I've been tagged (thanks Emily!)
So, here goes:
6 things people might not know about me:
1. If I were not Mormon, I would be Amish. I aspire to someday be able to provide for my family using Mother nature plus the help of family and friends. SOMEDAY I don't want to have to rely on Walmart.
2. One of my life goals is to found a high school that teaches teenagers real world skills. "Practicality High." Not exactly technical school, although it will have that aspect, but I am talking about emotional health, moral strength, financial responsibility (you have to have and use money to learn it), and family-management (I'm talking about old-fashioned home-ec.). Plus, we'll teach some money-making skills with local professionals teaching and getting free labor off the kids. (Landscaping, auto-mechanics, and Aquatic instruction all come to mind.)
3. My biggest parenting weakness is inappropriate anger and strictness. (Poor Grace!)
4. My biggest struggle in marriage/homekeeping looks like Me struggling to buy groceries, make dinner on a fairly regular basis, and not detesting every part of the process. (Poor Royal!)
5. I plan to retire very early. I don't intend to stop working at all. But, I'd like to have the freedom to choose my work! I'm willing to be a serious tightwad to make this possible. I think I'd like to farm for awhile. (20 years or so). I follow the bio-intensive method of gardening, found in the book How to grow more vegetables by John Jeavons. Or, Square-foot gardening. They are very similar. I am determined I could retire on $500,000.
6. I am accomplished in Sign Language, but have no credentials. Plus, its been awhile since conversing with any Deaf folks. But, our Amish friends down the road do have a Deaf teenage son! (Might get some practice in there.)
Tag you're it! Heather, Heidi and Brent!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Thursday, November 15, 2007
"Not a very poetic title"... or "Elizabeth vents"
An Ode to Growing Fat while Pregnant
O Girth of mine,
Thou art a spring of life.
Life from another place
stretching forth my boundaries.
Softening all the edges
Of my body.
Really, I'm looking rather
Bloblike.
Which is why my current picture
won't be appearing here
with as much frequency
as it might otherwise be.
My Vanity is exceedingly great
to the overcoming of my sensibility.
So that even while I understand
the beauty, the process, and the necessity for it,
I am prone to cringe about my increasing girth.
O Girth of mine,
Thou art a spring of life.
Life from another place
stretching forth my boundaries.
Softening all the edges
Of my body.
Really, I'm looking rather
Bloblike.
Which is why my current picture
won't be appearing here
with as much frequency
as it might otherwise be.
My Vanity is exceedingly great
to the overcoming of my sensibility.
So that even while I understand
the beauty, the process, and the necessity for it,
I am prone to cringe about my increasing girth.
Our First Jack-O-Lantern
"First you take a pumpkin,Big and Round and Fat
Then you cut the top off;
that makes a hat.
Then you cut a hole
For the nose, the mouth, the eyes...
Making for the children a Halloween surprise.
Lemonade, anyone?
Grace held her first Lemonade Stand on Oct 20th.
She made around $12.
She gave 10% to the church, %45 to the family debt, and spent the rest on herself.
We got our First Dozen!
Monday afternoon we got our chickens.
Monday was the long-awaited day of Royal finishing the chicken coop. It is superb! The window really makes it more useable.
Royal has had ants in his pants to get the actual chickens for weeks, so we did NOT wait until the interior of the coop was all fixed up before we went to purchase and transport the beautiful birds. In other words, our poor little 7 large hens, 1 large rooster, and 5 bantums did not have roosting space or nests, and our waterer and feeders were sitting on the ground rather than hanging from the ceiling. (Thats very bad news for chickens since they knock the containers over as soon as possible..)
Note that I am blaming this poor decision entirely on my poor husband, who really can only be called somewhat responsible. I must admit, I didn't sensibly protest. After 4 weeks of anticipation, I guess we just couldn't resist another week.
Anyway, Monday afternoon we got our chickens.
We bought our 6 dark ones from our Amish friends, the Yoder family.
We bought the other bunch from a friend who wanted to downsize his miniature flock. (pictures to come.)
After 3 days now of scrambling to make this coop fit for a flock, we are almost comfortable with the chickens' living conditions.
Grace picked up our 12th fresh, full size egg this morning! One dozen! Here's the chicken chart we made to keep track!
Monday was the long-awaited day of Royal finishing the chicken coop. It is superb! The window really makes it more useable.
Royal has had ants in his pants to get the actual chickens for weeks, so we did NOT wait until the interior of the coop was all fixed up before we went to purchase and transport the beautiful birds. In other words, our poor little 7 large hens, 1 large rooster, and 5 bantums did not have roosting space or nests, and our waterer and feeders were sitting on the ground rather than hanging from the ceiling. (Thats very bad news for chickens since they knock the containers over as soon as possible..)
Note that I am blaming this poor decision entirely on my poor husband, who really can only be called somewhat responsible. I must admit, I didn't sensibly protest. After 4 weeks of anticipation, I guess we just couldn't resist another week.
Anyway, Monday afternoon we got our chickens.
We bought our 6 dark ones from our Amish friends, the Yoder family.
We bought the other bunch from a friend who wanted to downsize his miniature flock. (pictures to come.)
After 3 days now of scrambling to make this coop fit for a flock, we are almost comfortable with the chickens' living conditions.
Grace picked up our 12th fresh, full size egg this morning! One dozen! Here's the chicken chart we made to keep track!
Friday, November 2, 2007
Making Royal Dizzy
Royal called me this morning to chat while he had some empty time at work.
After a few minutes, I mentioned how nice talking to him unhurriedly was.
He said, "Talking to you makes me dizzy."
"Why?! Am I talking to fast?"
"Oh, no. Its just that there is a round conference table in here, and I pace around it while we're on the phone."
After a few minutes, I mentioned how nice talking to him unhurriedly was.
He said, "Talking to you makes me dizzy."
"Why?! Am I talking to fast?"
"Oh, no. Its just that there is a round conference table in here, and I pace around it while we're on the phone."
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Man child
We are expecting again!
And, as of today, we found out we are having a BOY!
Of course, it could be a girl with a side of pickles...
And, as of today, we found out we are having a BOY!
Of course, it could be a girl with a side of pickles...
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Medway Ohio Corn Maze
Our Fearless leader... who memorized the maze map.
Slender, beautiful, and expectant mommy...
Our fearless leader reveals that he didn't memorize the last half of the maze... and we're all growing weary.
Slender, beautiful, and expectant mommy...
Our fearless leader reveals that he didn't memorize the last half of the maze... and we're all growing weary.
Friday, October 5, 2007
We caught a big fat one...
Well, on the subject of fish, an update is in order.
In our metal tank, only one lone survivor still swims about. We haven't yet put any protection for the little guys in there. (Just got a cinder block today, though...) And, one day, the water got pretty low. After we filled it up with chlorinated water, we got 6 floaters all in one morning.
In our plastic white tank, we still have at least 12 good, growing fish. However, the tank has regrown all its former algae glory. It is fully green again. So, I'm not sure if my idea was correct that the fish keep the tank clean. At any rate, those fish are at least 30% bigger than when we bought them. They are staying well-fed.
But, we didn't catch a big, fat fish. We caught a big fat mouse. We're hoping this is the last one of the season...
In our metal tank, only one lone survivor still swims about. We haven't yet put any protection for the little guys in there. (Just got a cinder block today, though...) And, one day, the water got pretty low. After we filled it up with chlorinated water, we got 6 floaters all in one morning.
In our plastic white tank, we still have at least 12 good, growing fish. However, the tank has regrown all its former algae glory. It is fully green again. So, I'm not sure if my idea was correct that the fish keep the tank clean. At any rate, those fish are at least 30% bigger than when we bought them. They are staying well-fed.
But, we didn't catch a big, fat fish. We caught a big fat mouse. We're hoping this is the last one of the season...
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Well, if you count your chicks before they hatch....
We didn't get our calf.
What can I say? In a way, I'm heartbroken. But, it is a very small way. I still hope we can get one after Mr. Farmer weans his calves this month. He felt so bad about the whole thing falling through, he offered to buy me one from the auction yard next week. I told him I am fine with waiting until his calves are weaned. That was our original plan, anyway. Getting a calf from the auction yard, you never know what diseases he brings home.
Lots of good things arise from this little heartache. First, I feel like I have finally found what I would love to do. (Raise something living, in addition to kids of course.) Second, I can go to my new niece Reili's blessing this weekend without someone else bottle feeding my calf. Third, I now have a few supplies for a calf, and Mr. Farmer and I have a place for him to go. Fourth, I now have a wonderful book on starting out with cattle.
What can I say? In a way, I'm heartbroken. But, it is a very small way. I still hope we can get one after Mr. Farmer weans his calves this month. He felt so bad about the whole thing falling through, he offered to buy me one from the auction yard next week. I told him I am fine with waiting until his calves are weaned. That was our original plan, anyway. Getting a calf from the auction yard, you never know what diseases he brings home.
Lots of good things arise from this little heartache. First, I feel like I have finally found what I would love to do. (Raise something living, in addition to kids of course.) Second, I can go to my new niece Reili's blessing this weekend without someone else bottle feeding my calf. Third, I now have a few supplies for a calf, and Mr. Farmer and I have a place for him to go. Fourth, I now have a wonderful book on starting out with cattle.
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