Punky Padding

Progress, Sort Of

2012-02-09T20:00:00.001-05:00

Bad drywall is gone.....now the real fun begins.

We are slowly pulling down the remaining plaster and lath and preparing to finish the new entry. We had to continue up and around since it's all tied in together, not to mention it all looked like garbage and we would need to fix it eventually. Unfortunately it's still winter and hauling off the plaster is a pain, not to mention the dust!

The ceiling above the stairs is two stories high and reaching up there to work without scaffolding is not an option, so we put in a temporary 'floor' above the stairs in order to work in the highest areas since we don't have any scaffolding and are too cheap to rent any.

Total disaster, but getting there. It's too bad the people who lived here before us felt the need to put drywall over the plaster rather than fixing it. In fact, most of it was in very good shape before the million drywall screws messed it up, it would have only needed a few crumbles fixed and a coat of paint to look nice. The ceiling, however, is a loss.

It's amazing how slapping drywall over existing wall can make a space feel smaller. Just removing the drywall made things seem much bigger and in the areas downstairs that are done feel a lot nicer than they did before the tear down started, and they are not even finished out and painted;) Can't wait to finally see this mess all over with.

Best piece of advice I can give? Do your remodeling before you move in!

The Foyer Has a New Floor!

2012-01-24T08:05:00.000-05:00

The new entry/foyer/closet is coming along! We finished installing the new floor this weekend and it looks great. Amazing what a difference it makes in this small space. In the picture below you can see the trap door to the 'basement', or what the people around here refer to as hell. Everyone has a similar 'basement' in this town, they all flood, they are all dark, crumbling, dirty, etc. No one actually uses them, but our water meter's are located there and once a month someone has to climb down there and read it. So, getting back on track, it's the door to hell, but I think we did a nice job on it:)

My plan all along had been to paint this floor a glossy black. I love the elegance of a shiny black floor and didn't want to spend a lot of money on the more expensive hardwoods, so I bought the cheapest oak hardwood Menard's had. I usually hate oak, I think it's cheap and ugly, but since I was painting it, it was perfect. Unfortunately I may have to revise my opinion. I think this floor looks beautiful and now I don't want to paint it. I'm debating and looking at all my options, but I am now leaning towards a very dark or onyx stain. I'll still have my dark, elegant floor, but the wood will still show through. It may even turn out better than I had originally planned:)

You can see all the work that still needs to be done, but time and patience will get me the room I have envisioned. Plus, it's winter in North Dakota, why get in a hurry?

The Cat Crapper Deluxe

2012-01-23T11:18:00.000-05:00

Cat Crapper Deluxe How-To:)

Step 1: Acquire cheap cabinet. I found this microwave cabinet for $35 at a thrift store, it was in great shape and will help organize the bathroom, perfect!

Step 2: Burn up some blades cutting a hole in the side of your new cabinet, insert cat flap, secure. Cat flaps can be found at major pet supply chains.

Step 3: Install litter pan, toss in cat, quickly shut the doors and let them figure things out.

Step 4: Stand back and admire the odor-free and nicely contained awesomeness that is the Cat Crapper Deluxe!

Just a few notes;)

The boys were a bit worried about Fat Eve fitting through the small sized cat flap, we debated long and hard on which size to buy, in the end I felt the $15 difference made the smaller flap the best choice and since most of her fat is in the rear, she could ooze through. Turns out she fit just fine:)

Since the litter tray is a larger one(Fat Eve has issues hitting the smaller ones) there isn't a lot of room in the cabinet once the pan is inserted, so the cats tend to step from the pan right out the door, tracking litter, so I slid an old piece of carpet under the cabinet to catch it. Works great and looks just fine. Maybe one of these days I'll buy a nicer rug, or not.

Having the litter box double as a piece of furniture has many advantages. We now have storage in a room that has hardly any, it's neat and clean, and best of all, we don't have to look at the wretched litter box! Oh, and no stink!!

Winter Project #1

2012-01-19T15:30:00.003-05:00

So as many of you know I have a virtual tribe living in a modest 100+ year old Victorian that was clearly built with economy and small families in mind. Or maybe they were just really close and the mom was a much better housekeeper than I am? Anyhow, we have a shoe problem, and a coat, snow pant, glove, mitten, hat, boot, ski, etc. problem. And this is the woefully inadequate closet I have had to work with. It's hard to get a picture since it's a small space in here, but you can see the coat closet pictured is not very deep.

I took this after taking out the closet rod and shelves and of course I couldn't wait to start ripping it all down, cause that's just how I roll;) To the left you can barely glimpse the living room and to the right of this closet is the stairs for the second floor. Directly opposite is the front door. Not exactly a foyer out of Architectural Digest. Behind this useless closet is another closet, a much bigger one that I plan to make much better use of.
Closet wall is down as well as the wall next to the stairs! And here you can get a gander at that secret door Aaron was all excited about;) There is a really nice space under and in back of the stairs that will make wonderful closet and shoe space. Oh, and notice the red and peach color scheme on the stairs. I'd really love to meet whoever decorated this place years ago. I'm simply fascinated.
Another angle, here you can see that I've already started finishing out the half wall and shoe cubbies under the stairs. You can also kind of see that there is a space behind the stairs. This is where I plan to hide the coats and the majority of the shoes/boots.
All the drywall is up! It's so much brighter in here already and it's hard to imagine that small closed-in space we had before. I didn't capture it here, but we also widened the door into the living room, getting us more light in there and making it easier to bring things in and out. Next I need to mud/tape the walls and I plan to start installing the new hardwood floors this weekend.

This is just the beginning, I plan to continue on up the stairs and re-do all those walls. Lucky me, I get to first tear down the bad dry-wall job a former owner did over the plaster walls, then of course the plaster. I wish it could be salvaged, but as we started pulling drywall down it became obvious all the plaster was going to have to all be stripped off:( Good thing there's nothing else to do right now;)

December BirchBox

2011-12-12T14:46:00.003-05:00

I got my December BirchBox today! I have to say, I am much happier with this box. Other than the perfume, this box has a lot of things I will actually try. I feel the sample sizes are much nicer this time too, though not what I would call deluxe.Contents:

Benefit Cosmetics - The POREfessional This is a face primer that is supposed to camouflage pores. I needed a face primer, so I'm happy to give this one a try. It looks like I can get 2 or 3 applications from this little sample.

Harvey Prince - Ageless This is a perfume and I can't do perfumes, sorry.

Jouer - Moisturizing Lip Gloss in Birchbox Pink I love the shade of this gloss, it is much more my style:)

Orofluido - Beauty Elixir This is a nourishing hair treatment and with my colored hair I can always use something to help soften and shine. I look forward to trying it.

ShowStoppers - Designer Fashion Tape Pretty self explanatory. Tape to keep clothes in place. I do need this stuff on occasion when I wear a boat neck top and need to hide the bra straps:)

Recharge - EBoost Some sort of energy drink mix, not likely to use it since I'm primal and don't do chemical concoctions;)

All in all a decent box and I'm glad I didn't cancel, though I'm still waiting for those deluxe samples I keep hearing about. They did include a $20 coupon, which is nice, and I may use it, but it won't be until after Christmas if I do. Darn kids, always wanting Santa to bring them stuff for Christmas;)

If you get a BirchBox or other sample box, let me know what you get and if you want to sign up for this one, use my link here so I can get some points!

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm Not A Copy Cat, I'm Just Inspired;)

2011-12-08T07:11:00.001-05:00

These glittery snowflake nails were inspired or copied off Copy That, Copy Cat. She does some fabulous holiday inspired nails and I was eager to try some more free-hand art. Hers look a lot more professional, but I love how mine turned out and they got immediate compliments. They are pretty hard to ignore, since they are so flashy in person.

I used China Glaze 'Dorothy Who' for the shimmery blue base, then sponged on some silvery nail art polish from Milani. The snowflakes are China Glaze's 'White on White', and it's all topped with Poshe.

I'm extremely proud of the job I did on my right hand since I am so not left handed. In fact, I think the nails painted using my left hand turned out better than the nails painted with my dominate hand. Go figure. I plan to leave this manicure on through the weekend, which is cool since glitter polish is a bitch to take back off and I'm in no hurry for that challenge.

Be sure to check out more of Copy That, Copy Cat, she does a lot of pretty and inspiring stuff.

Thanks for stopping by!

Broken Nails

2011-12-07T07:36:00.002-05:00

I've been trying to grow my nails back out after several splits and breaks that forced me to cut them back several weeks ago. They were coming along nicely and I was quite pleased. Then the cold winter air descended:(

Monday night was the high school Christmas program. When I left the house to head out to the school at 6pm the outdoor temp was -1* F. I'm certain that it was even lower when the program finally let out around 8pm though I didn't pay attention. After buckling the kids in I went to pull my own door closed and snap. Surprise, surprise, a broken nail. It happens all the time this time of year, but it's still upsetting. Now I have to either deal with uneven nails or cut them all down again. Sigh.

I'm kicking myself for leaving them naked this week. Painted and finished nails are stronger than naked nails most of the time. I'm not sure if it would really make a difference when my hands are icy cold and things like this happen, but I do know they are stronger when finished under normal circumstances, not to mention they are much prettier.

Lesson learned.

Housekeeping & A New Look!

2011-12-06T19:27:00.002-05:00

Welcome to the new layout! I've been in the Christmas spirit lately, decorating and admiring other neighborhood efforts. My family will tell you is really out of character for me so I guess I've had a change of heart this year. There is only so much I can do at this point though, so I've decided to decorate the blog too:)

I've been cleaning up pages here, deleting some posts, moving things around, etc. I like the separation of the primal stuff from my fashion and other interests. I've debated on keeping a separate primal blog for awhile, but most of my primal updates originate from Facebook and are short and consist of food pics, so organizing the info into a new column makes more sense for now.

As for all the social networking icons, I'm working on linking those that I use and trying to figure out how to remove those I don't. Sorry, I don't twitter and have no plans to. A new layout takes time to figure out;)

I'm working on re-vamping our bike blog, Pedal the Moment, and hope to start adding new posts there soon. We plan to begin a bike build soon and it promises to be a lot of fun.

I've deleted a couple blogs I had going and am putting more effort into this one and Pedal the Moment. I had started a nail blog, but after further thought that seemed silly, so I've moved the links back over here. I love building blogs and editing them, but don't always remember to keep the posts current.

I hope you enjoy the changes and thank you for stopping by!

Jenni

Confession Time

2011-11-26T12:38:00.004-05:00

My trips to the grocery have not been going the way they should. I've been sucked into the abyss of temptation and sin. May the primal gods forgive me;)

For the past couple weeks I've been sinning in the worst ways when it comes to primal. I've been eating pizza, drinking chocolate milk, gorging on chocolate bars and chips, and even partaking of the evil fast food. I have no good excuses, not really. I could argue that it's cheaper to eat junk than it is to eat clean, but that's nothing more than an excuse. I don't want to do it, but it's as if there is some inner voice urging me on and telling me it's no big deal, after all I haven't put any weight back

on. Actually it might be the issue of weight that has pushed me in this direction. You see, my weight has been stalled for several weeks now and no matter what I do, it doesn't budge, so this makes sinning even easier. It seems that no matter what I eat, the weight just stays the same, no gain, no loss

There are bigger issues than weight this time around though. Bodily functions that were long dormant have returned with a vengeance. This is actually bothering me more than the weight stall right now. No one wants to walk around in a cloud of gas or stress over pimples at my age:( It seems to be having and effect on my sleep patterns too. I'm having trouble falling asleep easily and I find myself waking up several times in the night. All this is contributing to my less than friendly moods of late. It's tough to be a happy mom when your tired, gassy, and covered in zits.

Thankfully there is an easy solution to this situation. It's called willpower and a clean diet. So today I'm recommitting to the primal lifestyle and I'm cleaning up my diet once again. It won't be easy, especially since I'm in no mood to cook lately, but my health is more important. In anticipation of this change for the better, I have stocked up on my favorite cuts of meat from the butcher and I'm going to avoid the gas stations and grocery stores this week. Out of sight, out of mind, right?

Wish me luck!

Toddler Nails

2011-11-20T08:30:00.000-05:00

Whenever I get the nail polish out I know I'm going to have to paint toddler nails too, unless they are sleeping, which is rare:) The problem with painting nails on little people is that they can't hold still long enough for it to dry properly and we end up with polish stains on furniture and clothes. Enter the press-on nails....I found some cute Hello Kitty nails for little girls at Target one day and thought they might be perfect for Louise. They are a little longer than I'd like for them, but it's really just for fun and I'd rather pick up loose nails than worry about the polish stains everywhere.
Louise picked the kittie print with blue tips. She already has long nails anyway so she had no problems. She was super excited for her pretty new nails!
Of course we can't leave Xavier out. He doesn't care that pretty nails are a girl thing, if Louise is getting them, he wants them. Thankfully his will wear off pretty quickly and I'm sure he'll lose interest soon. He doesn't take care as much as Louise and his already started falling off;)

This was much easier than painting piggies on little bitty nails that never hold still!

Thanks for stopping by!

This Litttle Piggie;)

2011-11-19T17:14:00.003-05:00

Not the best artwork I've ever done, but still cute and my kids love them. I got the idea for these from another blogger, but can't remember who, so if you recognise these and want credit please let me know! I don't have a large polish collection, so the green I used is a lovely iridescent shade that looks awesome on it's own, but not so awesome with the piggies. I also think I'll get some acrylic paints to do the pictures from now on, nail polish tends to be difficult to work with and takes an eon to dry when your putting it on thick and using a lot of different colors.

Colors Used:

Maybelline Express Finish - Go Go Green

Essie - Mod Square

Milani - Pink Hottie

NYC - Black Lace Cream

Thanks for stopping by!

Dotty Nails

2011-11-18T14:37:00.006-05:00

Not my favorite manicure to date and I'll probably change it again tonight, but at least I got to practice making dots;)I am in dire need of some pinks and a turquoise that isn't a neon. So here's hoping Santa is listening! (If so, China Glaze - 'For Audrey' is a good turq;) I do like the base color, but it's not a great stand alone color and finding a color to compliment or coordinate with it is beyond my little collection right now. I never realized my polish collection was so heavy in the blue/purple spectrum:) Need more pink!
Anyhow, practice is good and it's always fun to wipe it all off and try again:)

China Glaze - Turned Up Turquoise(Neon)

Milani - Pink Hottie

Thanks for stopping by!

Tights or Bodysuit?

2011-11-17T17:53:00.005-05:00

Ever try shopping for pantyhose and tights and get confused by the size charts on the back? Happens to me all the time and I usually end up with too tight, constrictive tops I can't stand or I spend all day pulling them up as they creep down to my knees.

You see, my problem is that I seem to fall somewhere between sizes. Regular sizes tend to be tight and have problems staying put, plus sizes tend to be, well.........
Last week I ordered some thigh highs at We Love Colors hoping to avoid size issues. Unfortunately I had to send them back since they pretty much cut off all circulation. I went back to the size charts and tried to decide which size would work for me. My problem is the size chart seems to skip me. I'm 5'7" and 195lbs. So where am I on these charts?

Regular

size	height	weight
S/M	4'11" - 5'5"	90 - 135lbs
M/L	5'5" - 5'11"	135 - 168lbs

Plus Size

Size	A/B	C/D	E	EE
Height	4'11" - 5'5"	5'5" - 6'0"	5'5" - 6'0"	5'5" - 6'0"
Weight	160 - 220 lbs.	215 - 275 lbs.	270 - 325 lbs.	320 - 375 lbs

I ended up ordering the size C/D since A/B stopped at 5'5" and I didn't want them sagging around my knees. You just never know how much stretch there is going to be and these things are a bit pricey:( I now know I should have gone with the A/B. Sigh. Bodysuit anyone?

Maybe I can cut off the excess and sew the band back on lower. I do sew;)

Glitter Nails!

2011-11-15T12:52:00.002-05:00

I love glitter! I think it runs in my veins or something;) Naturally I can't resist a glittery polish and since I picked up more than one this past weekend it's was a bit hard to choose which one to go with today.

As you can see, I chose a purple, shimmery color that is just a little hard to capture on my camera. It's really a nice shade that goes on the nail just as you see it in the bottle. I used two coats here and while it went on very smoothly, it did leave a rough finish, not surprising really. I added two coats of Poshe topcoat and will probably add another. I really like a glassy, smooth finish on my nails and I think it wears better.

It's a bright, snowy day here in North Dakota, perfect for bright colors and a lot of glitter and shine;)

Polish used: Nina Ultra Pro, Purple-Xing

Thanks for stopping by!

Urban Decay Micro Haul

2011-11-15T11:49:00.003-05:00

I finally decided to try some Urban Decay products last week. I hear and see posts around the blogosphere all the time and wanted to try some, but they are a pricey company and I'm not what you'd call a big spender, so I signed up for their e-mail list and got a 10% off code to start:)

I looked around their site a bit, but didn't see anything that I just had to have to have for the prices listed, so I scanned the clearance section and picked a few items to try out. I chose a liquid eyeliner, a cream eyeshadow, and a lip gloss in an interesting rock star package. I also received a free lipstick sample which is pretty sweet. I love free samples!
The lip gloss is a nice consistency and the name is a winner;) It's called Jesse, so I had to have it for that reason alone. I'm not enamored of the color, it's supposed to be a blackberry sparkle, but looks more muted and brown on my naked lips. I'm hoping I can use it over a pink lipstick to add sheen and perhaps the color will come out better over a pink. I hope I can make it work because this is some the the yummiest smelling stuff ever. My son Danny and I finally decided it smells like waffles with butter and syrup. Seriously.
The liquid liner I chose is a nice purple color called Ecstasy. I've been wanting a purple eyeliner and I love the bottle this one comes in. Best eyeliner bottle ever! This stuff is extremely fluid and has a lovely pigment. I can't wait to use it, but as always, I need to practice, practice, practice before I glop it all over my eye lids.
The cream eye shadows on clearance were of pitiful selection, but I'm happy with the one I bought. It's called Moonshine and is a very sheer and shimmery white. You can blend this one right in until you just have a shimmery effect and a little goes a long way. Hard to see in the pic, but it does sparkle a lot.
The lippie sample is a nice size and color called Jilted, but tastes terrible. lol I wasn't even trying to taste it, but it just has a strong bitter taste that you can't avoid. Not sure if I'll use it for that reason alone but I was still thrilled for the freebie.

In all I was happy with my small purchase and I do love the packaging on their products. The quality seems good and they do have some unique stuff. The the price is a bit of a stickler, but I'd love to try some eye shadows and they have some great colors for eyeliners, so I'll keep a lookout for the next sale and possibly treat myself from time to time.

Red, Red Nails

2011-11-13T21:50:00.003-05:00

I picked up some new polish colors this weekend along with a new topcoat by Poshe that works about a thousand times better than what I was using. Since he was paying I let Jesse choose a color too and of course he picked a red. The man loves red nails:)He chose a deep red called Salsa and it is a pretty nice color. It's a bit deeper than the picture shows. More proof I need a better camera and really need to remember to take pics during the day. It went on a bit thicker than China Glaze normally does, but dried pretty quickly so I was happy. I also really only would have needed one coat with this, which is pretty outstanding for a red I must say, but I can't hold still and always end up smudging them before they dry, so two coats help hide flaws;) Very nice color, definite keeper.

Thanks for stopping by!

Late Harvest

2011-11-12T19:15:00.002-05:00

The kids and I finally got around to harvesting the rest of the carrots today. Nothing like waiting until the last minute:) We have been going out and harvesting one or two nearly every day since August but there were still a lot of them in the ground and I didn't want to let them go to waste and once the ground freezes, we wouldn't be able to get at them.

I was actually amazed at the amount of carrots still out there! I've been putting them in the kids' lunch boxes at least 2 or 3 times each week since school started and we barely made a dent it seems.
There were some whoppers in there too:) A lot of the really big ones cracked and split, but a few made it intact and they taste just as good as the small and normal sized ones.
Then of course there are the mutant carrots and the ones that managed to grow through bits of machinery that were hidden underground all this time. Those are always a kid favorite.

The bulk of them went into a large crate with peat moss and sand and will go into the basement for storage. Hopefully they will last several months this way. The rest go into another crate that sits in our closet to be used now. Our closet is quite cool and a good place to keep veggies.

Any other late harvesters out there?

My First Birchbox

2011-11-11T07:41:00.001-05:00

And possibly my last:( I was really looking forward to this since I've been exploring different beauty products lately. I thought getting good quality samples every month would be fun and give me a chance to try new things. Well the first box arrived today and all I can say is meh, I'm not impressed.Birchbox sends you 4 to 5 'deluxe' beauty samples every month for $10/month. Sounds like a great deal if you want to try high-end cosmetics without spending big bucks for a full product. Unfortunately my very first box is pretty much a flop.
I got pitiful samples of lip gloss, a mud treatment, perfume, foot salve, and two ridiculous paper coasters. Paper coasters? Really? The best part of this box is the tissue paper and box itself. I love the tissue paper and can reuse the box.
The breakdown:

Borghese, Fango Brillant Brightening Mud. The only sample of decent size and I will use it. I use a mud mask once/week now and don't mind trying a new one. Especially an expensive Italian one;) I do love the way my face feels after a good mud treatment.

Anastasia Beverly Hill/HydraFull Gloss in Sugar Pink. I tried this right away and found it to be very sticky. Bad sticky, not good sticky. My lips actually stuck to my drinking glass enough to cause me to spill water down my chin, not really what I look for in lip gloss.

Guerlain/Shalimar Parfum Initial. I don't do perfumes of any kind. They give me headaches, bad headaches. I can't even sit next to someone with a strong perfume or cologne without feeling sick and I usually feel a headache starting within seconds. It was a risk I knew I'd have with these boxes, but I was hoping with the profile I filled out, they would leave these out. However if anyone would like to try this super expensive smelly stuff, let me know and I'll send it to you right away:) 40ml of this stuff is $67

J.R. Watkins/Foot Repair Salve. Really Birchbox? I can get Watkins at my local grocery store. This is not what I call a deluxe sample:(

Two Paper Dolls/Ampersand Coasters. Not even worth talking about.

To say I was disappointed would be an understatement, but I'm on the fence about cancelling. I am happy with the mud treatment, and the packaging itself. I'm thinking of giving them one more chance. If the December box is a bomb I'll cancel for good, but maybe it will turn out to have some real goodies and I'll have another nice box I can use for Christmas. Oh well.

Thanks for stopping by!

Fat Girls Can't Wear Horizontal Stripes?

2011-11-10T15:50:00.005-05:00

I have lost a few pounds this year and at least 4 dress sizes, but I'm still a big, curvy girl. Now fashion wisdom says I should avoid wearing horizontal stripes because they will make me look wider.. I should go for vertical stripes or risk looking like a battleship. I don't like that advice much;)
I love stripes! And I love black and white horizontal stripes. I have no less than three black & white striped tops and a few colored ones as well. So for all those naysayers....................
I say kiss my ever shrinking, size 16 ass! I'm wearing what makes me happy, flattering or not. I really don't think it makes me look much bigger anyway and works with my hair, not many colors do. Something you should be aware of if you ever want to dye your hair pink;)

And oh my! I've even got a little black & white striped hair bow. Too matchy, matchy I'm sure. I'm just a big ole fashion don't today, and I'm pretty happy about that.

Thanks for stopping by!

Educators, Groceries, and One Bright Ass Day

2011-11-08T13:31:00.004-05:00

I had meetings early this morning with two of my kids' education teams. I have 'special' children that require a lot of attention;) I had very little time to get it together before I needed to be out the door, but I did manage to apply a little makeup and of course I wore my Airborne Unicorn over a light pink lipstick to tone it down a bit, it ended up a soft violet color, perfect!
Next it was on to the shops for some mid-week essentials and a little picture taking. Bubby and I took lots of pictures around the store, which was quite a feat considering the army of stock persons wandering around. lol Maybe I should have said screw it and asked for their help;)
My outfit is mostly thrifted and I think it looks pretty good. I felt put together and happy, so it was a win for sure.
My best helper and fellow shopper. He also loves to model for the camera:)
On the way home I tried to get some outdoor shots since it was such a bright, pretty day, but the sun was a little too intense for my camera. lol I love this shot anyway, and yes, it is damn bright out here right now, but just wait for the snow glare.

Dress - thrifted

Sweater - thrifted

Shoes - thrifted

Tights - Wal-mart

Jewelry - gifted and thrifted:)

Thanks for stopping by!

My Favorite Lips

2011-11-07T18:54:00.005-05:00

I've always been a fan of bold color, so when I found Lime Crime it was love at first sight! They have a great range of fun colors and I want them all. Too bad I don't have an endless budget for pretties:( Since their products are a bit pricey I only have three lip colors so far. I'd love to try some of their eye shadows soon, but choosing just one or two colors is going to be hard.You can't beat this great packaging, purple, unicorns, sparkly! Love:) Plus, this stuff smells like sugar cookies....no kidding. I've been wearing them nearly everyday since I got my purple box in the mail, but haven't taken many pictures, mostly due to the bad lighting around here and my inability to sit still for long. So tonight I took some quick pics, no make up other than the lippies, so not my best looks and my hair really is pink, not that weird shade of blonde, but....anyway.
Airborne Unicorn, this stuff is great and a bit brighter in person. Love this color and wear it the most.
Retrofuturist, a gorgeous shade of red that looks very vintage and glamorous. If I ever get the eye liner right I'll have the perfect pin-up lips to go with it.

My Beautiful Rocket, lovely shade of orange, but this picture sucks. I love it, but it doesn't go well with my pink hair, looked better when my hair was that brown/auburn shade, so I'll keep it around as I'm sure to change my hair again;)

Thanks for stopping by!

Cupcake Nails

2011-11-02T12:11:00.003-04:00

I got the inspiration for these nails here, she always has really cute nails:) I did mine a bit different, but think they turned out ok for the first attempt. I do wish I'd used a different color as the base. For these I used a nude base and I think it doesn't make them pop out enough. I also haven't put on any topcoat yet. I have a Sally Hansen topcoat and it seems to shrink a lot and cause the polish under it to crack and craze, so I am on the hunt for a better solution.

Polish used:

Maybelline Express Finish - Blushing Bride

China Glaze - White on White

Wet N Wild - Tickled Pink

Then a bunch of cheapo polishes, that suck for actual nail painting, for the dots:)

Hope you like and have a great Wednesday!

Check Out This Giveaway!

2011-11-01T16:27:00.002-04:00

I'm sure you all know by now that I love to color my hair, but if I can't have the color I want then I'm all about hair accessories! I have a ton of scarves, bands, and clips to embellish my hair with on any given day, but I'm always looking for more:) That is why I'm so excited for this great giveaway going on for a lovely hair fascinator over at Kalandra Jane's. It's perfect! Leopard print is one of my faves and the style is perfect. It ends tonight, so hurry up and enter!

Giveaway Link

Artiste I am Not, But I Try:)

2011-10-30T14:32:00.003-04:00

I love to have my nails perfectly painted and pretty all the time, but it's just not feasible most days with my crazy life. The minute I get out the nail polish I have two short people crowding me demanding to have their nails all pretty too. Never mind one of them is a boy, he still wants to be pretty. Sigh. Waiting until they are in bed sucks because I don't stay up that late. I don't mind painting their nails, kid nails take like 30 seconds, but they are never happy to just get their nails done and back off, they must have their faces right in my way the whole time! But I digress. I think I may just get them done a little more often these days, what with my newly organized beauty table and brand spanking new door lock on my bedroom:) Things just got a bit easier!

This was a quick design that I put on after spending around 4 hours trying different colors and trying and failing to do a marble design. I finally gave up on the marble effect and went with flowers. Very simple and sort of pretty, if not all that neat. One thing I learned after this marathon nail paint and redo session, I needed some practice nails.
So my next trip to GF and I got me some! Love being able to try different things without having to take it all back off and start over:) And I was able to practice some pumpkin faces for my Halloween nails before I messed up my own nails;)

Not perfect, but I love em!

The color is China Glaze, Japanese Koi(neon) and is much nicer in person.

My New Pretties:)

2011-10-24T18:55:00.004-04:00

I love E.L.F. cosmetics! I get to try different techniques and colors without spending a lot of money:)

My first big eye shadow palette. I've never had so many choices! Where to start?

Subtle pinks and purples, too bad my camera sucks the fat one:( Oh well, Christmas is coming:)

The Sandwich is Back!!

2011-10-06T13:53:00.008-04:00

One of the hardest things about going Primal is giving up the lunch sandwich. Ham and cheese rolled together is good, but bread makes it even better. Right? Not if your Primal. No grains, means no bread. Well, almost;) You see, people are constantly looking for ways to primalize their favorite foods and there are hundreds of recipes out there for primal and paleo breads. I've tried several, but to be honest, they really don't even come close to the real thing. Until now......

Introducing Paleo Angry Bread! All credit goes to Rivvin on the PB Forums:) Head on over and check it out, you might learn something!

The ingredients couldn't be more simple. Not sure if you can handle that? Try changing the butter to coconut oil or bacon grease, or make a sweet bread with cinnamon and allspice, pour some cream over it and fall down in ecstasy! Change is good and the sky is the limit, it's your bread, make it your way!

Ingredients:

2 T Butter

1/4 C almond flour/meal

1 large egg

1 t. baking powder

Mix, mix, mix, pour into glass dish and microwave on high for 1 min. 15 sec. Done!

See how pretty it comes out! Just like a cornbread! Very good texture, slices well, spongy and doesn't fall apart:)

Perfect for that elusive and much craved sandwich!

Kid approved!

The following video was made for my oldest daughter who lives far away from me and is trying to eat Primal on her own. It's kind of corny, but shows how easy this is:) Oh, and please ignore the crappy quality, all I have is the darn web cam and I don't know why there is a sound delay:{

Quick update on me:) I'm down under 200lbs finally! It has been a long road to get here, but going Primal has made all the difference. I have lost 17lbs since coming home from Indiana in mid August and something like 7 inches. I feel great, my hair and skin are healthy, I'm sleeping well, haven't had a night terror in weeks and my energy has been wonderful. It works people!

Thanks for stopping by!

Homemade Tomato Soup

2011-09-14T09:18:00.005-04:00

Last night we had our first hard freeze of the season and I was left scrambling to salvage the ripe foods in my gardens and protect the ones not quite ready. Since I had hundreds of paste tomatoes ready to go I decided to make soup. Making your own tomato soup is really quite easy and the perfect thing for a cold windy day like we were having.

I like to use this recipe, though I mostly just wing it and throw in whatever I happen to have. Luckily I have a lot of giant carrots in the garden, along with some onions. The only purchased veggie in this soup is the celery. I may try growing that next year as well.

The original recipe called for simmering for just an hour, I like to simmer for at least two hours to really get all the veggies softened and let them release the flavors.

Once it's all cooked to my liking, out comes the strainer and the fun mashing begins. My younger kids really like this part:) Since I don't peel or remove seeds before cooking, this part is necessary, unless you like chunky tomato soup. To each his own. My kids like it to look and taste just like the canned junk, so I do my best.

Then it's just a matter of seasoning to taste and it's good to go. I like to keep it simple and just use a few pinches of sea salt. Tastes just like Campbell's without all the excess sodium, preservatives, and other weirdo ingredients, and the best part is that it only cost me about $0.50 in celery:)

This batch made 4 quarts of soup. Perfect for 4 lunches and a few breakfasts for Pudge. Pudge is not an egg and bacon kind of kid but he loves to start his day with some soup;)

The Primal Lunch Box

2011-09-08T09:00:00.005-04:00

Having trouble with the lunch hour? Yeah, me too. Trying to keep the whole family eating primal can be a bit of a challenge. Especially with those wonderful school lunch choices and all the snacks they are offered throughout the day. I try to get around most of it by sending lunches with my kids. The snack times are still an issue I'm working on. Most days I try to send a protein, veggie, fruit, and a snack. Below are some examples, carrot heavy since our garden has a ton of monster carrots right now;)

Roast beef slices, Colby cheese, carrots, blueberries, and cookie treats.

Beef pot roast, carrots, string cheese, and gluten-free chips.

Bacon, cheese, carrots, strawberries, and not pictured are two small, gluten-free cookies.

Ham, Colby-jack cheese, cauliflower, raspberries.

Trying to keep things interesting and making sure they have choices is important. Not all my kids will eat the same things, so their lunch boxes do vary, but the main idea is to provide healthy foods and keep them as primal as possible outside the home. I also allow gluten-free, kosher snacks on a limited basis. Many of the snacks I find have only 3 ingredients, all easy to pronounce and recognize. I could spend hours every week baking primal treats, but I really have better things to do, so convenience is sometimes necessary and as long as you pay attention to the nutrition info, you can often find some nice options.

Ideas always welcome:)

What's in your child's lunchbox?

Primal Frugality

2011-08-31T11:17:00.005-04:00

So how do I feed a family of 6, sometimes 7, on a Primal diet without breaking the bank? Simple, good old-fashioned thrift. Something our great-grandparents did without a thought. Sure we do splurge on some expensive cuts of meat, I mean, I cannot imagine not having a nice, juicy rib-eye every now and again. But for the most part, I have to be a bit more creative and settle for the cheaper cuts. Enter the chicken....

Now granted, a nice, free-range, naturally fed, non-medicated bird is a bit more spendy than that factory produced, flavor enhanced, shrink wrapped impostor in the grocery isle. However, stop for a moment and count the number of meals that one healthy bird will give you:)

Meal #1 - Roast chicken. Good old-fashioned oven roasted, no crap shoved up it's butt, no spicy rubs or marinades, just a naked, natural roast. Heavenly and couldn't be easier.

Meal #2 - Chicken salad. Very simple to make and goes well on top of a salad. I used a mayonnaise that is as close to primal as I could get, but do plan to make my own in the future.

Meal #3, 4, 5, 6 - Soup. No bull-shit additives, little salt, natural, healthy veggies straight from the garden. It does take a few hours of simmering to get the full flavor, but oh so worth it! Commercial soups got nothin' on this stuff. We had this for dinner, then the kids took some for lunch the next day, and Pudge and I enjoyed some for lunch today. That leaves just enough for another school lunch. Four meals from that one pot of soup!

I really wish I'd snapped pictures of each meal I made with that chicken last week, but alas, it just didn't sit uneaten long enough:) There you have it, all that for $8. Works out to $1.33/meal or about $0.22/serving.

What's your favorite cheap Primal meal?

Primal Lunchbox

2011-08-24T10:20:00.001-04:00

After a long and difficult absence from Primal, this family is finally back on track. Rather than go into a long and boring rant on what went wrong and how we got so far off the wagon, I'll just launch right into where we are today.

My weight loss journey is only part of it and after gaining back 7lbs, I'm happy to say I'm on the way back down. The biggest reason we are back to eating proper has much more to do with our general health and the mood swings of the children. One way I'm keeping them on track is by sending their lunches with them to school. I can't control what the older kids do out of my sight, but I can guide them and hope that they make good choices.

Today was the first day of school for Louise and she went off to kindergarten with this much healthier alternative to the cafeteria fare. The boys had similar lunches with Aaron missing out on the fruit and veggies. I have yet to convince him to try any fruit other than bananas:(

Thanks for stopping by!

Sneek Peek at What Has Been Keeping Me Busy

2011-04-20T09:58:00.002-04:00

The house will never be the same again. Take this floor for example..............It slopes, it has very ugly linoleum that has been GLUED down, over plywood that has been screwed and GLUED down! I thought I was going to tear it up, I was mistaken. This does not surprise me with this house anymore.

Plan B: Never mind the ugly orangeness of the picture. Clearly we need to take this over again in better light, but.............. you can see an improvement, no?

It has been raised almost 2" on one end for a more level and more importantly, FLAT floor. It's pretty, durable, and darn near kid proof. If only it was dirt proof it would be perfect. Perhaps one of my monsters will invent something that will help future mom's with the dirt issue...

Don't worry, there is more to come. Much more....

Thanks for stopping by!

Making Chicken Breasts Better

2011-03-21T11:50:00.002-04:00

Believe it or not, I'm not a huge fan of chicken breast meat. I find it rather dry and bland, I'd much rather have the thigh. Fortunately there is a primal friendly way to improve upon them.

This particular breast has been pounded thin, stuffed with broccoli and a bit of cream cheese, then wrapped in my favorite protein/fat source, bacon! It's really fast and simple, just put them in a baking dish, 400 degrees for about an hour, and enjoy:) Mmmm...everything is better with bacon.

Unfortunately I will have to wait a month to have this again. The Whole 30 does not allow cheese. Sob.

Update on Primal and A New Challenge!

2011-03-21T10:49:00.005-04:00

So much has changed in my life since going Primal that it's hard to stop and try to explain things. I have had people asking me questions and expressing interest in trying it out, so I've been gently nudged to post more often. I will try! lol

First off, things are going well as far as eating primally. The whole family is on board right now and we have only had a few squabbles about not bringing sugar and junk into the house. My oldest son has had the hardest time here, he is the one who hates veggies and now seems to hate coconut. That can be a bit of a problem with this way of eating, but we are working on it.

Jesse is doing his best to live primally even though he is on the road five days a week. It's definitely more of a challenge for him, but he's determined to lose that last bit of belly flab and build more muscle. He prepares some foods to take with him and relies on salads and what he can find in the convenience stores to fill in the gaps. Much harder than I have it.

We are doing CrossFit now as a way to build muscle and move that fat along. I love all the variety and find that I can get an excellent workout done in less than 20 minutes a day. It really kicks my ass and makes me feel good though:) To that note I now have a weight set, jump rope, and pull-up bar in my house. We have more plans for equipment this summer. In addition, I try to walk as much as I can. Right now it's pretty icy and/or muddy on those roads, but I make no excuses.

My new pull-up bar, ignore the ceiling, yes it needs work, and no worries the bar is not in danger of ripping out.

I've been Primal for about 5 weeks with a total of 16lbs lost so far. My body is changing it's composition and adjusting to not having to process junk and I'm feeling good about continuing, but I have this strange need to challenge myself further all the time. So this is where the new challenge comes in.....

That's right, I'm cutting out even more, but the biggest change will be ditching the scale and avoiding that tape measure. I'm nothing if not obsessive about my size and the numbers, so for me this challenge will help me to stop focusing on the numbers and just enjoy the way my body is reshaping itself. It's also a good way to sort of re-set your diet and start over with a clean slate, so I challenge others to give it a try, no excuses. The Whole 30 does not allow excuses.

Until next time, thanks for stopping by!

Jenni

Ever Feel Trapped?

2011-03-16T20:03:00.002-04:00

I love living up here most of the time, but when it's 40 below and you can't get outside it gets kind of old. Thus my happiness this week when the temps finally rose enough for some outside activity. First on my agenda was a nice long walk. The plan was to head to the north side of town and turn west, heading to the outskirts. All went as planned until I got to that last block and looked up to see this......... I realize it's kind of hard to see, but that's a big ass snow drift totally blocking the road there. Ok, fine, I'll just drop a block south and head west out that way. Well lookie there, another one!

This one is even bigger and more bad ass than the last one. Is someone trying to tell me something. Do I hear the strains of doom and gloom from the twilight zone era? I tried walking up to this one in hopes of scaling it, yeah, not gonna happen with out gear.

I did finally find my way out of town and got a nice walk in, but it sure wasn't the stroll I had planned.

Finally Warmed Up!

2011-03-15T11:30:00.003-04:00

The weather has finally warmed enough to let the kids go out and play! I'm so happy, as are they of course;)

Hope you're having a nice spring in your part of the world!

Two Weeks Primal!

2011-02-25T13:46:00.003-05:00

See if you can spot the differences;) Feb. 11th

Today

The next time I compare pics won't be for about a month, hope to see some real drama at the end of march!

Ahhh Winter;)

2011-02-24T08:57:00.002-05:00

Remember this fence?............

Same fence today.

Ahhh winter! Someday this will all be gone, no really, it will.

Primal Benefits

2011-02-22T09:48:00.003-05:00

Going Primal means a lot more than losing weight and changing the way you look, it also means changing the way you feel and think. You can't think of this as a temporary diet or a fad. because it is really an entire way of life and involves all aspects of your physical and mental health. Loaded Salad,,,yummmmm!

In addition to the fat-burning and muscle building, you also get the benefits of better mental health and great overall health. For me, the immediate changes have been to my sleep patterns and acid reflux. I used to have a mild case of heartburn several times a week and more severe acid reflux once or twice a week to the point that I couldn't sleep at night. This is all completely gone, in it's place is a satisfied feeling between meals.

I used to suffer from sugar fluctuations, you know the one's, you skip a meal or get delayed and you get that dizzy, light-headed feeling that says you need to eat now or crash. All gone. Now I can fast on occasion and the only thing I feel is a low burn in my belly that says, yeah I could eat, but I'm pretty happy.

Sleep has evolved, I'm an early to bed, early to rise girl now. I used to be a late to bed, late to drag about in a snit kind of madwoman. My kids are all happy, they love waking up to the smell of bacon in the morning. I'm still working on my sleeping patterns. I sleep very lightly and hop up every time I hear something, but the fact that I can get up early every morning ready to go is a huge improvement.

My nails are healing. Last month I was having trouble with brittle nails. They were a mess and had to be cut down, this was sad for me since I've always had such long, pretty nails. In the past week or so I've noticed they are much stronger and flexible again. Now maybe they will grow back out and stay strong, cause I miss my nails.

My hair is no longer so dry and yucky. It needs cut again, but I can see it finally regaining some luster that has been missing for so long. A new haircut always helps too:)

I'm energetic. Even though I can't get outside much right now, I'm practically jumping up and down all day with energy. I can't sit for long and movies bore me to tears, I'd rather be doing something! Can't wait for spring, or just some low 20's in the forecast, anything to allow me to take the tots outside and walk or play. In the meantime, I'll practice my push-ups and work on doing a pull-up, something I have never done!

Yes, my main motivator for going Primal is that I want to look good naked, but the other benefits are awesome too and if your struggling with any of those same issues, I say go for it! Go Primal!

One Week

2011-02-19T07:27:00.005-05:00

Well it's officially been one week since going Primal, actually one week + a day but who's counting;) It's been interesting to say the least. I'm happy and really enjoy the foods and new energy, but the kids are still struggling to adjust to no toast or cookies. I think they hate me right now.

There have been some interesting changes in my habits since going primal. For one, I've discovered a love for wine, just one glass and take the bottle and hide it from me or I'm going to drink it all and that's bad! My sleep cycle has changed dramatically, I can barely function past 9pm and now I'm up raring to go a 5:45am every day. I used to drag out of bed much later and grump all morning. My libido has changed , 'nuf said. However, the biggest thing for me this week....down another 3 pounds! Yay! I feel great and I owe it all to bacon. lol (Love and happiness:) 227/219/135

Primal Fitness

2011-02-14T11:17:00.003-05:00

Lift Heavy Things - Check!

Oh it felt so good to toss that torture device and the room I now have in my dining room, priceless! One of the best things about the new Primal life I've adopted, other than bacon, is the fitness recommendations. I can now easily get my exercise in every week by doing things I love. No more hours on the elliptical, sweating and groaning while watching that clock and wishing it was all over. No more running when I feel down and all I want to do is collapse in a heap and cry. It's very liberating to know I don't need the machines or hours of misery to find the healthier me.

Yoga and walks with my kids are the new foundation with a day or two of short but intense whole body, weight based exercises designed to strengthen and mold my body. No more getting down if I skip a day or two, after all, feeling miserable does nothing for a sound mind.

Grok on!

227/221/135

Going Primal

2011-02-11T13:49:00.003-05:00

Well, after 4 days of restrictive recipes and tiring exercise I did manage to lose 5 pounds. Unfortunately I felt tired, hungry, and irritated the entire time and ended up having that Pepsi in the evenings. I knew I wouldn't be able to maintain such a program for long, so I took some advice from a friend(thanks Robin:) and checked out Mark's Daily Apple. It didn't take me long to decide that this was something I could manage, so there it is, I'm going Primal and I'm dragging the whole family along! With that in mind, I got up this morning and burned a pan of bacon, fried some eggs with sauteed onions and mushrooms and enjoyed a very tasty meal. Man that felt great! Next I headed off to the store. I loaded up the shopping cart with lots of fresh veggies, fruits, and choice cuts of meat. No processed crap, no bread, pasta, or potatoes and I didn't even wince when the total rang up. I'm so proud. And like my picture shows, I may be in for a long haul, but I feel much better right now than I did two days ago:)

227/222/135

Breakfast Battle

2011-02-09T12:44:00.002-05:00

Breakfast is a big stumbling block for me. I'm not a fan of cooking in the morning so cold cereal and toaster waffles are a staple in our house. Obviously these are not good choices and I need to change my habits. On that note I believe I got off to a good start this morning. Scrambled eggs with green peppers and onions, sauteed in a little beef broth(made by me). I would have tossed in some red peppers but those are long gone until the next growing season or until I can bring myself to buy the over-priced anemic ones at the market.

After that I was still hungry, so I made a quick strawberry/blueberry smoothie. No dairy, just berries, whey powder, and cran-water. It's easy and tastes really good, the kids even had some after they picked at their eggs and left the table in disgust. This is going to be hard.

Fair Warning

2011-02-08T14:56:00.006-05:00

This blog is about to descend into a totally selfish weight-loss journal of sorts. I need to lose a lot of weight and I need to stay accountable, so this is my very public confessional.

This is me in March of 2010, almost a year ago at this point. I could take a pick that shows every fat roll and stretch mark, but I'd hate to make anyone sick, so this is my official 'before' pic. The shirt really glosses over things a bit.

This is me on a camping trip last summer, it may not look like it, but I was down almost 20lbs and my legs were starting to really shape up from my daily runs. I was feeling good and certain I was going to continue getting in shape and getting healthy for life.

This is me today, no bullshit, no flattering angle and boy do I look horrible. Notice the sweat under my arms? In my defence I did just get off the elliptical a few minutes prior, that should count for something! I'm tired all the time and depressed. I hate my clothes since I can't wear what I really want at my size and since my winter slide into laziness, they are starting to get tight again. Blah.......

So, this is it. Time to stop making excuses and get off my ample ass. I will lose weight, I will run again, I will stop descending into months of depression, and I will live longer!

Since deciding this all of about an hour ago, I have dumped my Pepsi, drank two glasses of cran-water, and spent 30 minutes on the elliptical. Tomorrow I will make healthy meals and make time for lots of exercise. If you read and support me let me know, it really helps a girl stay focused:)

227/227/135

Wordless Winter Wonderland

2010-12-02T17:56:00.000-05:00

More Improvements

2010-11-15T12:20:00.005-05:00

Not only did this house come with ugly walls, it came with rather unattractive floors too. As you can see, they are just the cats meow;) I'll spare you the whole thing, besides, I already started installing the padding.

Not quite sure what is going on with the multiple paint colors. Emily and I have decided someone wanted to paint around their area rug, but not under it. Maybe?

Just look at that transformation! Love this carpet:) We got a really great deal and the floor is much warmer and comfy to live on. The color is actually a bit darker, mushroom is what it's called.
This is premium carpet, super soft and very thick. Off the roll this stuff is $4/sq. yard and would have cost us around $800, but we got a remnant that would work with some cutting and seaming, plus 50% off, making our new plush carpet less than $300. Danny and I installed it in under 2 hours and the only casualty was my iron. Who knew there was a such a thing as a carpet iron? lol

Sometimes I Hate My Job

2010-10-25T16:53:00.003-04:00

I suppose I should just be grateful he remained at the table the entire time:/

Halloween Greetings

2010-10-17T20:20:00.003-04:00

A Halloween greeting from our family

Emily

Aaron

Xavier

Danny

Louise

Falling Leaves

2010-10-07T12:23:00.000-04:00

What could be more fun?

Why?

2010-09-30T10:15:00.002-04:00

Why to toddlers feel the need to draw on themselves with any available writing utensil? It's not like we have no paper or coloring books. Do they have some aversion to clean skin? You would think I might have some insight here after 5 kids. It's not like he is the first to do this, nor is this his first try at self body art.

At least he doesn't hunt down pencils and eat the erasers like his co-conspirator loves to do.

Hello Autumn:)

2010-09-22T22:14:00.002-04:00

This year the boys were excited to usher in the autumnal equinox with a bit of egg balancing:) The theory of course is that it's easier to balance an egg on the spring or fall equinox due to the earth rotating straight on it's axis for a brief time. Not sure how scientific this is, but they enjoyed themselves, and yes, they did get an egg to stand on end. Several times:)

Finding a level surface in a century+ home, not so easy.

Tulip Time! AKA/My Workout for the Day

2010-09-20T17:37:00.004-04:00

This is what arrived at my door today. This crate contains 500 tulip bulbs in two different color blends and now is the time to plant, at least in my area. No way I'm planting them one at a time in their own separate holes, that would take an eternity and I'd likely lose track of where I was in the pattern partway through and end up with gaps.

The answer for this many bulbs is a trench. The area I want to fill is nearly 60' long and runs just inside our front fence. As mentioned in a previous post, we had this area filled with wave petunia's and other annuals this year. This looked good and was mostly maintenance free for much of the season, but as the summer wore on it began to look faded and sparse. I'm hoping for a bigger punch of color next year with the tulips.

Once I had all the topsoil out, I simply walked along and set out the bulbs, simple and quick. I want a big impact when they bloom, so I put 300 bulbs down the middle and 100 bulbs of a different blend on each end. Both should bloom at the same time and I'm hoping for a real traffic-stopping display.

After setting the bulbs out, the soil was shoveled and raked back in. This part turned out to be the most labor intensive and I was so happy to be done! All this took about 3 hours working intermittently. I have toddlers, nothing gets done all at once around here.

After the tulips bloom and fade, I will be replacing them with another annual for a continuous show next year. I'm still thinking about what I want to follow up with, any suggestions are welcome and be sure to stay tuned for the show next spring!

So Happy When Shit Happens:)

2010-09-12T14:53:00.003-04:00

Well the summer is winding down and even though it never really got hot and stayed there, I did manage to grow a few things in my new garden. I'm still waiting on a few hundred tomatoes to ripen, but I'm not holding my breath. I will use them up, just not as sauce.

In the meantime, I've decided it's time to clean up, amend, and expand. Lucky for me I have several sources of manure close by and some great neighbors willing to help haul it for me. Best of all, the manure is already well aged and broken down, a perfect soil amendment.

So yesterday was spent hauling and shoveling shit, literally:) We managed to get 3 truck loads, plus a loader bucket full before our friend had to get back to work.

Most of it will be used in the veggie gardens which I plan to expand, but I also wanted to amend the flower gardens out front. After I got all the annuals and weeds cleared out, Jesse tilled, shoveled, and tilled again until we got a nice loamy bed loaded with natural fertilizer, ready for planting.

This year we had a massive display of wave petunias in a red/white color all along here. It was very pretty, but seemed to become straggly as the summer went on. My plan for the coming weeks is to set hundreds of tulip bulbs all along the front fence for a mass display of color next spring. Once the tulips are up I will add some perennials in among them for a variety of color throughout the year. Hopefully the tulips will do well out here and we can get several years out of them before we change it up again:)

Size Matters

2010-09-11T16:31:00.002-04:00

Losing weight is a wonderful feeling, until the jeans start sliding off your rump and all your shirts look like tents. Most women would be thrilled to go shopping for new clothes, I'm not most women. I do like new clothes, I just don't like trying stuff on, this has been a problem in the past. I can't tell you how many clothes I've donated with the tags still on or that I picked up second hand but never wore. I have finally learned to try on everything first, but it's exhausting:(

Today I went on the hunt for jeans that fit, and hunt I did. I've been searching for a few weeks at thrift stores and yard sales, hoping I wouldn't have to buy new, after all I'm not done with my weight-loss journey. Seems kind of silly to buy new and shrink out of them in a month or two, but I finally realized how silly I looked with my super baggy rear-end jeans and I'm getting tired of holding them up.

After trying on several pair I came to two conclusions; I'm smaller than I thought in more ways than one and designers are clearly not thinking of me. Not only is my waist smaller, so it would seem is my stature. Regular jeans are too long, petite are too short. gah! Then there is the tush and leg problem, my waist hasn't quite caught up, so if it fit my waist the legs looked ginormous and frumpy.

After trying on several women's jeans I happened to notice a junior-plus pair hanging in the changing area. They had a skinny leg and looked about right for length so I thought, what the heck? Wouldn't you know it....they fit:/ After that I went shopping in the juniors section and was surprised to find things that fit, but the style........not so much. Almost everything is low-rise and the finish looks terrible. Why would I want to buy something with holes already in it or loose threads hanging out?

After much back and forth and many pairs tried on, I finally found jeans I can live with for now. Still a little short in the waist, but the legs fit good and they don't look too grungy. I could also have gone with a size smaller, these just won't fit for long, but I could not bring myself to buy jeans that look a thousand years old or cause crack back.

Since March of this year I am proud to say I have dropped from a 22W down to either an 18 junior or 16W, depending on style or manufacturer. I still have about 78lbs to go, that should make shopping a little easier, right?

Deal of the Day

2010-09-04T15:01:00.002-04:00

Antique folding rocker found at a junk sale for just $2.00! Needs a few minor cosmetic repairs, but it's solid and just beautiful. We also picked up a maple drop-leaf table with two extra leaves for $40.00. Much nicer than what we had, fits the room better, and it gives us more room at dinner time. Now if I could just find some nice chairs to go with......

Stitching Right Along

2010-09-02T09:11:00.002-04:00

I downloaded the pattern for this little birdy from Bustle and Sew. I had thought of making a series in different color schemes for a table runner or quilt, but now I'm not so sure. It's cute and sort of primitive, but I don't love it. Perhaps a pillow?

This crewel work was a kit I picked up at a thrift store. You can find these kits cheap at yard sales and second hand stores and while they are often from the 1970's with garish colors, sometimes they don't totally suck. I took my time working on this one over the moth of August. I'd love to make a pillow and display it in my living room, but I'm afraid my kids would just ruin it. One of these days this house will be mine to decorate with all the pretty things I have to hide away for now.

What I'm Working On

2010-08-29T12:27:00.003-04:00

I love to spend time working on sewing projects in the evenings. It helps me wind down and relax after a long day of chasing kids. One of my favorite ways to sew is by doing hand embroidery or crewel work, so when I came across this block of the month project using red-work embroidery, I just had to join in. I enjoy quilting too, so this is the perfect combination. My fabric choices were quite limited due to my location and the fact that I left so much behind in Michigan or simply sold it off before moving. I had to go with a pastel floral palette, not something I normally like, so it will be interesting to see how this turns out.

Garden Bounty

2010-08-28T15:04:00.005-04:00

The garden is winding down, broccoli is spent for the most part, still have some plants out there for seed. The onions are all out and stored after a week of drying in the shed. I braided several of them this year for easy storage and use, plus they just look nice:)

This is an heirloom variety that is becoming scarce, I was lucky enough to get some sets and seeds from a friend on the Homesteadingtoday board. The sets did well, but the wind kept knocking the tops over, so I finally pulled them. They are a nice size, but due to our cool, wet weather up here they were put in later than they should have been and I think they would have gotten a bit bigger if they had been able to withstand that wind. I'm happy with the results though, especially with this being the first gardening year for us up here.

The tomatoes and peppers have been turning for several weeks despite the cool weather and too much shade. The tomatoes are being tossed into the freezer for now. Once I have a good amount I will be making sauces and salsa for canning, the plants are still loaded but are turning a few at a time instead of all at once. Before anyone suggests it, I did plant a determinate variety, it's got to be the weather and location. As for the peppers, they are one of the easiest veggies to put up.

Just remove the seeds, chop up, bag, and pop into the freezer. Can't get much easier than that.

We will be making a lot of improvements to the soil and Jesse is busy taking care of some of that shade today. I've learned a lot about gardening up here and next year we will be able to really expand the gardens and step up production.

It's Not a Square!

2010-08-25T20:00:00.002-04:00

I'm so excited! I finally managed to crochet something other than a potholder or scarf and it turned out really nice. Mind you the colors are a bit washed out in the pics, the yarn is actually a really vibrant blend of blues, purples, and teals with some white mixed in. It's a nice artisan dyed wool I've had for ages and just never found the right project for it. Well I have enough left to make around 4 more of these adult sized hats, so there are still more projects to be made from this wonderful yarn.

Now I have never been able to read a pattern, whether it be for crochet or knitting. It all just seems like Chinese to me, no matter how many times I try. Luckily there are some very talented people willing to post how-to videos on YouTube. I learn best by watching demonstrations and who knows, maybe one of these days I'll actually learn to read those patterns!

Back To Normal

2010-08-25T08:38:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was wonderful. I got most of the laundry done, whipped my hair into a 1940's style, organized my bedroom, cleaned the bathroom top to bottom, made black bean brownies, and still had time to relax with a movie while the tots took a nice long nap. It was bliss.

This summer has been a blast and we have all enjoyed our new town and all it's quirks, but there is something to be said for the mundane. Anyone who knows us personally, knows that my oldest son is somewhat hyper. The kind of hyper that the professionals would want to medicate, but since I don't believe in drugging my children into submission we just deal with it.

Enter the school year! This is the time of year that we have set bedtimes and household routines. I get an eight hour break from yelling and trying to maintain order with the human tornado and he is thrilled to be in high school and looking forward to his Ag class every morning. Daniel is enjoying his new classes and having a blast with his football practice in the evenings. The tots are not nearly so wound up and they actually take naps. I can feel my sanity returning bit by bit, life is looking good.

The Chickens Are Safe At Last

2010-08-09T07:42:00.001-04:00

We have always kept chickens no matter where we lived. It's important to me to provide healthy food for my family and the commercial eggs and chicken sold in supermarkets just are not the best there is. Plus I just love chickens and all their antics. Unfortunately we have had a problem with neighboring dogs chasing and killing our birds. They have a pen and coop, but it's toward the back of the property and not fully enclosed. Chickens being birds, they do fly and it's hard to keep them contained. I love my neighbors and I love my birds, so a solution was needed.

I finally came up with one on Saturday. We have a small shed in the backyard that we really don't use. I have a few boxes stored in there and we keep some compost supplies in there, but that still leaves a lot of room that could be used. This turned out to be perfect for a small chicken coop, we just divided off part of the shed for the chickens and we still have room for storage. Plus, it's closer to the house. That part will matter a lot more this winter.

How to do this on the cheap was another matter. Fortunately my husband is always finding useful items in the trash and we were able to re-purpose an old metal bed frame for the walls. Another cut section of rigid fencing for a door, two pieces of scrap lumber, and some screws, we had a coop in the shed. Total cost for this part - $0.

Then we had to figure out the run. I wanted to keep the chickens from getting out and the dogs from getting in, so it had to be covered and sturdy. After weighing the options, we went with cattle panels and poultry wire. Not the cheapest option for sure, but it will last for years and can always be re-purposed if needed.

Now if they would just start laying those eggs already.......

Almost There!

2010-08-08T19:34:00.005-04:00

We have hot water again! We went without for several weeks while we worked on the bathroom. The one that was in the house was too small, not working properly, and started leaking after it was moved. I finally got fed up when the leak caused an electrical short and we spent a night tearing it out and fixing the effected wiring. I was hoping for an on-demand, tank-less water heater, but our century old home needs an electrical update before it can handle it. Until that day arrives, we had to go with a big tank. It's big, it's ugly, but it provides hot water and it cost a fraction of the tank-less models, so it's not all bad and I'm just happy to stop heating my house up with steam every time someone needs a bath or the dishes need done.

Now if I could just get the trim up the bathroom would be complete! Maybe I can get to that this week, then again, I do tend to put off the small things. I need to work on that:)

No Such Thing As Wasted Food

2010-08-05T11:34:00.003-04:00

You say you got distracted and scorched the rice? Have no fear! The chickens are here! lol

Pallet Playhouse

2010-08-03T09:36:00.004-04:00

One of my fondest memories from childhood is playing in the backyard fort. We moved around a lot when I was a kid, but I always had a fort wherever we went. It was my little home outside of home and I was constantly improving on it.

Aaron has been working on his own fort all summer, begging scraps of wood after each improvement project or dragging home stuff he finds elsewhere. The tots have watched his work and tried to join in when possible, but big brother's don't like to share. They needed their own little house to play in.

Being a 'garbage man', my husband has access to all kinds of scrap that people toss out. I asked him to find me pallets for my compost bins and he brought home 8 used pallets a few days later. After adding onto my compost bins we decided to make the tots a playhouse with the rest. Four pallets, a few pieces of scrap plywood, a piece of leftover carpet, and some random paint we had sitting around and the tots have their little playhouse. The best part of this project was the price. FREE!

It still needs a few little touches, but for the most part it's done. Since it's easy to move, I'm planning a special garden for the kids next summer, with just the right plants to surround their little cottage, something I always dreamed of when I was a kid.

Sunday Snapshots

2010-08-01T07:57:00.000-04:00

Giant Dala horse

Spending the day in Bismark

Pudge's favorite part of the museum

Monster broccoli

Bathroom Remodel: New Walls & Tub

2010-07-31T08:39:00.001-04:00

We were hoping to find reasonable walls under the wallboard which we could paint, but were disappointed to find holes and missing plaster. After thinking of all the options we went with plain old drywall. I hate drywall, but it's cheap. If I had the money to spend I would put up wainscoting or glass tile. Alas, we are on a very strict budget here.

New tub! Isn't it pretty:) This was a sad looking thing when Jesse brought it home, but I worked it over and added a new coat of paint to the outside and feet. The enamel is a little rough, but looks good enough for me and who wants pristine with five kids? It has a stamped date of 1910 making it a full 100 years old and still just as useful now as it was then. Where are the faucet and knobs you say? Well, I bought the wrong ones on e-bay, so we are going to have to get creative, hopefully by the end of the story I will have a faucet. For now we are just using the supply lines;)

Did I mention I hate drywall? This is probably day 6 of staring at the unfinished walls, I just hate mudding and sanding.

Bathroom Remodel: New Floor

2010-07-29T08:15:00.001-04:00

After removing all of the old floor down to the joists, we put down a new sub floor using recycled pallets then plywood went over that. The plywood was odd shaped stuff we had picked up cheap at an auction years ago, so the cost for the floor was minimal.
Emily painted the plywood and we sealed all cracks with silicone to help prevent future water damage. Here you can also see the access hole for the plumbing. Homes in North Dakota often don't have outside access due to the extreme temperatures in winter. It's just not feasible with the three foot thick foundation walls. The original opening was sealed off before we moved in, making it necessary for us to rip up a section of the floor our first week here to fix a leak. That will not happen again!

New peel-n-stick tiles. Not fancy, not what I really want, but cheap and easy. We are hoping for nicer flooring in the future, but the budget just won't allow it at this time. This doesn't look too bad in the meantime and the best feature is the smooth, surface. No more cracks, bumps, holes, gaps, and ugly rugs. You can clearly see the trap door, but I'm hoping to add a trim to help minimize the appearance.

Wordless Wednesday: Portrait Fail

2010-07-28T08:10:00.000-04:00

Bathroom Remodeling: Demolition

2010-07-27T19:07:00.006-04:00

This is the only before pic I have of the bathroom, it was so icky and in need of help I think I was afraid to make a record of what it looked like before. Suffice it to say, there were a lot of changes made to this room over the years, none of it for the better. I knew when I looked at the house the first time that we would have to rip out the bathroom almost first thing. We actually lived with it a lot longer than I thought we would, finally tackling the problem this summer.

Behind the ugly wallboard, pretty huh? All of the walls were uneven, some were drywall, others were cheap wallboard, and still others were the original walls from when this room was built. I should say rooms, plural. Originally there was a laundry and bathroom here, someone took out the wall separating the two and closed off the other door.

All of the floor had to come up, all four water-damaged, rotten layers. We had a rug covering the biggest share of the room since the floors were a mish-mash of materials that created an un-even surface. Some spots were rotted bad enough to be real hazards.

Lucky for me I have a cheap labor pool;)

This is the floor under the washer and dryer, actually the best part of the floor, but still very rotted and it's surprising the washer didn't fall through at some point.

Another problem we had with this room was the fact that it had no bathtub and the toilet was squeezed into an uncomfortable corner. Trying to bathe toddlers in the kitchen sink was getting more difficult as they grew, yet they were not quite ready for the shower. A tub was a must have and would be replacing the stand-alone shower.

Just getting down to the bare bones takes time and a lot of hard work.

On Break

2010-03-24T12:19:00.003-04:00

Doing a lot of thinking, spending more time on house projects and reading to the kids. Not much time for blogging right now. Not sure when I'll be back, could be next week, could be months from now. Not planting season for awhile out here, so not much to do outside anyhow.

Just Another Day in The Frozen North

2010-02-15T23:02:00.002-05:00

The days are never dull in this tiny little slice of heaven. On any given day you might find......

....the boys digging their endless little snow caves.......

...Pudge relaxing in his new favorite hiding spot.......

...or one of the neighbors, snow-blowing their roof. Nothing strange about that.

Be My Valentine

2010-02-10T23:24:00.003-05:00

Valentines Day is a fun time of the year for cards. I love the colors and the girlishness of it all. This year I was able to make valentines for the boys to take to school. I stuck to a simple design and changed up the colors a bit and made coordinating envelopes. Aren't they just too cute? Thankfully their class sizes are somewhat small, I only had to make 24 of these, more than that and they wouldn't have been so much fun:)
I also wanted to send out cards to some of my family back in the Midwest so I came up with another simple design. Using fresh snow ink from Papertrey and a white gel pen, I was able to create personalized cards that resemble a mini blackboard with the common love graffiti we used to write all over our notebooks back in our school days. They were a lot of fun and I love how they turned out, I hope the recipients enjoy them too!

Once again picture quality is lacking, but I hope to get a lightbox made soon and that should fix things right up;) Thanks for stopping by!

My First Card Challenge Entry

2010-02-08T10:52:00.005-05:00

I've decided to enter the card challenge hosted by CPS for Papertrey Ink's anniversary party. I'm not an expert, but I wanted a chance to win some of the prizes they have been giving away. I just wish I could get my pictures to come out good, they just don't look as good as the actual card does:)

Materials Used:

Papertrey Ink, Everday Blessings patterned paper and Around and About Sentiments stamps

Fiskars round and scallop punches

plain white cardstock from Wal-mart and some bits I had in my stash.

Wish me luck and thanks for stopping by:)

New Hobby

2010-02-07T21:29:00.007-05:00

I've given up sewing for the time being in favor of paper crafting. I love being able to create little projects in such a short time and I'm able to keep my mess confined easier than I ever did with my sewing projects. This weekend I created a simple note card set for my Mom. I'm hoping she doesn't see this before her birthday:)

The pics are a little fuzzy since I tend to forget about pics until it's dark out and the pics end up less than great. The cards are much prettier in person.

There are four cards in all, each one a little different from the rest. Matching envelopes are included and I wrapped them in a simple cigar band with an additional stamped sentiment. (hoping for a pic tomorrow)

I used a generic card stock I had on hand with some pretty patterned paper and embellishments for a simple, elegant card. I love how they turned out, even though they are not perfect. Each one has little mistakes, but I'm learning from my mistakes and slowly improving my skills.

Materials used:

Paper - Everyday Blessings by Papertry Ink

Picket fence border punch - Martha Stewart

Stamp - Daily Designs Sentiments by Papertry Ink

Epoxy dome stickers with patterned paper behind them and some random bits of flair from my box of goodies.

Thanks for stopping by:)

North of Everywhere

2010-02-03T11:28:00.004-05:00

It's been a long time since I visited this blog. At first I just didn't want to try to explain our abrupt changes, then it got easier to just ignore it as time went on. There have been a lot of questions and confusion though and perhaps a bit of hurt so let me try to finally put it all out there.

For years I've struggled with my family, it's no secret. I had a crappy childhood, confused adolescence, and difficult young adulthood. I wouldn't take any of it back but I also don't wish to repeat any of it with my own children. I've struggled with my need to flee for years. Jesse refused to leave what he knew and I only wanted to leave it far behind. I stayed, for him. I was not happy. I can't explain it fully, but I have always wanted to go west, start over, find a new life. He wanted to stay with what he knew. We stayed and we struggled.

We have always had a lot of challenges in our marriage and we have always stuck together and got through them, but 2009 was a tough year. Jesse was under a lot of stress with trying to provide for us and family pressures were getting to him, making him bitter and angry. I had taken to avoiding everyone except my brother Josh and his wife Michelle. I was depressed and spending all my time on the Internet, ignoring the house and kids. Jesse finally looked at me one day and said he was tired of it all, he was done trying to do the right thing and was ready to start over, find us a house.I needed no further encouragement:)

I scrimped, bargained and saved every penny I could for the next two weeks and found us a house. Amazing what I can do when i want something bad enough. I managed to put together a little over $2000 in those short two weeks, enough for a down payment on a four bedroom home in a tiny town in North Dakota. It had all the things we were looking for, more than three bedrooms, a garage for Jess, larger than average yard, small town away from the rat race and stress of Michigan, and it was cheap. It was farther north than we first thought we would go, but we have fallen in love with North Dakota. We love the weather, the scenery, the freedom and most of all the people.

We left behind a lot, our farm has been hijacked by family we no longer wish to see as Jess was only half owner and has no desire to fight anymore. We gave up our animals and homesteading ways, but with two large lots out here gardens are already in the works. We also left behind a lot of tension and stress. I no longer have to play referee for certain family members and I don't have to constantly defend my eccentricities. I can finally just be me. I'm happy and I think Jesse is too. He found a great new job with astounding benefits, he's losing weight and snoring less. I never realized it was stress induced! His friendly nature has made it easy for him to meet new people and find acquaintances that are sure to become great friends. The boys are excited all the time, new experiences and friends keep them busy. Our new town seems to genuinely be pleased to have us and we have discovered we have some stellar neighbors willing to help any way they can. They want us to stay

Finally, there comes a point when you have to stop trying to be everything for everyone and do what's best for you and yours. We are done trying to take care of people who should have learned to stand on their own two feet years ago. We are done trying to help those who will not help themselves. We are finally doing what we think is best for our family and our health. We hope you understand that and can be happy for us.

Banned

2009-11-09T16:52:00.002-05:00

Peanut butter is now banned in this house until it is no longer a problem for sneaky toddlers. This almost daily problem with sticky hands, smeared counters, chairs and floors is going to stop, right now! Every time I clean him up and remind the others to put away said peanut butter jar when they are done with it and the very next day I have to repeat the same scene. Well no more! I wonder if this is the cause of the relentless gnat infestation?

Btw, peanut butter is awful to clean up, it just smears. Blah!

Sunday Snapshots - Visiting the past

2009-11-01T20:42:00.005-05:00

A little hobby of mine, I find beauty in the past and cemeteries are a wonderful place to find that beauty.

Wordless Wednesday - Fall Colors

2009-10-28T07:40:00.000-04:00

Our Dwindling Rights

2009-10-26T12:08:00.002-04:00

I don't normally post any of my political views or opinions and I won't make a habit of it I promise:) As a gun owner, however, I have a hard time ignoring this topic.

I've watched in horror as our rights as citizens of the United States of America have slowly been stripped away, compromised and overlooked for "the greater good". Gun control has been a hot issue for some time now and if you think it's a good idea for our government to step in and issue tougher regulations you better read the following blog post and the very real, very scary possibilities in our near future.

Think this can't happen?

And just remember, criminals will always be able to obtain the weapons they need, no matter what the law.

Sunday Snapshots

2009-10-25T08:15:00.000-04:00

Captured during demolition and construction of a family project this week:)

Too cool for work

Loves you bunches big bro!

A diva hard at work

Meeting of the minds

From the Archives

2009-10-24T08:07:00.001-04:00

Since this weekend weather has begun to slide towards the chilly and crappy again, I thought this sounded good for dinner tonight. I plan to make a few adjustments for what we have on hand but it should turn out just as good as the last time I made it nearly 2 years ago!

Crock-pot Potato Soup

6-8 med. potatoes, diced
2 med. onions, diced
2 med. carrots, sliced
2 pkg. instant chicken broth powder
4 C. water
2 t. dried parsley
1 t. pepper
1/2 t. salt
1 can evaporated milk
1 C. shredded cheddar
2 T. flour

Combine all ingredients in the crock, except the evaporated milk and cheese. Set on low for 7-9 hours. About 30 minutes before it is finished, wisk in the evaporated milk, cheese, and flour.

Simple and delicious, my family adores this one.

End of the season:(

2009-10-23T06:15:00.001-04:00

So ends another growing season and so begins the clean-up and prep for next year. I had great success with the east garden this year, not too many weeds and plenty of produce that did well. It's too bad it has to end, but the rock bottom temps lately have ended any hopes I may have had for further crops. Had I been smart enough or less lazy I would have erected my row tunnels and saved some veggies from the frost. Alas, I did not and now it's time to pull up the withered plants and start laying on the compost. All is not lost though......we have begun another project which may prove to provide us with some fresh greens in Jan. or Feb. More on that in another post;)

Bunnies!

2009-10-22T17:54:00.002-04:00

There has been so much going on lately with no slowdown in sight. It is autumn after all, the harvest season and generally a very busy season for anyone who grows things. Even the rabbits are busy in their own way. These cute little popples were not discovered until they were at least a week old, amazing given where they were located, right in front of the door. How no one stepped on them while changing the water is beyond me! Mama rabbit did a nice job of piling straw, hay, and fur and created quite a hidden burrow.
The burrow is actually quite large and only a small portion is uncovered. After investigating further, I was able to count at least 12 little buns, all healthy and super cute. I just love babies of any species:)
They are getting quite large and pudgy and it's hard to resist just wanting to hold every one of them. This one was quite calm while I took pictures and let the toddlers ooh and ahh over him/her.
The proud parents lounging about. Not sure who the mommy is, doesn't really matter and for all I know there is another hidden warren. I don't go poking around in there too much unless it's clean-out time. Daddy is the black/white spotted guy, quite handsome isn't he?

The bunnies will stay with the parents for another couple weeks until weened, then they will have their own pen for growing out. I will likely choose a female to keep from this bunch, there are several fat buns to choose from, let's just hope they aren't all boys!

The Most Popular Fair on Earth

2009-10-02T18:48:00.002-04:00

Every year during the last week in September the Hillsdale County Fair takes place. Touted as the most popular fair on earth, our local fair is certainly a hit with the kids. Lots of rides, games, food, and exhibits. There is always something to see and do no matter the age. We never miss a year and it never fails to rain, in fact it usually snows at least once! We got lucky this year with just colder temps and showers, though the cold weather seemed to escape the boys' attention:/

The boys had a blast in the funhouse.

Big brother helps little sis ride the big slide.

Local growers and artists sure make some fun things to see:)

Daddy and his tired little girl. Lucky for us the rain didn't start until it was time to go:)

Wordless Wednesday - Flashbacks

2009-09-30T21:02:00.001-04:00

Green Peppers!

2009-09-18T10:37:00.004-04:00

Despite all the rain a cooler temps this year I've managed to harvest quite an abundance of bell peppers. Peppers are another easy crop to freeze and store for mid-winter meals. Simply wash, remove seeds, chop, stop and enjoy the aroma, then pop into freezer bags and freeze. I love to add green peppers to my homemade pizza and spaghetti sauces.
I use the green peppers the most, but do allow a few to turn red for more colorful dishes and of course, for pizza:) Easy crop to plant, maintain and harvest. One of my favorites.

Wordless Wednesday - My Family

2009-09-16T08:59:00.001-04:00

Monday = Laundry Day

2009-09-14T10:54:00.002-04:00

Once again the laundry has taken on a life of its own and today will be a fun-filled day of washing, hanging, folding, washing, hanging, folding..........

Believe it or not, this was taken after 3 loads had been done, it never seems to shrink! I think it's time for another wardrobe reduction. Gotta love Mondays. Sigh

Wordless Wednesday - At the beach

2009-09-09T10:57:00.001-04:00

If you like shopping at Goodwill

2009-09-04T12:57:00.003-04:00

You can cross this one off your list.

Adrian, MI store

Crowded beyond belief, dirty and disorganized. Staff were rude, customers even ruder. 15 minutes of my life I can never get back.

Wordless Wednesday - Perspective

2009-09-02T07:55:00.002-04:00

How to can pumpkin

2009-08-31T16:55:00.005-04:00

First, select the proper shoes.

Personally I like these ones, they really help me reach the high shelves and look great!

Next, choose the ~~largest, dirtiest~~ nicest pumpkin you can. Wash it up a bit, stand back and admire your selection. I have no less than nine orbs to choose from, I will be busy.

Find the ~~dullest~~ sharpest knife or hacksaw in the drawer and go to town slicing this baby up. A normal pie pumpkin needs only to be halved. I only grow monsters around here.
BTW, this is a Rouge Vif d' Etampes, a French heirloom pie pumpkin.

Scoop out the seeds and pulp, plop into the steamer. You don't have a steamer? Invent one, I also hear microwaves work, we don't have one here at rancho cheapo.

Be sure to add the appropriate amount of water, don't want to scorch your pumpkin now do you? Steam for about 15 minutes more or less, depending on amount of flesh you have crammed into the pot. In the meantime, wash and prepare your jars.

Once pumpkin is steamed, skin, chop and create a huge mess. Way fun! Don't forget to keep the ice-water handy, freshly steamed pumpkin is hot! Who would have thought?

Place chunks in clean, prepared canning jars, pop into the canner and start waiting.........................
allow to vent............................
start timing.................................
maybe I should buff my nails.
If your new to pressure canning try this link for more info.

Times up! Pressure down, carefully open the giant steamy vat away from your face. I hear steam can really burn and it so does not do good things for your eyeliner. Using jar tongs, place jars on towel and allow to cool completely. Stand back, admire your beautiful new jars of fresh pumpkin, sigh and start all over. Why on earth did I plant so many of these?

I want.....Very badly!

2009-08-27T05:24:00.000-04:00

Can you believe they are giving these away? I first saw these some time ago on another blog and thought they were cute but out of my budget. Imagine my delight at finding out they are having weekly giveaways! Oh! pick me, pick me!

Click the picture for more info:)

Wordless Wednesday - Say Cheese!

2009-08-26T16:45:00.001-04:00

Wordless Wednesday - Around the Farm

2009-08-19T12:13:00.001-04:00

Quick Change

2009-08-18T09:07:00.000-04:00

I picked up these chairs at a yard sale for $3/each last weekend. I'm always looking for cheap, sturdy chairs since we entertain often and always run out of seats. While they looked fine just the way they were, I wanted something lighter to help brighten up our dark living room.

Ta Da! Several coats of white spray paint later, my new chairs look much brighter. I was so happy with this project that I started spray painting all kinds of things. I think it's my new love:)

Now if I could just do something about that hideous wall behind them.....

Lazy Sunday

2009-08-17T09:53:00.004-04:00

What's a trip to the beach without burying someone in the sand?

Yesterday we spent a lazy day on the beach with some of my extended family. I invited three family members and their kids, then several more of my siblings and relations showed up. I must be so awesome, all these people want to come hang with me. lol

Hope your all having a fun summer!

Terrible Toddlers

2009-08-13T07:54:00.000-04:00

Dolly/AKA 'The Beast' doing a timeout.

Pudge/AKA 'Beast Sidekick'

Once upon a time I had three toddlers and a nervous breakdown.
The toddlers got older and less toddler-like, my sanity returned and all was good.
Then my husband and I acquired rose colored glasses and began to miss having a baby in the house.
So we had Louise, and she was cute and cuddly and we spoiled her terribly.
Then we had Xavier, and he was cute and precious and we spoiled him terribly.
Then they began to grow, walk, talk and climb.

Cereal now sticks to my feet no matter how many times I sweep, I still manage to miss some or they find another box to get into.

Nothing is off limits, not even if I have to use a ladder to hide it. I miss my evening chocolate.

DVD's make wonderful Frisbee's, coasters and cymbals. We used to have a nice collection of things to watch.

Laundry never ends, never! The Beast feels the need to change at least 4 times/day no matter where she is.

Earplugs would be awesome, but dangerous after all.

Bedding is never clean, in fact it may be why the laundry never ends. Today it is covered in chocolate hand prints. Awesome!

Outside toys keep coming in and inside toys keep going out, along with clothing, paper, bottles, etc. I almost had a nice yard there for awhile.

Books are no longer for reading, they are for stacking, throwing, tearing or turning into step stools.

A good nights rest, what's that like again?

Flies love toddlers, they flock to them while outdoors knowing the toddler will soon open the door to the palace where they might find a frazzled Mom to annoy endlessly.

I used to have small collections of things I loved, now I have a rather bare, austere decor. Seriously, people look around in confusion when they first arrive. "Are you moving soon?"

And no matter how many times it gets cleaned, the bathroom is a scary place. Sometimes I think I'd rather just go outside, at least I might get some privacy.

Fortunately they do outgrow this stage, I know they do, I'm almost sure they do. Right?

Wordless Wednesday by Danny

2009-08-12T08:28:00.000-04:00

Louise's point of view

2009-08-11T11:17:00.000-04:00

Midnight Laundry

2009-08-10T22:59:00.003-04:00

Why am I hanging out clothes late at night? Summer finally showed up and it's hot! I wanted the heat, my garden needed the heat, but after being spoiled by such a lovely season of weather thus far I feel like melting every time I step outside.

What's a girl to do with the laundry needing done no matter what the weather feels like? Wait 'til the sun goes down:) So what's so good about midnight laundry sessions? Huge starry backdrop, cool summer air, slight dewy feel and incredibly soft laundry. Really, it's almost like the dryer with downy, but no hot dryer sucking up electricity.(Good thing too since I evicted the dryer some time ago) Line drying laundry overnight is the best, just watch that forecast and plan for some surprise summer showers, no biggie, just leave them out longer. Summer rain is also a great clothing softener:)