacage etc. We have found you can get creative and make lots of interesting things happen.
  We currently have four types of lettuce, kale, broccoli, red cabbage,onions, 30 tomato plants,peas, 2 types of green beans, sweet banana peppers, lemon cucumbers, strawberries, gourds, walla walla onions, sweet basil, Mexican oregano, and cauliflower growing. We are going to be adding a garden bed just for Kaya (part of her gift from us as we got her new "real" garden tools, watering can, seeds and gloves for her bday.She was EXCITED!!) and one other bed in this area. We have raspberry vines growing onto our clothesline that we will allow to vine and twist around the line and keep the berries off the ground.

Kaya's fave and she is counting down the days of growth and when it will ripen LOL She literally will clean the vines off completely if you do not keep an eye on her. We have I believe 5 varieties of tomatoes including husky cherry we started on our seed racks going.

I love seeing this peek through :) We have had great luck with cauliflower here. Soon will be time to tie the leaves over the heads to protect them from the sun and encourage bigger heads. Last year this was one of our garden faves!!

Green bean climbing the strings. 

On left side is a half section of our peas (we plant in two different places) climbing strings. You don't have to climb strings but it helps to keep them off the ground if you have lots of rain/hot sun..less rotting. Peppers and some of the tomatoes shown here. We staggered out plantings to encourage a later crop.
  We also have transplant pots that we use. We've found either mixing in crumbled Tums or reg ole calcium pills stops the tomato blight that you can get around here from watering in pot/hot sun etc.
  We will also be building a hot box using wood and either glass or plexiglass.
  I can't wait to see Kaya's garden box and see her face while working on "just hers". She can plant what she wants and take care of it. We got her mainly flower seeds because she loves to pick flowers :)

  I'm big on  gardens not just because I grew up gardening, canning etc. but because it's an easy way for families to grow healthy food they like while also being good to the environment etc. If we encourage our kiddos to get their hands dirty, have patience and seek the reward of something they grew...then it may encourage them to eat healthier and tackle difficult tasks later in life. A child is more apt to eat something "odd" if they can watch it grow and take care of it.
  A good quote says "You may occasionally need a dr, a lawyer, or a handyman...but 3 times a day you will need a farmer"
 I'm also super excited to start hitting the farmers market. We have one of the best ones around the next county over and I'm thinking about how I want to "attack" lol I've not got beds going for potatoes yet and I will probably look for those there and then I'm going to put them in the fridge to decrease them going bad. I'm going to look for big onions to hang in the "pantyhose" slings we have in the garage(I will attach info).And I want to look for items to freeze etc. to round out what we have.
** Onion slings. Simply take a clean pair of pantyhose (We use Kaya's when she outgrows them..wash and use). Drop one round onion in the foot, tie a knot about 2 inches up...continue on both legs and till you get to the top. Hang on a nail somewhere dry and cool (we use the garage) .Simply cut below the knot and you have an onion with the others staying in place.
 

Kaya's 5th Bday :)

Kaya's 5th bday party theme was Monster High! I made this Clawdeen Werewolf cake using a new doll, white cake on the bottom sheet cake layer dyed inside to look tie dyed using her fave colors  then baked a round cake for the second layer topped with a bunt cake  turned upside down for the skirt. Kaya LOVED it. I used her fave colors in the icing and we decorated with chocolate candy bones, candy skulls etc. We did a cookout complete with hamburgers, hotdogs, polish sausages, 6lbs of cheesy potatoes and two big family boxes of mac n cheese. Add in condiments, chips and lots of drinks (tea,water,pop,juice and lemonade) and everyone was well fed. We had 34 of us all together :) Was wonderful
To go with the cake we did of course ice cream but we also did "cemetery dirt"..chocolate pudding topped with crushed cookie crumbs and then chocolate bones on top. Was a big hit.

Hard to believe Kaya will be 5 Wednesday. Loved watching her play with her cousins,
laugh and have fun. Lots of water fights (party favor was huge crayon shaped water soakers from Dollar Tree lol)
lots of swinging, jumping on the trampoline, running, going down the slide and just having a great

time was had by all the kiddos. Love that so many love Kaya enough to either send her  a message or come to the party. She got a lot of nice gifts but the best thing she got was having her family together for lots of fun,sweets
and laughter :)

Kaya getting ready to blow out her candle

  

Utility room done!

 Utility room is done! Did the same red as the kitchen (cabin red) and left two walls white. 

 Above pic is the wall. Basket is holding dried roses from my second Mother's day from Steve and Kaya :) I dried them in the garage. The sticks are bamboo sticks from a flower arrangement Jonus had sent while in Iraq. The sign I made myself
  To the left is the other basket hanging on the utility room wall.

Finished outside projects!!

    Fire pit is DONE!! Not too bad considering the benches are made from pallets put together and spray painted to match the garage door and roof (will add cushions later). The actual pit is from the ring around our lilac bush which we used the bricks for here and Kaya and I changed the bush area. The border is left over rock from another project. The table in the left corner is a produce pallet turned sideways to make a table. We left the slats on the back of one pallet to have storage area for hotdog forks. The flower box on the right is wood a neighbor thought was bad and Steve took it..and made a raised bed. We moved some flowers that were starts from another bed and two 1.00 clearance callalillys from Lowes lol We planted a transplanted Voodoo plant (hard to see in this pic) behind the pallet table to help keep bugs down.

  Our rose bush is busting itself this year and climbing like crazy. VERY hard to keep Kaya out of it lol 

 We got Asiatic lilies on a half price sale and planted them in the corner by the compost bin. They may not bloom this year but def will next. Adds some color against the brown wood of the compost bin.

  The picture on the right  is the run on the left side of the house (if facing the front porch). We used brown mulch to offset the siding and we have irises, hyacinths, our insane honeysuckle bush and our holly bush is by the compost box. I LOVE how it came out. Lizzy the Lizards little headstone is also back here (Kaya's old pet).

  Top pic is the flower bed run at the top of the drive. Odd angle but hard to get in one  picture lol Gladiolas are coming in :)
  Below that pic is the flower bed between the trees by the road. Asiatic lilies and yucca are in that bed surrounded by rock. We are going to give this bed some more work. It's the first bed we did years ago and it just needs something.
                                                                                           

Lilac bush in side yard. Kaya and I hauled all the clay rock
from the side yard (fire pit area) to this area to make the
ring! Blends in well

Today I Lived

Follow your heart, but be quiet for a while first. Ask questions, then feel the answer. Learn to trust your heart.”
-Robert Tizon  

  I read a wonderful article about living for the day that made me sit up and listen so to speak. It addressed that if you live for the day, pull the positives out of your day and focus less on the negative it impacts your whole day. That if you realize that tomorrow isn't promised and love/live for today life begins to change. You see less stress, you focus on the here and now and you realize that you have control. It also stated that if you treat each person you love as if they will die at midnight you change not only your perspective on how delicate life truly is..but also in how you approach others and treat others.
    I used my Sunday as my day since I read the article on Sunday lol 
  Today I woke up at 3am to a blaring alarm but I also woke up next to the one man that loves me 100% wholeheartedly..loves me for me, for my faults and constantly encourages me to be the best I can. I also woke up to a little arm threw protectively over me..attached to the most beautiful babygirl that had a rough night trying to sleep. Today I woke up not wanting to go to work..the warm bed, the snuggles..much more inviting then hustling it at my hot job..but I realized that I provided a day's pay for my family and the ability to buy our needs and once in awhile our wants. Today I woke up to society saying I'm a working Mom...but to my daughter I am simply "My Mamma". No pressures, no norms and no statistics on what a Mom is or the whole working Mom vs Stay at Home Mom debates...just "My Mamma". Today I came home from work and I threw together a quick supper...six days straight and I was one tired woman...while stressing that I should have made a traditional Sunday dinner until I looked around the kitchen and realized the smiling faces could care less what was on the plates they were just happy to be together eating! Today I came home and changed into my work clothes and thought how nice it would be to sit down and have a glass of tea...until I realized how great it was listening to Steve's excited voice over how well our project is coming together and to hear him and Kaya chat about their day. A trip to the local hardware store resulted in me today feeling as if I'd sink through the floor when my tired,hot, cranky daughter threw the worst fit I've ever seen...until the cashier smiled gently and said "It's ok, I have a little one her age too. She does the same thing when she's had no nap"...and I realized everyone has been there/done that..reprimand and go on. Today I thought I was too tired to check the garden then I realized how happy it made me to see Kaya so delighted over another round of strawberries and how she smiled seeing the first cute little tomatoes hanging on the vines. How she knows where her food comes from and loves to get her hands in the dirt. Today the two people that had gossiped about me (previous post) called needing our help badly. I felt myself thinking "Too bad. You can call when you need a work horse but you can't spend time with us or be there when we need you"...then I realized I didn't want to live as they did. I didn't want my daughter to see someone need help and think it's ok to be mean. I didn't want to allow myself to treat them how they treated me..lowering myself to a standard that I will not do. I realized that I was the better person..they could choose to appreciate it or not. I didn't have to chat them up or make over them..just help my husband. So I did. At first you could feel the "thick air" (they have to know I know they talked about me LOL) but was pleasantly surprised when they not only gave Steve gas money but appreciatively thanked us. As well as we got a start from a plant we wanted LOL  It doesn't change my feelings on the situation nor does it take us back to how it use to be..it was simply a few minutes out of our day and it's done. Today I snuggled up with Kaya and asked her "Why do I love you so much"..expecting her normal hilarious answers of "I'm pretty" or "Cuase I'm your kid"...only to hear "Because you are the best Mamma in the world and I'm lucky to get to be your kid"...and it hit me.
   That was my answer, my confirmation. I am the best person I can be to the person that needs me the most.
  Today I LIVED for TODAY and stress/worries ebbed away.
  To choose to stay when I wanted to retreat.
To choose to forgive when I want to condemn.
To choose to love when situations are hard.
To choose to hope when I want to doubt.
To choose to stand when I want to fall.
Today I lived.