Good afternoon!
I am a homemaker on a very limited budget that must feed 2 adults, 2 teenage boys and 2 kids under 9. I've discussed my grocery budget in previous posts and those would still be relevant as our budget hasn't changed much in the last 10 years.
The quickest and easiest way to save money in the kitchen is to grow/raise your food yourself, preserve it and buy in bulk. I do shop sales monthly for things that we use regularly but doing the above things will save you money in the kitchen.
With that said, in order to save money, you must be willing to spend time working. I don't regularly buy bread, I make it. I make laundry soap (in the kitchen so I count it as kitchen work). I can and preserve things all year. Even when there isn't a garden.
Today's example is chili beans. We are given dried beans throughout the year by people who get them and don't use them (I'm not sure how this happens exactly, but it happens regularly....I try to use, in some way, all the food I manage to acquire...but we are grateful). Dried beans take a while to cook, but I like to throw together chili in the winter so I used google and found a chili bean canning "recipe" (I really needed the seasoning recipe) and got to work. These beans are amazing. They soak for 48 hours, changing water after 24. Then you cook for 30 mins, pressure can for 75 mins and then you have chili beans. My cost would be the canning flats and seasonings (which I buy in bulk at a considerable savings at the Amish store). I'm guessing around 25 cents a pint. If you can buy them for less than that at the store, then I applaud you. I can't. So I did 7 pints after shopping Saturday night.
I had about 3 pints of beans that wouldn't fit into the canner so I added some home canned rotel, home raised ground beef and home canned tomato puree to the pan Sunday morning and started cooking chili. We were busy all day so I didn't notice that it didn't get done in the time I thought it would. The beans were still hard. I'm thinking the very hard water here at the new house is the problem. So I put them back in the fridge.
Monday we had spaghetti for supper (home canned sauce, home raised pork sausage).
Tuesday I fixed fried pork chops, fried potatoes and corn for supper (home raised pork and home frozen corn - the corn was picked from a generous relatives field).
I also baked oatmeal cookies for a treat.
Today has been a big kitchen day. Early this morning I set the chili back to simmer. For lunch I made shepherd's pie. I've got bread dough rising. In case the chili doesn't get done I put a pork roast in the oven (home raised pork).
The thing about living on a homestead is, that you might not have a ton of money. We sacrifice a lot for me to stay home....but we eat well. Lots of meat and veggies. I'm hoping to be able to locally source dairy products soon but for now I buy them. It's a lot of work but the rewards are worth it.
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
There Are Bells on My Socks
There are....
BELLS
on my socks.
Whew. I actually texted that to someone this morning.
Why? Because I HAD to tell someone that there were bells on my socks (which make me insanely happy this morning, I don't know why).
Why did I HAVE to tell someone this?
Facebook.
Lest you think I've lost my mind, bare with me. Facebook has made me incapable of completing a single thought AND causes me to share mundane silliness that randomly pops into my head with hundreds of my closest acquaintances (poor souls that they are).
Facebook has also caused me a considerable amount of angst over the last few months. You've probably seen me walk away from facebook (and you know about that because I blogged about it, because I NEEDED to). And then you see me back. And you shake your head. Most of you don't know why I left, really. You have no idea what post or article upset me so that I couldn't take it anymore. Its not really A post or AN article but a culmination of posts, articles and pictures that cause ME an emotional reaction. It's MY problem.
I struggled this weekend. A comment to a post that was in no way related or directed to me, that I randomly saw Monday morning, caused me an emotional event. And I wonder why I keep putting myself through this. The little tiny bit of adult companionship and "keeping up" that I manage to do on facebook isn't worth the hurt, anxiety and soul searching that I have to do afterwards. Because I do realize that for the most part this stuff is MY problem. Nobody is being mean to me (normally).
I've got a lot of stuff to work through. You have no idea.
Writing helps me gather my thoughts. It makes me work through what I'm thinking or feeling. I'm journaling my way through a forest of trees. That's good stuff. Maybe something that I'm dealing with can help someone else. I doubt, though, that it is going to help someone else in blurb form. I think it will take more than that.
As I search for a perfect balance of social media, bare with me. I want to read articles you think are relevent and I want to see pictures of your kids. I want to be part of your life, but frequently facebook interaction leaves me feeling......unfulfilled. Because we were made for relationships. Not blurbs.
I sat last night and tried to work through the most recent (and probably most repeated) set of feelings.....I want attention - not really in a "your the best __ ever" context but in an "I care about you" context. How much can someone show love and care on facebook? Love is an action. It is a verb. It requires something to be done.....something that takes effort and requires sacrifice. I want to feel love - but how many people to I need to feel loved by? Isn't God enough? (fyi, He's not on facebook). Isn't my husband enough? I made a list of things that happened just yesterday that my family and God did that showed their love for me. Actions. Tangible proof. Love is shown in an "out of the blue" text, email, call or card. Love is shown in chores done without asking and needs met without complaint. That's the love that I felt yesterday. Love doesn't need to be shown every single day, but it must be shown often. If you can't remember when, that isn't often enough. Love isn't perfect, but it TRIES. I've got that love...already. I don't need to be looking for affirmation on facebook.
However, that leaves me in a quandry. Why? Because so many people, usually family-that-doesn't-live-with-us (not my husband and children) SAY they love us. But they don't reciprocate the calls, texts, invitations. They don't sacrifice their time to be with us. I don't know what to do with those people.
You see, I've been muddling along, reaching out and feeling rejected by a lack of response. A dear friend told me Sunday night that my responsibility was only in reaching out, not in their reaction to it. I can't tie their reactions or lack of reaction to my emotions. It has no bearing on my value as a person if they never call, never text, never invite or respond to an invitation. I am still a loved wife, mother, friend and child of God.
I've got to figure out how to deal with those emotions. It's hard. I feel deeply and love deeply and believe in showing that love freely through my actions. If love is an ACTION and there is no action, no tangible proof of love, then is there LOVE? I have to say no. You can't just say "I love you" and never show it. Those are just words on a screen. I have to accept that.
Accepting that means for now, I am stepping back from facebook. I'll still check in because I get my news there (no newspapers and if I don't leave the house I don't listen to the radio). My interactions will be limited because I have to learn how to deal with people properly. A proper boundary must be set. Now is as good a time to do it as any.
I bid you good day :) I look forward to writing some more tomorrow about my homestead kitchen (exciting stuff!).
BELLS
on my socks.
Whew. I actually texted that to someone this morning.
Why? Because I HAD to tell someone that there were bells on my socks (which make me insanely happy this morning, I don't know why).
Why did I HAVE to tell someone this?
Facebook.
Lest you think I've lost my mind, bare with me. Facebook has made me incapable of completing a single thought AND causes me to share mundane silliness that randomly pops into my head with hundreds of my closest acquaintances (poor souls that they are).
Facebook has also caused me a considerable amount of angst over the last few months. You've probably seen me walk away from facebook (and you know about that because I blogged about it, because I NEEDED to). And then you see me back. And you shake your head. Most of you don't know why I left, really. You have no idea what post or article upset me so that I couldn't take it anymore. Its not really A post or AN article but a culmination of posts, articles and pictures that cause ME an emotional reaction. It's MY problem.
I struggled this weekend. A comment to a post that was in no way related or directed to me, that I randomly saw Monday morning, caused me an emotional event. And I wonder why I keep putting myself through this. The little tiny bit of adult companionship and "keeping up" that I manage to do on facebook isn't worth the hurt, anxiety and soul searching that I have to do afterwards. Because I do realize that for the most part this stuff is MY problem. Nobody is being mean to me (normally).
I've got a lot of stuff to work through. You have no idea.
Writing helps me gather my thoughts. It makes me work through what I'm thinking or feeling. I'm journaling my way through a forest of trees. That's good stuff. Maybe something that I'm dealing with can help someone else. I doubt, though, that it is going to help someone else in blurb form. I think it will take more than that.
As I search for a perfect balance of social media, bare with me. I want to read articles you think are relevent and I want to see pictures of your kids. I want to be part of your life, but frequently facebook interaction leaves me feeling......unfulfilled. Because we were made for relationships. Not blurbs.
I sat last night and tried to work through the most recent (and probably most repeated) set of feelings.....I want attention - not really in a "your the best __ ever" context but in an "I care about you" context. How much can someone show love and care on facebook? Love is an action. It is a verb. It requires something to be done.....something that takes effort and requires sacrifice. I want to feel love - but how many people to I need to feel loved by? Isn't God enough? (fyi, He's not on facebook). Isn't my husband enough? I made a list of things that happened just yesterday that my family and God did that showed their love for me. Actions. Tangible proof. Love is shown in an "out of the blue" text, email, call or card. Love is shown in chores done without asking and needs met without complaint. That's the love that I felt yesterday. Love doesn't need to be shown every single day, but it must be shown often. If you can't remember when, that isn't often enough. Love isn't perfect, but it TRIES. I've got that love...already. I don't need to be looking for affirmation on facebook.
However, that leaves me in a quandry. Why? Because so many people, usually family-that-doesn't-live-with-us (not my husband and children) SAY they love us. But they don't reciprocate the calls, texts, invitations. They don't sacrifice their time to be with us. I don't know what to do with those people.
You see, I've been muddling along, reaching out and feeling rejected by a lack of response. A dear friend told me Sunday night that my responsibility was only in reaching out, not in their reaction to it. I can't tie their reactions or lack of reaction to my emotions. It has no bearing on my value as a person if they never call, never text, never invite or respond to an invitation. I am still a loved wife, mother, friend and child of God.
I've got to figure out how to deal with those emotions. It's hard. I feel deeply and love deeply and believe in showing that love freely through my actions. If love is an ACTION and there is no action, no tangible proof of love, then is there LOVE? I have to say no. You can't just say "I love you" and never show it. Those are just words on a screen. I have to accept that.
Accepting that means for now, I am stepping back from facebook. I'll still check in because I get my news there (no newspapers and if I don't leave the house I don't listen to the radio). My interactions will be limited because I have to learn how to deal with people properly. A proper boundary must be set. Now is as good a time to do it as any.
I bid you good day :) I look forward to writing some more tomorrow about my homestead kitchen (exciting stuff!).
Wednesday, November 04, 2015
Beginning Our Homeschool Year 2015-2016
Good afternoon! It's been a wonderful day here so far; we have finished school, household chores are done and I've had lunch with a very dear friend. After I publish this article I'm going to go searching for a wreath in the garage, feed livestock and cook supper (tater tot casserole) before awana.
I promised a post on homeschooling so here ya go. This is my 13th year of official homeschooling. My oldest started kindergarten 13 years ago and graduated high school this past May. Over the years I've become very relaxed and I have the bonus of knowing at this point what works for me, allowing me to tailor curriculum to the needs of my children. This year, Bear is in 2nd grade and Abby is in kindergarten.
As our base, we are using My Father's World Kindergarten and Adventures. I say base because we are following these very loosely and taking 2 years to do Adventures. Really we are barely using kindergarten because I'm using up workbooks that I have here rather than buying more student sheets. I am using the guide to pull out topics and I'm using the book list. I love My Father's World book lists. Abby is also rolled into the topics covered in Adventures. We are taking those topics very slowly, adding in more reading and activities to some of the units. We are on Christopher Columbus this week and probably next. That should have us covering pilgrims right around Thanksgiving.
We will start using Singapore math whenever I have the funds to purchase it. Currently we are using some worksheets I printed from Mama's Learning Corner, practicing money, time and "real life" math. Abby is getting practice in writing numbers, counting, shapes, patterns, etc from the workbooks I had hanging around. I'm trying to use up what I've got since this is my last kindergartener.
I love a Reason for Handwriting but as I mentioned, funds are tight, so I printed some amazing handwriting sheets for both kids from Confessions of a Homeschooler. If Bear finishes the ones that I have printed for him we will switch to copy work.
We use Alphaphonics to teach reading and All About Spelling for spelling. I use letter tiles from a bananagrams game. Bear is also reading through the reader from My Father's World 1st.
Method:
I keep a list on my table of what each kid needs to do each day. Whichever kid is dressed with teeth brushed at 9:00 a.m. gets to start first. Then we alternate through the list. So today Abby did money first, then Bear choose phonics, then Abby did phonics, then Bear did money and so on. While the one is working with me, the other has "free time". During that time they can play with legos, color, look at books, etc. No electronics and must leave me alone.
Record Keeping:
I've used lots of planners. Lots of them. Some were ok, some I hated, some I loved. I just do better with a notebook. This allows me to jot down what we have done and go on. I do keep notes in my homemaking planner about things that I want to cover and My Father's World has wonderful lesson plans. This makes it easy for me to keep track of what we have actually done.
We started late this year because of the move. I usually take off from Thanksgiving to after the New year but I think we will plug along as best we can to make up some time. I am hoping to get Bear finished with Alphaphonics this year and through AAS Level 1. When Abby becomes proficient in her letter sounds I will move her to MFW1. That might be this spring, it might not. I'm hoping to get math books sometime after the new year.
We are learning though! Lots of things.
That's what I love best about homeschooling :)
I promised a post on homeschooling so here ya go. This is my 13th year of official homeschooling. My oldest started kindergarten 13 years ago and graduated high school this past May. Over the years I've become very relaxed and I have the bonus of knowing at this point what works for me, allowing me to tailor curriculum to the needs of my children. This year, Bear is in 2nd grade and Abby is in kindergarten.
As our base, we are using My Father's World Kindergarten and Adventures. I say base because we are following these very loosely and taking 2 years to do Adventures. Really we are barely using kindergarten because I'm using up workbooks that I have here rather than buying more student sheets. I am using the guide to pull out topics and I'm using the book list. I love My Father's World book lists. Abby is also rolled into the topics covered in Adventures. We are taking those topics very slowly, adding in more reading and activities to some of the units. We are on Christopher Columbus this week and probably next. That should have us covering pilgrims right around Thanksgiving.
We will start using Singapore math whenever I have the funds to purchase it. Currently we are using some worksheets I printed from Mama's Learning Corner, practicing money, time and "real life" math. Abby is getting practice in writing numbers, counting, shapes, patterns, etc from the workbooks I had hanging around. I'm trying to use up what I've got since this is my last kindergartener.
I love a Reason for Handwriting but as I mentioned, funds are tight, so I printed some amazing handwriting sheets for both kids from Confessions of a Homeschooler. If Bear finishes the ones that I have printed for him we will switch to copy work.
We use Alphaphonics to teach reading and All About Spelling for spelling. I use letter tiles from a bananagrams game. Bear is also reading through the reader from My Father's World 1st.
Method:
I keep a list on my table of what each kid needs to do each day. Whichever kid is dressed with teeth brushed at 9:00 a.m. gets to start first. Then we alternate through the list. So today Abby did money first, then Bear choose phonics, then Abby did phonics, then Bear did money and so on. While the one is working with me, the other has "free time". During that time they can play with legos, color, look at books, etc. No electronics and must leave me alone.
Here, Abby has spelled her friend's name with letter tiles (with help). She really is just practicing alphabetical order with these right now. And yes, our cat sits on the table. It is what it is.
During one of her "down" times Abby practices "sewing" with lacing cards.
My record keeping journal (more on that below)
Bear works on legos during his "down" time today.
"together' time
Another picture of my journal
After we get through our independent work we usually have lunch. Then we do our "together" subjects: read aloud, Bible, science and history. This takes place on my bed or the living room couch.
I've used lots of planners. Lots of them. Some were ok, some I hated, some I loved. I just do better with a notebook. This allows me to jot down what we have done and go on. I do keep notes in my homemaking planner about things that I want to cover and My Father's World has wonderful lesson plans. This makes it easy for me to keep track of what we have actually done.
We started late this year because of the move. I usually take off from Thanksgiving to after the New year but I think we will plug along as best we can to make up some time. I am hoping to get Bear finished with Alphaphonics this year and through AAS Level 1. When Abby becomes proficient in her letter sounds I will move her to MFW1. That might be this spring, it might not. I'm hoping to get math books sometime after the new year.
We are learning though! Lots of things.
That's what I love best about homeschooling :)
Tuesday, November 03, 2015
New Beginnings
Hello!
I'm so glad to be sitting back here with all of you blogging again. I missed it. I need to write, journal, contain my thoughts and nobody wants to read all that on facebook (although I will link this here).
So, what's new with me, you ask?
We bought a new home. A homestead to be exact. Almost 5 acres and a home, garage and barn all set up for exactly what we want to do. Not just do, BE.
I think it necessary to take a second and explain something. You can live in the country, in a rural area, and not be a homestead. A homestead is what you do with your little piece of heaven. Do you just live there? Then you live in a rural area (which is totally fine, but is basically living in a much larger than average subdivision). We are using our property to feed our family, relaxing our dependency on corporation and over-regulated entities. We are NOT completely independent. We rely on help and knowledge from friends and neighbors and will continue to do so until we are gone. We rely on the blessings of our Lord Jesus to enable us to get through every single day. Humans have never been meant to be alone on this journey.
I see these memes on facebook of a muddy truck or 4-wheeler and people dancing around bonfires and there is always a caption along the lines of "real country" or whatever. REAL country are the people feeding livestock and planting fields. REAL country is working fence in 30 degree weather, alone, because your pigs keep getting out. REAL country knows where their food comes from and how to acquire it, if they and their vehicle of choice is muddy, its for darn good reason and that reason didn't involve tearing up property that didn't belong to them. REAL country hunts, but not just for the trophy (although who doesn't like a trophy buck?). REAL country can wear dresses, even while working (because I take pride in how I look) and can dress up just as nice as everyone else.
Here's what country means to me:
growing food for my family in a garden
raising or bartering for meat and milk and their by-products
eating REAL food
doing the work that these things require
making things with your own hands
spending time with friends and family
slowing down the pace of life and enjoying the rhythms that come with the seasons
knowing how to improvise or do without in most situations
using the wild resources to benefit the family (hunting, fishing, gathering)
helping your neighbors and strangers with the blessings that God has given me
working together and having fun together as a family
Country isn't:
muddy vehicles for no apparent reason
always covered in camo (or NEVER in my case)
beer drinking 24-7 (unless you are an alcoholic and then I suggest you get help)
So, we have our own little homestead here. We are raising chickens for eggs and meat and pig for our own use currently. We will probably get another steer in the spring and I'm hoping to get a couple goats for milk and meat and a llama or 2 for fiber.
I had someone tell me just last week that they had no idea what I did all day, I must get terribly bored. I didn't laugh hysterically but I wanted to (people perceive me laughing at their ignorance as rudeness so I must be careful).
This morning I woke up at 4:30 a.m. (the time change has got me messed up). I woke Norman at 5 a.m. then read my devotional and scripture reading for the day (Wicked Women study, day 2, on YouVersion). Norman left at 5:45 but forgot the medicine for our steer (who is still at our previous home) so I offered to feed and medicate. Started laundry then I woke Greg up for school at 6 and then drove 5 miles to feed and care for the steers. Back home, switched laundry, and had breakfast and coffee. Made my bed, sorted dirty laundry, Greg left for school. Lee came home from work (he works 3rd shift). He went to bed and I went to the shower, finished folding laundry, and ordered propane. I also balanced out the checkbook. It is now 9 a.m. so we start school (Bear and Abby have been up, had breakfast and played a game of Monopoly Jr).
School will be its own post. Maybe tomorrow. We just started this year 3 weeks ago and it is going so well. This will be my 13th year homeschooling. Bear is in 2nd grade, Abby in kindergarten.
We got done with everything around 11:00, except read aloud (right now about Columbus). We had lunch and the kids are outside playing.
As soon as I hit publish on this I'm going to finish up my house chores. Then we will finish up school and I will do something creative for a little bit before I do outside chores (chickens, pigs, dogs, cats) and then fix supper. Norman and Greg should be home around 4 and Lee will get up around supper time. Such is my day. I hope that you will join me as I share the adventure on our new homestead. I know that I can learn so much from you so feel free to comment!
I'm so glad to be sitting back here with all of you blogging again. I missed it. I need to write, journal, contain my thoughts and nobody wants to read all that on facebook (although I will link this here).
So, what's new with me, you ask?
We bought a new home. A homestead to be exact. Almost 5 acres and a home, garage and barn all set up for exactly what we want to do. Not just do, BE.
I think it necessary to take a second and explain something. You can live in the country, in a rural area, and not be a homestead. A homestead is what you do with your little piece of heaven. Do you just live there? Then you live in a rural area (which is totally fine, but is basically living in a much larger than average subdivision). We are using our property to feed our family, relaxing our dependency on corporation and over-regulated entities. We are NOT completely independent. We rely on help and knowledge from friends and neighbors and will continue to do so until we are gone. We rely on the blessings of our Lord Jesus to enable us to get through every single day. Humans have never been meant to be alone on this journey.
I see these memes on facebook of a muddy truck or 4-wheeler and people dancing around bonfires and there is always a caption along the lines of "real country" or whatever. REAL country are the people feeding livestock and planting fields. REAL country is working fence in 30 degree weather, alone, because your pigs keep getting out. REAL country knows where their food comes from and how to acquire it, if they and their vehicle of choice is muddy, its for darn good reason and that reason didn't involve tearing up property that didn't belong to them. REAL country hunts, but not just for the trophy (although who doesn't like a trophy buck?). REAL country can wear dresses, even while working (because I take pride in how I look) and can dress up just as nice as everyone else.
Here's what country means to me:
growing food for my family in a garden
raising or bartering for meat and milk and their by-products
eating REAL food
doing the work that these things require
making things with your own hands
spending time with friends and family
slowing down the pace of life and enjoying the rhythms that come with the seasons
knowing how to improvise or do without in most situations
using the wild resources to benefit the family (hunting, fishing, gathering)
helping your neighbors and strangers with the blessings that God has given me
working together and having fun together as a family
Country isn't:
muddy vehicles for no apparent reason
always covered in camo (or NEVER in my case)
beer drinking 24-7 (unless you are an alcoholic and then I suggest you get help)
So, we have our own little homestead here. We are raising chickens for eggs and meat and pig for our own use currently. We will probably get another steer in the spring and I'm hoping to get a couple goats for milk and meat and a llama or 2 for fiber.
I had someone tell me just last week that they had no idea what I did all day, I must get terribly bored. I didn't laugh hysterically but I wanted to (people perceive me laughing at their ignorance as rudeness so I must be careful).
This morning I woke up at 4:30 a.m. (the time change has got me messed up). I woke Norman at 5 a.m. then read my devotional and scripture reading for the day (Wicked Women study, day 2, on YouVersion). Norman left at 5:45 but forgot the medicine for our steer (who is still at our previous home) so I offered to feed and medicate. Started laundry then I woke Greg up for school at 6 and then drove 5 miles to feed and care for the steers. Back home, switched laundry, and had breakfast and coffee. Made my bed, sorted dirty laundry, Greg left for school. Lee came home from work (he works 3rd shift). He went to bed and I went to the shower, finished folding laundry, and ordered propane. I also balanced out the checkbook. It is now 9 a.m. so we start school (Bear and Abby have been up, had breakfast and played a game of Monopoly Jr).
School will be its own post. Maybe tomorrow. We just started this year 3 weeks ago and it is going so well. This will be my 13th year homeschooling. Bear is in 2nd grade, Abby in kindergarten.
We got done with everything around 11:00, except read aloud (right now about Columbus). We had lunch and the kids are outside playing.
As soon as I hit publish on this I'm going to finish up my house chores. Then we will finish up school and I will do something creative for a little bit before I do outside chores (chickens, pigs, dogs, cats) and then fix supper. Norman and Greg should be home around 4 and Lee will get up around supper time. Such is my day. I hope that you will join me as I share the adventure on our new homestead. I know that I can learn so much from you so feel free to comment!
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Dealing with the Day to Day When Husbands Must Work Away
On August 1, 2000....15 years ago....my husband went away.
He didn't leave us. He wasn't dead.
He was hired by the State of Illinois, Illinois Department of Corrections specifically and left to do his 6 weeks of academy training. He would go to the academy very early Monday morning and come back to us on Friday night.
This was just the beginning of a 3 year separation for us. Why? Because the prison he was hired to work at was 3 hours away from our home and rather than remove us from our family and friends, he opted to work "away" while the boys and I remained behind. When he accepted the position we were told that he could transfer to an institution closer to home in 18 months but the state of Illinois froze transfers so it was almost 3 years before he came home.
Let that soak in.
When he left that August morning, we had 2 sons. Lee was almost 3 and Greg was 4 months old. Explaining to a 3 year old that the daddy he adored wasn't coming home that night, or the next or the next was excruciating. He didn't understand. He would cry for the first 2 days and almost every night at bedtime. Greg was spared that for the most part, as an infant, but had colic that started about the time Norman left. He would scream for hours every night. Hours. For weeks. Greg also got severely car sick. Norman wasn't allowed to drive himself to the academy so I drove 4 hours on Monday morning to drop him off and 4 hours every Friday afternoon to pick him up. For 6 weeks. My parents are farmers and this was their busy season so for the majority of the time I would drive a Geo Metro 2 hours each way with at least 1 screaming kid. Twice a week. Sometimes I would have a panic attack on Friday mornings just anticipating the drive.
But it was worth it....because we were going to get Daddy.
After the 6 weeks, Norman started his employment at Dwight Correctional Center. He stayed in some employee dorms on the ground of Pontiac Correctional Center. He would drive himself up and back on his "Monday" and "Friday" (which were never actually Monday or Friday). This left me with no vehicle. If I was desperate I would borrow a vehicle from my parents. We did all errands and shopping when Daddy was home.
For years we would celebrate birthdays, Christmas, Thanksgiving on whatever nearby day Daddy was home. That's probably why we don't have all these traditions in our family regarding holidays....sometimes they were celebrated a week early or a week late....but we made the best of each situation....being so thankful for the days that we were together.
I don't think people understand how hard this was on me. I became mom and dad 5-6 days a week. I suffered from depression before but I also had to deal with severe anxiety. Some days I would just huddle in bed and cry. I laugh when people say that they can't be as strong as me. I wasn't strong. I was a mess. But I did what I had to do.....
Why? Because although I missed him terribly and the workload/responsibilities were huge, I was at home. I was in a familiar town/area with my family and friends. If I had an accident I could call someone. If I was so lonely I just couldn't handle it, I had family I could visit (some of them literally saved me). I kissed my kids good night before bed every single night. Norman was in an unfamiliar town. He did make friends but it took some time. I can't imagine how hard it was for him to be away from the boys. That ache had to almost drive him to insanity somedays. I do know he worked a lot of overtime while he was up there. He said it helped the days go faster.
He thanked me yesterday, for not making it harder for him than it was. You see, I never once complained. I never told him how much we would cry while he was gone. I put on my smiley happy face when he was home (because we were so happy that he was home!) and a cheerful voice into every phone call. I determined early on that I was not going to make this any harder for him than it already was. Was there anything that he could do about the crying boys? The days my heart broke and I spent the whole day in bed? Sure there was. If he knew, he would have quit his job. The best job he had ever had. He would have come home to us. Because that is what he would have given anything to do. But he knew he had a responsibility to provide well for us and this was the path that God had given him to do it. So he stayed at Dwight and I kept my mouth shut.
I look back now and wonder how many women realize the responsibility they have in their marriage to make things just a smidge easier for their husbands. Do you really need to complain when he works overtime again? Or should you be thankful that he is providing? Should you lay out all your problems at his feet? Or should you suck it up and remember that it isn't his job to be your everything.....it is God's?
You see, those sacrifices we made those years enabled Norman to find fulfillment in a job he enjoys. He makes a wage that enables me to be home, to educate the kids and kiss the booboos and give the lovings that children need and have to get from others when both parents are employed. I'm not saying I don't wish there had been another way, but there wasn't. Sometimes you must just accept the way things are and make the very best out of them. Doing that shouldn't make it harder on the other person.
As I look back, I recognize some things that did help me cope during those long days, weeks, months and years.
1. Focus on TODAY. If today is Monday and Norman just left, I wouldn't dwell on how many days it would be until he got home. I would decide what I was going to do that morning, what I was fixing for lunch, what I was doing that afternoon, what I was fixing for supper, what books we would read or movies we would watch at bedtime. Do that the next day, and the next day and the next.
2. Find a confidant. I've never said that you should keep all your feelings bottled up. I've only said that you shouldn't burden your husband with them. Find a FEMALE friend or two to confide in when you just need to vent. It happens. Find someone that will ENCOURAGE you to keep on keeping on. Nobody is meant to do everything alone. I've offered to be that person for several people. I hope that someday they take me up on the offer.
3. Get out of the house. I spent part of the time Norman worked away with no vehicle. Having no vehicle doesn't mean that you have to sit in the house and brood all day. Go for a walk. Plant flowers. Enjoy nature. If you are blessed enough to live in town, walk to a library or park or coffeeshop. Even 30 minutes a day can improve your outlook on life. I tried to go on a walk every day I could, weather permitting. Once I had a vehicle, we would drive into town one day a week for lunch and a trip to the library. I tried to make it mid-week so that it broke up the time that dad was away a little. Schedule play dates if you have little kids. It takes effort. I'm an introvert so doing these things sometimes took a lot out of me, but in the end I needed the adult interaction and the kids needed fun things to do.
4. Find a hobby. You might not have much time. I get that. Find something that you enjoy doing and carve out 30 minutes for it. I read, knit and blog. I did cross stitch for years and I also sew (sometimes I enjoy it, sometimes I don't). Do you garden? Lift weights? Fix things? Scrapbook? Play an instrument? Don't know? Then go get some books from the library. You might find some new things that interest you. When Norman worked away I learned to knit, canned my own food, had a garden, read lots of books, did cross stitch and started writing (in a journal because blogging wasn't a thing yet).
5. Try to keep Daddy days fun. This one is hard and might not always happen but it is so important. If your husband is only home 1 or 2 days a week or worse, a month, then it is important that the time be as enjoyable for everyone as possible. We would go into town, have lunch at Bonanza and then do grocery shopping. Every week. The employees at Bonanza knew our orders. We would have so much fun and get errands done and it was special time with the kids. We would spend time with Norman's mom (she missed him too).
6. Have a set routine on the day Daddy leaves. This is important. Especially with little kids, but I think that it is useful for wives as well. We would get up and do the same things every day daddy left. The routine was comforting for the kids and helped with their anxiety and the tears that tended to take place. It was easier for everyone.
We are in a slightly different place now. Those 2 little boys are almost all grown up (18 and 15). We have 2 new little ones (7 and 5). My husband works at Robinson Correctional Center now and works a lot of overtime. The thing with overtime is that you don't always know when that will happen. So I mark time by a clock. Norman will call by 2 if he is staying late at work that day. I rarely plan my evening until I know what he will be up to. The kids have learned to be flexible. I have to take on farm responsibilities and parenting responsibilities. I make a lot more decisions than I would like because I am the one home most often. I think that the early years prepared me for this. I'm very flexible. Evenings are lonely, but we have a sort of routine for when Daddy works late. I usually get more of "my" projects done when Daddy works late. We make the best of the situation.
In the end, that's all you can do. Complaining and whining don't help but you can help yourself (and your husband/children) make the best of a difficult situation. As the wife and mother, you set the tone for the home, so set a positive, joyful tone. You won't regret it, I promise.
He didn't leave us. He wasn't dead.
He was hired by the State of Illinois, Illinois Department of Corrections specifically and left to do his 6 weeks of academy training. He would go to the academy very early Monday morning and come back to us on Friday night.
This was just the beginning of a 3 year separation for us. Why? Because the prison he was hired to work at was 3 hours away from our home and rather than remove us from our family and friends, he opted to work "away" while the boys and I remained behind. When he accepted the position we were told that he could transfer to an institution closer to home in 18 months but the state of Illinois froze transfers so it was almost 3 years before he came home.
Let that soak in.
When he left that August morning, we had 2 sons. Lee was almost 3 and Greg was 4 months old. Explaining to a 3 year old that the daddy he adored wasn't coming home that night, or the next or the next was excruciating. He didn't understand. He would cry for the first 2 days and almost every night at bedtime. Greg was spared that for the most part, as an infant, but had colic that started about the time Norman left. He would scream for hours every night. Hours. For weeks. Greg also got severely car sick. Norman wasn't allowed to drive himself to the academy so I drove 4 hours on Monday morning to drop him off and 4 hours every Friday afternoon to pick him up. For 6 weeks. My parents are farmers and this was their busy season so for the majority of the time I would drive a Geo Metro 2 hours each way with at least 1 screaming kid. Twice a week. Sometimes I would have a panic attack on Friday mornings just anticipating the drive.
But it was worth it....because we were going to get Daddy.
After the 6 weeks, Norman started his employment at Dwight Correctional Center. He stayed in some employee dorms on the ground of Pontiac Correctional Center. He would drive himself up and back on his "Monday" and "Friday" (which were never actually Monday or Friday). This left me with no vehicle. If I was desperate I would borrow a vehicle from my parents. We did all errands and shopping when Daddy was home.
For years we would celebrate birthdays, Christmas, Thanksgiving on whatever nearby day Daddy was home. That's probably why we don't have all these traditions in our family regarding holidays....sometimes they were celebrated a week early or a week late....but we made the best of each situation....being so thankful for the days that we were together.
I don't think people understand how hard this was on me. I became mom and dad 5-6 days a week. I suffered from depression before but I also had to deal with severe anxiety. Some days I would just huddle in bed and cry. I laugh when people say that they can't be as strong as me. I wasn't strong. I was a mess. But I did what I had to do.....
Why? Because although I missed him terribly and the workload/responsibilities were huge, I was at home. I was in a familiar town/area with my family and friends. If I had an accident I could call someone. If I was so lonely I just couldn't handle it, I had family I could visit (some of them literally saved me). I kissed my kids good night before bed every single night. Norman was in an unfamiliar town. He did make friends but it took some time. I can't imagine how hard it was for him to be away from the boys. That ache had to almost drive him to insanity somedays. I do know he worked a lot of overtime while he was up there. He said it helped the days go faster.
He thanked me yesterday, for not making it harder for him than it was. You see, I never once complained. I never told him how much we would cry while he was gone. I put on my smiley happy face when he was home (because we were so happy that he was home!) and a cheerful voice into every phone call. I determined early on that I was not going to make this any harder for him than it already was. Was there anything that he could do about the crying boys? The days my heart broke and I spent the whole day in bed? Sure there was. If he knew, he would have quit his job. The best job he had ever had. He would have come home to us. Because that is what he would have given anything to do. But he knew he had a responsibility to provide well for us and this was the path that God had given him to do it. So he stayed at Dwight and I kept my mouth shut.
I look back now and wonder how many women realize the responsibility they have in their marriage to make things just a smidge easier for their husbands. Do you really need to complain when he works overtime again? Or should you be thankful that he is providing? Should you lay out all your problems at his feet? Or should you suck it up and remember that it isn't his job to be your everything.....it is God's?
You see, those sacrifices we made those years enabled Norman to find fulfillment in a job he enjoys. He makes a wage that enables me to be home, to educate the kids and kiss the booboos and give the lovings that children need and have to get from others when both parents are employed. I'm not saying I don't wish there had been another way, but there wasn't. Sometimes you must just accept the way things are and make the very best out of them. Doing that shouldn't make it harder on the other person.
As I look back, I recognize some things that did help me cope during those long days, weeks, months and years.
1. Focus on TODAY. If today is Monday and Norman just left, I wouldn't dwell on how many days it would be until he got home. I would decide what I was going to do that morning, what I was fixing for lunch, what I was doing that afternoon, what I was fixing for supper, what books we would read or movies we would watch at bedtime. Do that the next day, and the next day and the next.
2. Find a confidant. I've never said that you should keep all your feelings bottled up. I've only said that you shouldn't burden your husband with them. Find a FEMALE friend or two to confide in when you just need to vent. It happens. Find someone that will ENCOURAGE you to keep on keeping on. Nobody is meant to do everything alone. I've offered to be that person for several people. I hope that someday they take me up on the offer.
3. Get out of the house. I spent part of the time Norman worked away with no vehicle. Having no vehicle doesn't mean that you have to sit in the house and brood all day. Go for a walk. Plant flowers. Enjoy nature. If you are blessed enough to live in town, walk to a library or park or coffeeshop. Even 30 minutes a day can improve your outlook on life. I tried to go on a walk every day I could, weather permitting. Once I had a vehicle, we would drive into town one day a week for lunch and a trip to the library. I tried to make it mid-week so that it broke up the time that dad was away a little. Schedule play dates if you have little kids. It takes effort. I'm an introvert so doing these things sometimes took a lot out of me, but in the end I needed the adult interaction and the kids needed fun things to do.
4. Find a hobby. You might not have much time. I get that. Find something that you enjoy doing and carve out 30 minutes for it. I read, knit and blog. I did cross stitch for years and I also sew (sometimes I enjoy it, sometimes I don't). Do you garden? Lift weights? Fix things? Scrapbook? Play an instrument? Don't know? Then go get some books from the library. You might find some new things that interest you. When Norman worked away I learned to knit, canned my own food, had a garden, read lots of books, did cross stitch and started writing (in a journal because blogging wasn't a thing yet).
5. Try to keep Daddy days fun. This one is hard and might not always happen but it is so important. If your husband is only home 1 or 2 days a week or worse, a month, then it is important that the time be as enjoyable for everyone as possible. We would go into town, have lunch at Bonanza and then do grocery shopping. Every week. The employees at Bonanza knew our orders. We would have so much fun and get errands done and it was special time with the kids. We would spend time with Norman's mom (she missed him too).
6. Have a set routine on the day Daddy leaves. This is important. Especially with little kids, but I think that it is useful for wives as well. We would get up and do the same things every day daddy left. The routine was comforting for the kids and helped with their anxiety and the tears that tended to take place. It was easier for everyone.
We are in a slightly different place now. Those 2 little boys are almost all grown up (18 and 15). We have 2 new little ones (7 and 5). My husband works at Robinson Correctional Center now and works a lot of overtime. The thing with overtime is that you don't always know when that will happen. So I mark time by a clock. Norman will call by 2 if he is staying late at work that day. I rarely plan my evening until I know what he will be up to. The kids have learned to be flexible. I have to take on farm responsibilities and parenting responsibilities. I make a lot more decisions than I would like because I am the one home most often. I think that the early years prepared me for this. I'm very flexible. Evenings are lonely, but we have a sort of routine for when Daddy works late. I usually get more of "my" projects done when Daddy works late. We make the best of the situation.
In the end, that's all you can do. Complaining and whining don't help but you can help yourself (and your husband/children) make the best of a difficult situation. As the wife and mother, you set the tone for the home, so set a positive, joyful tone. You won't regret it, I promise.
Facebook - Part 2
Last week I wrote about removing the facebook app from my phone.
Today I reinstalled it.
Lest you think I'm fickle, read on.
I stand by every statement that I made last week. I've learned a lot of things in the last week about my interactions with others and time wasters in my life.
1. Facebook isn't real life. People can post whatever they want; true or false. We all know that, but I tended to think that the people I was friends with were better than that. Eh. It is what it is. Everyone, including me, wants others to think/believe good things about them. That's human nature.
2. I've spent a lot of time with God this week. A LOT of time. Isn't it terrible that the thing that was supposed to bring me closer to people was pulling me away from the thing that matters the most to me. I've grown so much in my faith this week. I know that wouldn't have happened had I been on my phone all week.
3. Mean, rude and otherwise obnoxious people on facebook can be ignored. It's an easy solution. I was worried that others would think badly about me if I "unfollowed" or "unfriended" them but I've come to realize that it isn't my job to filter all that stuff through my psyche. I just can't absorb all that junk anymore.
4. If a person is spending all their time on facebook complaining or manipulating their current situation to garner the most possible exposure/sympathy, then they don't really have your best interests at heart. True story. I discovered how true this was this week. I made it a point to get online and "check" on some friends and family that I hold especially dear. With only few exceptions, nobody noticed I was gone. I'm not trying to garner sympathy here, just point out the obvious. So maybe the random things that I post aren't that important. And that's ok. They were random small talk things and don't matter at all.
I've decided to take up writing again. More than journaling but really writing. About what exactly, I'm unclear. I'm searching for direction. I did put facebook back on my phone. I was finding it difficult to keep up with community organizations and Bible studies that I'm involved in without it. I am focusing more on my relationship with God, my family and my home. I am reconsidering the random posts.
In the end, I'm glad that I was able to realize the amount of crap that facebook was dumping on me. I think it's a great tool if used wisely. I imagine that I will have to pace myself a bit, place time limits on writing, not go overboard. I tend to get one-minded in my obsessions and we have a lot going on. I hope to be able to write about that in the near future. If you want, leave suggestions on things you are interested in reading about and I'll see if I have enough wisdom to write about it. Thanks!
Today I reinstalled it.
Lest you think I'm fickle, read on.
I stand by every statement that I made last week. I've learned a lot of things in the last week about my interactions with others and time wasters in my life.
1. Facebook isn't real life. People can post whatever they want; true or false. We all know that, but I tended to think that the people I was friends with were better than that. Eh. It is what it is. Everyone, including me, wants others to think/believe good things about them. That's human nature.
2. I've spent a lot of time with God this week. A LOT of time. Isn't it terrible that the thing that was supposed to bring me closer to people was pulling me away from the thing that matters the most to me. I've grown so much in my faith this week. I know that wouldn't have happened had I been on my phone all week.
3. Mean, rude and otherwise obnoxious people on facebook can be ignored. It's an easy solution. I was worried that others would think badly about me if I "unfollowed" or "unfriended" them but I've come to realize that it isn't my job to filter all that stuff through my psyche. I just can't absorb all that junk anymore.
4. If a person is spending all their time on facebook complaining or manipulating their current situation to garner the most possible exposure/sympathy, then they don't really have your best interests at heart. True story. I discovered how true this was this week. I made it a point to get online and "check" on some friends and family that I hold especially dear. With only few exceptions, nobody noticed I was gone. I'm not trying to garner sympathy here, just point out the obvious. So maybe the random things that I post aren't that important. And that's ok. They were random small talk things and don't matter at all.
I've decided to take up writing again. More than journaling but really writing. About what exactly, I'm unclear. I'm searching for direction. I did put facebook back on my phone. I was finding it difficult to keep up with community organizations and Bible studies that I'm involved in without it. I am focusing more on my relationship with God, my family and my home. I am reconsidering the random posts.
In the end, I'm glad that I was able to realize the amount of crap that facebook was dumping on me. I think it's a great tool if used wisely. I imagine that I will have to pace myself a bit, place time limits on writing, not go overboard. I tend to get one-minded in my obsessions and we have a lot going on. I hope to be able to write about that in the near future. If you want, leave suggestions on things you are interested in reading about and I'll see if I have enough wisdom to write about it. Thanks!
Thursday, August 20, 2015
I Peter 3:1-2
This is my life verse:
You see, I was a rebellious 18 year old once. I was frustrated with the rules my parents had and searching for my place in the world. I met a boy, who defied all convention.....a wild one and I was smitten. 3 months later, he proposed and I said yes. 3 months after that we were married.
Sometime that first year of marriage, I realized something wasn't right. I don't remember being taught in church about being "unequally yoked". Rarely did fathers come to church...just some older men, younger boys. So I really didn't understand the full implication of what I had done.
We had a son. I muddled along. Fought depression constantly. My husband was doing lots of stuff that wasn't right, was far from right....some I knew about and some I probably should have known about.....but we had a son. I was stubborn. I didn't want him to grow up without his father. I didn't want to be a single mom.
While pregnant with our 2nd son, we got internet. A whole new world was opening up to me. I began researching homeschooling and learned about submission. At some point, while I was searching, a godly woman told me about I Peter 3:1-2.
I'm so grateful that she did. You see, so many people, even in the church, were telling me to leave. I didn't "deserve" to be married to a non-Christian, I "deserved" better. My son "deserved" better.
Staying was the hard choice but I clung to those verses. I prayed and prayed about God using me to impact Norman's life in some way. Somehow, Lord, use me!
Those years were rough. I endured anger and verbal abuse. I suffered from severe postpartum depression after the birth of our second son. Norman got a great job, that required him to work away from us 5 days a week. My "support system" wasn't always supportive. The depression segued into anxiety.
Some weeks were a nightmare. I won't lie. I didn't always know what to expect from my husband. However, the good days began to slowly outweigh the bad. He cleaned up his life, left that evil life behind. My husband began to focus more on his family. It was slow and some days I couldn't see a light at the end of my tunnel. I had to die to myself and realize that I might never see the fruits of my work here......maybe it would be my children or grandchildren. I spent hours on my knees in prayer. I sought godly counsel, privately, when situations arose that I couldn't emotionally deal with alone.
You see, in our culture, it is much more popular to throw in the towel. Sticking it out isn't the popular choice, even in the church. Women in difficult situations are encouraged the cut their losses and move on.
But is that really what God wants us to be doing?
Over the years, we've been put in a myriad of difficult situations. The lessons that God taught me so many years ago have helped me weed out the unbiblical advice and "cleave" to my husband through it all. Sometimes that meant taking sides. Sometimes against my family.
God designed marriage as a partnership. That partnership doesn't work unless both people are committed. Committed people don't consider leaving as an option. Just having that mindset changes the way a person deals with situations that arise. If you are committed to your marriage then you are forced to work things out. You are forced to learn conflict resolution. You have to forgive, forget and move on. Humility is learned; I didn't always have to be right. We learned to work together. We learned each other's strengths and weaknesses. We learned to appreciate our differences.
This took YEARS. It's not a quick process. I had to change ME, not him. God did the work in him (I will never take the credit for that).
Nowadays, my husband sits beside me in church. We pray together. We discuss the word of God.
I see God's hand in my marriage every day. I couldn't have stayed without God staying right there next to me the whole time. He gave me strength I didn't have. Just when I thought I couldn't do one more day, He was right there to comfort me.
We really don't fight now. I can truly say that we are one. We are a team, working together to mold our lives into God's will for us. We raise a family, together, with little in the way of outside support.
We still struggle, disagree and act in un-lovely ways toward each other. We are sinners, saved by grace. The worst might not be behind us, but God is with us. He's got this and we are committed to each other and to Him. May God have all the glory.
If you find yourself in an "unequally yoked" marriage and want to talk about it, I'm happy to spend some time with you. Leave me your email address in the comments and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. God wants to be glorified through your marriage, just like He is in mine!
I Peter 3:1-2
In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over by observing your pure and reverent lives. (NLT)
You see, I was a rebellious 18 year old once. I was frustrated with the rules my parents had and searching for my place in the world. I met a boy, who defied all convention.....a wild one and I was smitten. 3 months later, he proposed and I said yes. 3 months after that we were married.
Sometime that first year of marriage, I realized something wasn't right. I don't remember being taught in church about being "unequally yoked". Rarely did fathers come to church...just some older men, younger boys. So I really didn't understand the full implication of what I had done.
We had a son. I muddled along. Fought depression constantly. My husband was doing lots of stuff that wasn't right, was far from right....some I knew about and some I probably should have known about.....but we had a son. I was stubborn. I didn't want him to grow up without his father. I didn't want to be a single mom.
While pregnant with our 2nd son, we got internet. A whole new world was opening up to me. I began researching homeschooling and learned about submission. At some point, while I was searching, a godly woman told me about I Peter 3:1-2.
I'm so grateful that she did. You see, so many people, even in the church, were telling me to leave. I didn't "deserve" to be married to a non-Christian, I "deserved" better. My son "deserved" better.
Staying was the hard choice but I clung to those verses. I prayed and prayed about God using me to impact Norman's life in some way. Somehow, Lord, use me!
Those years were rough. I endured anger and verbal abuse. I suffered from severe postpartum depression after the birth of our second son. Norman got a great job, that required him to work away from us 5 days a week. My "support system" wasn't always supportive. The depression segued into anxiety.
Some weeks were a nightmare. I won't lie. I didn't always know what to expect from my husband. However, the good days began to slowly outweigh the bad. He cleaned up his life, left that evil life behind. My husband began to focus more on his family. It was slow and some days I couldn't see a light at the end of my tunnel. I had to die to myself and realize that I might never see the fruits of my work here......maybe it would be my children or grandchildren. I spent hours on my knees in prayer. I sought godly counsel, privately, when situations arose that I couldn't emotionally deal with alone.
You see, in our culture, it is much more popular to throw in the towel. Sticking it out isn't the popular choice, even in the church. Women in difficult situations are encouraged the cut their losses and move on.
But is that really what God wants us to be doing?
Over the years, we've been put in a myriad of difficult situations. The lessons that God taught me so many years ago have helped me weed out the unbiblical advice and "cleave" to my husband through it all. Sometimes that meant taking sides. Sometimes against my family.
God designed marriage as a partnership. That partnership doesn't work unless both people are committed. Committed people don't consider leaving as an option. Just having that mindset changes the way a person deals with situations that arise. If you are committed to your marriage then you are forced to work things out. You are forced to learn conflict resolution. You have to forgive, forget and move on. Humility is learned; I didn't always have to be right. We learned to work together. We learned each other's strengths and weaknesses. We learned to appreciate our differences.
This took YEARS. It's not a quick process. I had to change ME, not him. God did the work in him (I will never take the credit for that).
Nowadays, my husband sits beside me in church. We pray together. We discuss the word of God.
I see God's hand in my marriage every day. I couldn't have stayed without God staying right there next to me the whole time. He gave me strength I didn't have. Just when I thought I couldn't do one more day, He was right there to comfort me.
We really don't fight now. I can truly say that we are one. We are a team, working together to mold our lives into God's will for us. We raise a family, together, with little in the way of outside support.
We still struggle, disagree and act in un-lovely ways toward each other. We are sinners, saved by grace. The worst might not be behind us, but God is with us. He's got this and we are committed to each other and to Him. May God have all the glory.
If you find yourself in an "unequally yoked" marriage and want to talk about it, I'm happy to spend some time with you. Leave me your email address in the comments and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. God wants to be glorified through your marriage, just like He is in mine!
I Removed Facebook From My Phone - Day 1
This would fall under the "keeping it real" blog post label (If there was one).
Anyway, if you follow me on facebook you know that I TRY really, really hard to do 2 things there.
1. don't complain
2. keep it real
It's very hard to express difficulties that you face without complaining. We don't ever want people to feel sorry for us, we aren't throwing a pity party. So overall, we trying to mentally evaluate what we post on facebook....therefore, people tend to think that our life is all sunshine and flowers. ***Note: life and your attitude towards it are what you choose to make of it....you can find things to be grateful for in the middle of the most trying times, or you can wallow in your pity party. Your choice.***
Our life is not all sunshine and flowers. If you are very close to us (I would say I have maybe 2 girlfriends that are close enough, my mom and most of our church family) you know what struggles we are facing. That's generally because these are people who want to be involved in our lives. They send messages throughout the day asking how I am, send cards, stop their busy lives to chat. We share trials and concerns and joys. That's what friends and family do. I've heard that some people have lots of these types of people around....I'm glad that is the case for you, but we just have a very special few. We are very, very grateful for those people. I doubt that they will every know how grateful we are.
Moving on, drama invaded our facebook lives this past week. I'm not getting into it here. I'm told that the situation has been resolved (and by resolved, I mean blame has been placed) so we are letting it go. My very wise older children have admonished me to quit getting into other people's drama. And you know what, they are right (please don't tell them). It isn't my job to straighten people out. They have their own lives to live and mistakes to make, just like me. I might think that saving them from themselves is helping but it doesn't. We all have to learn somehow. I never realized how much time I had spent on facebook "encouraging" people who were complaining. It was a realization when someone pointed out that they weren't posting because they really wanted advice, or assistance....they were posting because they wanted people to feel sorry for them.
In the middle of this drama this week I realized that my blood pressure was high, I was drinking way too much coffee, checking facebook way too often (had to see if we were being trashed again) and not getting a thing done.
We have lives too. I am helping organize our community soccer team (paperwork, phone calls, meetings, emails, facebook posts, schedules), I am coaching 2 teams and helping with a 3rd. Our 2nd oldest son plays high school soccer so we have that schedule to try and work around (it's not working, I'm going to miss several of his games), my husband is working lots of overtime because we are buying a house (and we can either work and save for that or wait on the money fairy to bring us some cash) and he is dealing with issues at work. Son #1 is starting college and entering the workforce full time, Son #2 had an accident this summer that required surgery and after-treatment, my great-aunt passed away, Bear and Abby need educated. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Am I complaining? No.
Life brings bumps in the road and you deal with them. If you are very lucky, you deal with them with a support system around you. People who understand that you are dealing with a lot and deserve the grace extended that they expect you to extend to them. We have been very fortunate to learn who our real "peeps" are. And if you are reading this, you know who you are and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
With that said, facebook doesn't promote that kind of community. It promotes complaining and drama and snippets of life involvement. You see, I believed that I needed facebook for adult interaction. I learned that you probably aren't going to find adult interaction on facebook. You find that in real life. With real people who know your struggles and share theirs with you.
I mentioned to someone yesterday that we are an island unto ourselves and I still feel that is true. My little family of 6 takes care of itself. We are very blessed to have other islands build bridges toward us and let us build bridges towards them. That's what true relationships are about.
So I've removed facebook from my phone. I will still check it occasionally as I like to see pictures of family far away. I was worried I would "miss" something, but in reality, if they want to be part of our lives they will text or call or shoot me a message (because our current house has no cell signal). I know I text the people that I love occasionally and others can to. I'm going to focus on my real relationships rather than the facebook ones.
Love ya!
Anyway, if you follow me on facebook you know that I TRY really, really hard to do 2 things there.
1. don't complain
2. keep it real
It's very hard to express difficulties that you face without complaining. We don't ever want people to feel sorry for us, we aren't throwing a pity party. So overall, we trying to mentally evaluate what we post on facebook....therefore, people tend to think that our life is all sunshine and flowers. ***Note: life and your attitude towards it are what you choose to make of it....you can find things to be grateful for in the middle of the most trying times, or you can wallow in your pity party. Your choice.***
Our life is not all sunshine and flowers. If you are very close to us (I would say I have maybe 2 girlfriends that are close enough, my mom and most of our church family) you know what struggles we are facing. That's generally because these are people who want to be involved in our lives. They send messages throughout the day asking how I am, send cards, stop their busy lives to chat. We share trials and concerns and joys. That's what friends and family do. I've heard that some people have lots of these types of people around....I'm glad that is the case for you, but we just have a very special few. We are very, very grateful for those people. I doubt that they will every know how grateful we are.
Moving on, drama invaded our facebook lives this past week. I'm not getting into it here. I'm told that the situation has been resolved (and by resolved, I mean blame has been placed) so we are letting it go. My very wise older children have admonished me to quit getting into other people's drama. And you know what, they are right (please don't tell them). It isn't my job to straighten people out. They have their own lives to live and mistakes to make, just like me. I might think that saving them from themselves is helping but it doesn't. We all have to learn somehow. I never realized how much time I had spent on facebook "encouraging" people who were complaining. It was a realization when someone pointed out that they weren't posting because they really wanted advice, or assistance....they were posting because they wanted people to feel sorry for them.
In the middle of this drama this week I realized that my blood pressure was high, I was drinking way too much coffee, checking facebook way too often (had to see if we were being trashed again) and not getting a thing done.
We have lives too. I am helping organize our community soccer team (paperwork, phone calls, meetings, emails, facebook posts, schedules), I am coaching 2 teams and helping with a 3rd. Our 2nd oldest son plays high school soccer so we have that schedule to try and work around (it's not working, I'm going to miss several of his games), my husband is working lots of overtime because we are buying a house (and we can either work and save for that or wait on the money fairy to bring us some cash) and he is dealing with issues at work. Son #1 is starting college and entering the workforce full time, Son #2 had an accident this summer that required surgery and after-treatment, my great-aunt passed away, Bear and Abby need educated. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Am I complaining? No.
Life brings bumps in the road and you deal with them. If you are very lucky, you deal with them with a support system around you. People who understand that you are dealing with a lot and deserve the grace extended that they expect you to extend to them. We have been very fortunate to learn who our real "peeps" are. And if you are reading this, you know who you are and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
With that said, facebook doesn't promote that kind of community. It promotes complaining and drama and snippets of life involvement. You see, I believed that I needed facebook for adult interaction. I learned that you probably aren't going to find adult interaction on facebook. You find that in real life. With real people who know your struggles and share theirs with you.
I mentioned to someone yesterday that we are an island unto ourselves and I still feel that is true. My little family of 6 takes care of itself. We are very blessed to have other islands build bridges toward us and let us build bridges towards them. That's what true relationships are about.
So I've removed facebook from my phone. I will still check it occasionally as I like to see pictures of family far away. I was worried I would "miss" something, but in reality, if they want to be part of our lives they will text or call or shoot me a message (because our current house has no cell signal). I know I text the people that I love occasionally and others can to. I'm going to focus on my real relationships rather than the facebook ones.
Love ya!
Monday, July 20, 2015
(Last) Week in our Homestead Kitchen
Good evening!
I had every intention of doing this post Saturday but then my wonderful husband took us out to supper and then it was Sunday :) Life just gets in the way sometimes. So this is last week's kitchen edition.
This week the star of my homestead kitchen was zucchini!
"
I had every intention of doing this post Saturday but then my wonderful husband took us out to supper and then it was Sunday :) Life just gets in the way sometimes. So this is last week's kitchen edition.
This week the star of my homestead kitchen was zucchini!
"
"Plain" Zucchini Bread
From the Amish-Country Cookbook Vol.3
2 c. sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 c. oil
2 c. flour
1/4 t baking soda
1 t. salt
1 c. quick oats (regular work just as well)
2 c. zucchini grated (skins on or off, doesn't matter)
1 t. vanilla
Cream sugar, eggs and oil. Add dry ingredients, quick oats, zucchini and vanilla. Grease pans. Bake at 350 degrees an hour or longer. This recipe makes 2 big loaves or 8 mini loaves or a combination of the two.
Chocolate Zucchini Bread
taken from the Taste of Home website
2 c. sugar
1 c. oil
3 eggs
3 t. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. baking cocoa
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. baking powder
2 c. shredded zucchini (again peeled or not)
Mix wet and dry ingredients, combine. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 mins. Makes 2 big loaves or 8 mini loaves.
Now, this is the trifecta of cleverness....
Zucchini Jam
recipe taken from All Recipes dot com
6 c peeled, shredded zucchini
6 c sugar
1 (16 or 20 oz) crushed pineapple, undrained
2 T lemon juice
1 (6 oz) box gelatin (ANY flavor - I've got orange on the left, cherry on the right)
Peel zucchini, remove seeds and shred. In a large pot add zucchini. Cook on low till it comes to a boil stirring often. It should take 20 mins. Boil for 10 mins. while stirring. Add lemon juice, sugar and pineapple. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 10 more minutes. Remove from heat, add gelatin....stir for 1 min. Ladle into jar - water bath to seal. Water bath 1/2 pints for 5 mins., pints for 10 mins. Makes 11 1/2 pint jars.
I can't express how good this jam is. I really can't. It is a great use of zucchini and is clamored over in Christmas gift baskets. I use this the most making jam bars....and NOBODY ever knows that it has zucchini in it. I promise.
Also, the zucchini bread freezes VERY WELL. I make the mini loaves, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze. I give one to my husband on his way to work and it is the perfect snack. They are just as good as they were fresh!
I'm going to try to keep track of "signature" meals I make so that I can share them also. Many of them are quick, easy and feed a crowd. Since I haven't been keeping track well yet, I only have one to share:
Creamy Chicken
Place chicken breasts in crockpot or oven safe dish. Top with cream of chicken soup, dried onions, powdered garlic and dried parsley. Cook all day or a few hours in the oven. Serve over rice, noodles or mashed potatoes. My picky eater even loves it.
Have a great evening!!!!!
Friday, July 17, 2015
Knitting Projects - July 2015 Edition
I hope to make this a regular feature....maybe twice a month, to "show off" the things that I've been making. I do sew and knit for customers, so I won't share anything that I don't have permission to share, but today it's all about me :)
First up we have:
This is called the Lace Stripe Shawl. I started this in December, put it away in January, then drug it back out in May. It's a triangle shawl, starting at the bottom and working up. I want it big enough to wrap up in so I'm to the point now that each row takes 15 minutes. Let's just say that progress has bogged down a bit. LOL Anyway, the yarn is called Sugar Soft 3, a 3 ply sport weight yarn.....I got a huge bag of it given to me at some point.....the label appears to be from the 70's or early 80's. Nonetheless, the color is beautiful....a reddish burgandy. I love it a lot and hope to finish it before fall.
Next up we have:
The almost done ribbing of the Impossible Girl Socks. I try to always have socks OTN (on the needles)....I enjoy wearing them in the winter and they are very portable. The yarn is gorgeous....the picture doesn't do it justice....but I can't find the lable....I know it was from Knit Picks. I love buying yarn from them....it is affordable and just wonderful!
Last but not least:
The Tilting Tardis Cowl. If you haven't figured it out....I'm a Dr. Who addict. I just finished watching Season 8 and am very sad that I have to wait like everyone else for season 9. (The socks above are a nod to Clara in season 7/8 of Doctor Who). Anyway, the yarn is from Nerd Girl Yarns. I was part of the spring Doctor Who Yarn and Fiber Club. It was wonderful! This colorway is For the glory of the Sontaran Empire.....the yarn is Conspiracy fingering weight. Again, absolutely wonderful. It's yarn like this that makes me a yarn snob.
There is another shawl on needles somewhere around here....If I get the lace stripes done I'll get it out and see about finishing it up....BECAUSE I have yarn and patterns for at least 2 more shawls. I might be an addict. Also, all the patterns that you see here can be found at Ravelry unless otherwise specified...and most of the time they are free or inexpensive, because I'm cheap. Unless it's yarn....then I break the bank.
Norman is working overtime on his day off so I'll knit after chores and supper, which is getting ready to happen as soon as I post this. Then I'm going to knock out a few rows of the shawl and then work on the cowl......I'm pondering custom made buttons for the cowl.....it's very exciting. I'll share again in a few weeks....hopefully I'll have some finished projects!
First up we have:
Next up we have:
Last but not least:
There is another shawl on needles somewhere around here....If I get the lace stripes done I'll get it out and see about finishing it up....BECAUSE I have yarn and patterns for at least 2 more shawls. I might be an addict. Also, all the patterns that you see here can be found at Ravelry unless otherwise specified...and most of the time they are free or inexpensive, because I'm cheap. Unless it's yarn....then I break the bank.
Norman is working overtime on his day off so I'll knit after chores and supper, which is getting ready to happen as soon as I post this. Then I'm going to knock out a few rows of the shawl and then work on the cowl......I'm pondering custom made buttons for the cowl.....it's very exciting. I'll share again in a few weeks....hopefully I'll have some finished projects!
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Joy - Part 1
Joy: a feeling of great pleasure and happiness (noun)
rejoice (verb)
Deuteronomy 28: 47-48a
If you do not serve the Lord your God WITH JOY AND ENTHUSIASM for the abundant benefits you have received, you will serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you.
That's some tough stuff right there. If we aren't serving God, with joy, we are serving our enemies. Well I, for one, don't want to be serving the prince of darkness or anyone else that he has sent to trip me up. I want to serve God and I want to do it with JOY.
Can you think of things that give you joy?
Let's come up with some joy stealers:
Defeated
Angry
Bitter
None of us want to live lives like that. The thing is that your problems don't have to be resolved themselves for you to choose joy. In the midst of all your troubles, you can choose to remain joyful....but its a choice you have to make....every hour of every day. I'm NOT going to say that it will be easy. It's not. Good things in life rarely are.
Your assignment for the next 2 weeks is to study up on what the Bible says on Joy. I'm not going to list all the verses in Psalm that joy is mentioned - there were a lot when I searched on my Bible Gateway app. In Proverbs check out 2:10, 3:13, 8:32 and 34, 10:1, 11:10, 12:20, 13:9, 14:10, 15:20-21 and 30, 16:20, 17:21, 21:15, 23:24-25, 29:3, 6 and 18
That should keep you busy. APPLY THE VERSES TO YOUR LIFE!!!! Reading/studying the Bible does absolutely no good if you aren't willing to apply what you learn to your daily life.
I'll leave you with this though:
Galatians 5:22-23
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, JOY, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. There is no law against these things!
If you have the Holy Spirit in your life then you CAN have joy!!!! If you have no idea what I'm talking about but want to, please leave me a comment.....I would love to talk to you!
rejoice (verb)
Deuteronomy 28: 47-48a
If you do not serve the Lord your God WITH JOY AND ENTHUSIASM for the abundant benefits you have received, you will serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you.
That's some tough stuff right there. If we aren't serving God, with joy, we are serving our enemies. Well I, for one, don't want to be serving the prince of darkness or anyone else that he has sent to trip me up. I want to serve God and I want to do it with JOY.
Can you think of things that give you joy?
- sunshine after the rain
- snuggling a new baby
- coffee with a friend
- flowers blooming
- a job well done
Let's come up with some joy stealers:
- exhaustion
- clutter
- illness (you or someone you care for)
- extremely full schedule
- jealousy - discontent
- loneliness
- family problems
- financial problems
- keep trying
- praise God
- hold on to hope
- love others and yourself
- give grace
Defeated
Angry
Bitter
None of us want to live lives like that. The thing is that your problems don't have to be resolved themselves for you to choose joy. In the midst of all your troubles, you can choose to remain joyful....but its a choice you have to make....every hour of every day. I'm NOT going to say that it will be easy. It's not. Good things in life rarely are.
Your assignment for the next 2 weeks is to study up on what the Bible says on Joy. I'm not going to list all the verses in Psalm that joy is mentioned - there were a lot when I searched on my Bible Gateway app. In Proverbs check out 2:10, 3:13, 8:32 and 34, 10:1, 11:10, 12:20, 13:9, 14:10, 15:20-21 and 30, 16:20, 17:21, 21:15, 23:24-25, 29:3, 6 and 18
That should keep you busy. APPLY THE VERSES TO YOUR LIFE!!!! Reading/studying the Bible does absolutely no good if you aren't willing to apply what you learn to your daily life.
I'll leave you with this though:
Galatians 5:22-23
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, JOY, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. There is no law against these things!
If you have the Holy Spirit in your life then you CAN have joy!!!! If you have no idea what I'm talking about but want to, please leave me a comment.....I would love to talk to you!
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Life on the Homestead - July 2015 edition
Good morning!
I love blogging after my morning chores are done! It inspires me to DO them :) Do any of the rest of you have trouble with that? My husband has been working long hours and so most animal care has fallen to me. Since that HAS to be done, I've been feeling lazy about the housework. Last week was a wash because of some emergency medical problems that took the most of 2 days, but I am feeling back on track this week.
In the House:
It's hot. Finally. I refuse to complain because I HATE cold and it has been very cool and wet so far....let's face it, it's the middle of July....it's supposed to be hot. We finally turned on the downstairs AC so we can get some relief. I'm very grateful for it, but I dread the higher electric bills. I'm choosing to look on the bright-side of things though. Today, my household chores included washing the inside of the windows. I schedule this every 3 months and don't really like to do it. But it's done. I have 3 small loads of laundry on the clothesline and most of yesterday's dishes are done. I really need to get in the habit of washing dishes after supper but I find it difficult to motivate myself. It would make the mornings go nicer, I know.
I need to make laundry soap but I took the lazy way out and bought some Tide. I haven't bought store laundry soap in over a year and forgot how good Tide smells. lol I wish it didn't cost so much (and so little to make my own).
Lawn and Garden:
The water and cool weather has taken its toll on the garden. We got things planted late (because that's how we roll) and we lost most of our peppers to the incessant rain. I'm not sure how good the tomatoes and beans are going to do. The weeds have taken over and it is hard to get caught up. We do have zucchini and cucumbers though.
I harvested some basil this morning and put it on a drying rack. I've been using it fresh but decided I needed to get my butt in gear and get some dried. Abby and I also harvested some comfrey leaves that went on a rack. After they dry I am going to try making some comfrey salve for muscles aches and pains. Please share any recipes you have! I have found several that called for plantain, which I don't have, but I did find one that didn't so that will probably be the one I use. I've got to get some beeswax on shopping day.
Today I'll mow. Mowing our yard takes 5-6 hours total. I think I'm going to cap myself out at 4 hours today because of the heat and finish tomorrow evening. We will see how it goes.
Barn and Henhouse:
We had 3 momma hens hatch chicks this year, along with a guinea and a turkey hen. The turkey chick is still getting along well but we lost all the guinea chicks during a storm. The 3 momma hens have 1, 2 and 12 chicks respectively. I'll try to get some pictures loaded here. They are all adorable and live out in the cow barns.
The hens that are old enough to lay seem to have went on strike. We were getting 3 dozen eggs a day but now we are down to about a dozen. Not cool at all. I'm assuming it is either the introduction of the "teenage" chickens that we hatched out this spring to the flock or the cold/wet/very hot weather swings we've been having. Those 2 things happened about the same time so its hard to tell.
Speaking of cows.....our 4 steers are getting along nicely. Actually, only 1 is ours, the other 4 belong to the landlord, but since I do daily care for all 4 I call them mine. Now that we have had herefords and black angus I will agree that herefords are nicer to raise. They are just friendlier. The 2 black angus are onery. We will see if there is a difference in the meat taste and then decide if we will raise black angus again. I've heard rumors that we will bale hay again next week. The first baling didn't turn out great, but gosh, I dread that job. I am not strong enough to throw bales of hay. lol
We just got 4 piglets this week. I don't like pigs. The last batch caused me nothing but trouble and I still haven't decided if the trouble was worth the meat. We will see.
I think that's about it here, for now anyway. I'm going to post this up and then round up some lunch. I've got a hank of yarn I choose for a project yesterday that "threw up" into a big tangled mess while I was trying to wind it.....I need to finish untangling it so I can start on that project.....I only have 2 shawls and 1 pair of socks on needles so definately need more (note sarcasm).....I just can't help myself.
Have a great day!
I love blogging after my morning chores are done! It inspires me to DO them :) Do any of the rest of you have trouble with that? My husband has been working long hours and so most animal care has fallen to me. Since that HAS to be done, I've been feeling lazy about the housework. Last week was a wash because of some emergency medical problems that took the most of 2 days, but I am feeling back on track this week.
In the House:
It's hot. Finally. I refuse to complain because I HATE cold and it has been very cool and wet so far....let's face it, it's the middle of July....it's supposed to be hot. We finally turned on the downstairs AC so we can get some relief. I'm very grateful for it, but I dread the higher electric bills. I'm choosing to look on the bright-side of things though. Today, my household chores included washing the inside of the windows. I schedule this every 3 months and don't really like to do it. But it's done. I have 3 small loads of laundry on the clothesline and most of yesterday's dishes are done. I really need to get in the habit of washing dishes after supper but I find it difficult to motivate myself. It would make the mornings go nicer, I know.
I need to make laundry soap but I took the lazy way out and bought some Tide. I haven't bought store laundry soap in over a year and forgot how good Tide smells. lol I wish it didn't cost so much (and so little to make my own).
Lawn and Garden:
The water and cool weather has taken its toll on the garden. We got things planted late (because that's how we roll) and we lost most of our peppers to the incessant rain. I'm not sure how good the tomatoes and beans are going to do. The weeds have taken over and it is hard to get caught up. We do have zucchini and cucumbers though.
I harvested some basil this morning and put it on a drying rack. I've been using it fresh but decided I needed to get my butt in gear and get some dried. Abby and I also harvested some comfrey leaves that went on a rack. After they dry I am going to try making some comfrey salve for muscles aches and pains. Please share any recipes you have! I have found several that called for plantain, which I don't have, but I did find one that didn't so that will probably be the one I use. I've got to get some beeswax on shopping day.
Today I'll mow. Mowing our yard takes 5-6 hours total. I think I'm going to cap myself out at 4 hours today because of the heat and finish tomorrow evening. We will see how it goes.
Barn and Henhouse:
We had 3 momma hens hatch chicks this year, along with a guinea and a turkey hen. The turkey chick is still getting along well but we lost all the guinea chicks during a storm. The 3 momma hens have 1, 2 and 12 chicks respectively. I'll try to get some pictures loaded here. They are all adorable and live out in the cow barns.
The hens that are old enough to lay seem to have went on strike. We were getting 3 dozen eggs a day but now we are down to about a dozen. Not cool at all. I'm assuming it is either the introduction of the "teenage" chickens that we hatched out this spring to the flock or the cold/wet/very hot weather swings we've been having. Those 2 things happened about the same time so its hard to tell.
Speaking of cows.....our 4 steers are getting along nicely. Actually, only 1 is ours, the other 4 belong to the landlord, but since I do daily care for all 4 I call them mine. Now that we have had herefords and black angus I will agree that herefords are nicer to raise. They are just friendlier. The 2 black angus are onery. We will see if there is a difference in the meat taste and then decide if we will raise black angus again. I've heard rumors that we will bale hay again next week. The first baling didn't turn out great, but gosh, I dread that job. I am not strong enough to throw bales of hay. lol
We just got 4 piglets this week. I don't like pigs. The last batch caused me nothing but trouble and I still haven't decided if the trouble was worth the meat. We will see.
I think that's about it here, for now anyway. I'm going to post this up and then round up some lunch. I've got a hank of yarn I choose for a project yesterday that "threw up" into a big tangled mess while I was trying to wind it.....I need to finish untangling it so I can start on that project.....I only have 2 shawls and 1 pair of socks on needles so definately need more (note sarcasm).....I just can't help myself.
Have a great day!
Monday, July 13, 2015
6 Month Fitness Goal Checkin
Good Morning!
It is a glorious morning of sunshine and breeze an I'm grateful to have it even if we are under a heat advisory.
In January 2015, my wonderful husband and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary. Without going into great detail about our wedding, we didn't have a honeymoon. There was no money for that. In the last 19 years we have gotten away a few times, alone, but nothing big or fantastic. So, for our 19th wedding anniversary my husband surprised me with a trip to our travel agent (up to this time we didn't have a travel agent, but we do now!) and we choose and booked a 7 day Caribbean cruise for February 2016 - our 20th wedding anniversary.
To say that I was/am excited is the understatement of the century. I am over the moon excited.
But.....
In January 2015 I weighed 223 lbs. I have been overweight my whole entire adult life. I hadn't seen the underside of 200 since before Lee was born. Almost 18 years ago.
I. Was. Not. Going. On. A. Cruise. Fat.
I said it.
I'm not judging you if you have been on a cruise and are overweight. I have no doubt that I would/will have a fantastic time no matter what I weigh. However, this was a big deal, and the thing that made me decide that I needed to live my life to the fullest and I wasn't going to be able to do that fat.
So, in January 2015 I weighted 223 lbs. My husband was also overweight by 30 lbs so we put a MyFitnessPal app on our fancy smart phones and got to work tracking calories. And the weight started sliding off. Slowly, but steadily.
In March I installed a free C25K app on my phone and after staring at it for a few weeks, I started using it.
I now have several fitness apps on my phone (SworkIt, Map my Run) and they keep the working out interesting and motivating. I listen to music or audio books.
I started running with regular headphones and whatever cheap tennis shoes I had laying around but for my birthday my oldest sons bought me a bluetooth headset for music and my husband bought me a very nice pair or running shoes. I treated myself to some nice workout clothes and went to my first SpinCycle class last week.
So here are my stats thus far:
Pounds lost: From January 2015 I have lost 31 lbs (current weight 191) but at my highest weight I was 240 lbs so from there I've lost 49 lbs.
Exercise achievements: I ran my first 5K on July 4th 2015 :) I have moved up to 5 lb weights on my upper body workouts and I attended my first Spin Cycle class (loved it)
Clothing: I've went from a size 22 to a size 16. A xxl to a xl or large depending on the item. I own 2 pairs of capris that are a size 14 :)
My cruise-goal-weight is 180 lbs. I'm short. 5'2" So 180 is still very overweight. But if I can drop those last 11 lbs before February 2016 I will be beyond thrilled.
Depending on where I look, my goal weight for my height should be between 120-140 lbs. I weighed around 140 when I graduated high school so I will be so happy with that. Honestly, I feel like I've turned the clock back. I'm so proud of myself for getting under 200....something that I NEVER thought would happen. Everything else is just icing on the cake.
PS Norman hit his goal weight a few weeks ago so he is good to go....and he ran the 5K with me July 4th. He gave up soda and is eating veggies. I'm so proud of him!
It is a glorious morning of sunshine and breeze an I'm grateful to have it even if we are under a heat advisory.
In January 2015, my wonderful husband and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary. Without going into great detail about our wedding, we didn't have a honeymoon. There was no money for that. In the last 19 years we have gotten away a few times, alone, but nothing big or fantastic. So, for our 19th wedding anniversary my husband surprised me with a trip to our travel agent (up to this time we didn't have a travel agent, but we do now!) and we choose and booked a 7 day Caribbean cruise for February 2016 - our 20th wedding anniversary.
To say that I was/am excited is the understatement of the century. I am over the moon excited.
But.....
In January 2015 I weighed 223 lbs. I have been overweight my whole entire adult life. I hadn't seen the underside of 200 since before Lee was born. Almost 18 years ago.
I. Was. Not. Going. On. A. Cruise. Fat.
I said it.
I'm not judging you if you have been on a cruise and are overweight. I have no doubt that I would/will have a fantastic time no matter what I weigh. However, this was a big deal, and the thing that made me decide that I needed to live my life to the fullest and I wasn't going to be able to do that fat.
So, in January 2015 I weighted 223 lbs. My husband was also overweight by 30 lbs so we put a MyFitnessPal app on our fancy smart phones and got to work tracking calories. And the weight started sliding off. Slowly, but steadily.
In March I installed a free C25K app on my phone and after staring at it for a few weeks, I started using it.
I now have several fitness apps on my phone (SworkIt, Map my Run) and they keep the working out interesting and motivating. I listen to music or audio books.
I started running with regular headphones and whatever cheap tennis shoes I had laying around but for my birthday my oldest sons bought me a bluetooth headset for music and my husband bought me a very nice pair or running shoes. I treated myself to some nice workout clothes and went to my first SpinCycle class last week.
So here are my stats thus far:
Pounds lost: From January 2015 I have lost 31 lbs (current weight 191) but at my highest weight I was 240 lbs so from there I've lost 49 lbs.
Exercise achievements: I ran my first 5K on July 4th 2015 :) I have moved up to 5 lb weights on my upper body workouts and I attended my first Spin Cycle class (loved it)
Clothing: I've went from a size 22 to a size 16. A xxl to a xl or large depending on the item. I own 2 pairs of capris that are a size 14 :)
My cruise-goal-weight is 180 lbs. I'm short. 5'2" So 180 is still very overweight. But if I can drop those last 11 lbs before February 2016 I will be beyond thrilled.
Depending on where I look, my goal weight for my height should be between 120-140 lbs. I weighed around 140 when I graduated high school so I will be so happy with that. Honestly, I feel like I've turned the clock back. I'm so proud of myself for getting under 200....something that I NEVER thought would happen. Everything else is just icing on the cake.
PS Norman hit his goal weight a few weeks ago so he is good to go....and he ran the 5K with me July 4th. He gave up soda and is eating veggies. I'm so proud of him!
Thursday, May 21, 2015
I'm Back
I've got some blog post ideas floating around, but right now just want to take a minute and thank my mom for gifting me this computer. It was a little buggy but seems to be working at least for now. I can blog again!!!! I hope to update regularly :)
What's new with us you ask?
1. Abby turned 5. My baby isn't a baby anymore. That's very sad but I'm trying to be brave.
2. Greg tried out for and was accepted onto a club soccer team out of Charleston, IL. The season is almost over but I think he has learned a lot.
3. Lee graduated high school. If I didn't feel old on Abby's birthday, this finished me off. We are so very, very proud of him and look forward to what adventures he decides to pursue in the future.
4. Lest I leave him out, Bear is...........Bear :) He has learned to ride his bike without training wheels and has become a fairly proficient reader.
I'll post again later, tonight or tomorrow so stay tuned :)
What's new with us you ask?
1. Abby turned 5. My baby isn't a baby anymore. That's very sad but I'm trying to be brave.
2. Greg tried out for and was accepted onto a club soccer team out of Charleston, IL. The season is almost over but I think he has learned a lot.
3. Lee graduated high school. If I didn't feel old on Abby's birthday, this finished me off. We are so very, very proud of him and look forward to what adventures he decides to pursue in the future.
4. Lest I leave him out, Bear is...........Bear :) He has learned to ride his bike without training wheels and has become a fairly proficient reader.
I'll post again later, tonight or tomorrow so stay tuned :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)