You Want an Outhouse?! ~ Morning Sunrise

 "What?" exclaimed the kids!  "Why would you want an outhouse?!

For about the last four years, I've been telling the family it would be nice to have an outhouse.  

Well, we found out we have a leak under the house, under the kitchen bathroom.  This is part of the old farm house, and who ever put in the new parts (before we moved in), did a terrible job, according to Hubby.  


I also found out there is only about 1 1/2 feet or less, deep of a "crawl space" and we cannot go under the house.  I guess back in the 30's or 40's they didn't think that someday those pipes may not hold, and someone would need to crawl under there.

We had to cut a hole in the bathroom floor.

First the toilet was removed.  The seal was good.  The guys moved it out to the side porch.  In the photo above, the toilet is next to the wall, and on the other side of hubby is the stand up shower (that small).  Then the wood laminate flooring was removed.

Once the toilet was removed, they cut a hole in the floor (in the photo it's just below the flashlight).  The sink is 1/2 the size of most bathroom sinks, and is directly across from the toilet.  Due to space issues, hubby's legs are out the bathroom door - ha ha!

Then they cut the hole bigger.  I was in my room, shaking my head, thinking of what this will require - cash, parts, and new flooring.  Maybe a new toilet.  We already have to replace the shower, and dry wall, but lack the funds for that.  

While parts are purchased and re-installed, we closed the bathroom door for the night.  There is no fan, window, nor heater in this bathroom.  The people prior to us, simply tried to update the original bathroom the house had.  They installed the cheapest stand-up shower they could, and the smallest vanity they could.  We have had several under-the-sink leaks over the last 4 years too.
  
For now......6 of us will be sharing one bathroom.  Hubby is back to work today, so this project may take a while.  Let the fight for the bathroom begin....

 On a good note, here is this morning's sunrise.  It's not great photo, as I was on the porch in my jammies and it was freezing out.  Not to mention the on-going traffic wondering what I was doing. I'm glad they have something to talk about today. Ha ha ha! 

Bean Baking Day ~ Hubby Gets A Flat

Today is a bean baking day.  I have two crock pots going - one with 2 lbs. of black beans, and one with 2 lbs. of kidney beans.  These will be frozen and used for meals to cut the cost (and unhealthy ingredients) in canned beans. 

Last night was a short night for sleep for three of us - hubby, me and my son. 

He called at 12:40am, and said he had a flat tire on the highway, just outside of his work.  He works about 1 hour from home.  

My son and I drove up, bringing a jack and tire.  However, the jack was not strong enough for his Explorer.  Luckily, Meijer was open at that hour, and we had to buy a new jack.  Once the tire was on, they needed to put air in it (something he didn't think to ask me to do before we left home).  Luckily, he has an air compressor in his vehicle. 

We made it home about 3:00am, and I woke up with major allergy/sinus issues.  I could not see from one eye, and used my lavender eye pillow that I keep in my freezer.  When that didn't work, I had to resort to eye drops for allergies.

I think there will be three of us taking a nap today.   Hubby took a personal day, as he would have only had 3 hours of sleep to go to work today.  

All the kids are home today - school conference days.  

A Writer's Muse ~ Winter Work

The girls fight over who gets my "bling" rings when I'm done writing in November.....I'm off to paint my fingernails. 

Then it's off to the store to restock my "snackages" - dark hot cocoa, deluxe mixed nuts, specialty teas, and of course bubble gum.

Snackages - a word mother use to describe their hidden stash of snacks they don't want to share with their kids, husband or pets, to keep their sanity while taking care of the family and herself.

Year round, our work duties change, and our routines change.  The kids and I started the day (and hubby too) with splitting the last of the wood we had in the barn, and stacking it on the front porch.

Yesterday, my wonderful, younger brother, brought me a load of wood.  He not only did that, but he took care of the brush and mess where he got the wood (he had to take all of it).  He not only did that, but loaded into his nice truck. 

We helped unload, and I gifted him some farm fresh eggs.  I wish I could have given more, but the cool air is slowing down the chickens already.  I hope that my home sprouted beans will keep the eggs coming in this winter.

And that's not all.  He put up with my younger two girls, who love to pick on him and he pick on them.

Our truck is still broke down, so we are very thankful for his help.  Hubby has been working overtime again, and sometimes getting home at midnight, and going back at 6:30am the next day.  Yesterday he worked 2nd shift and is back to work all day long today, possibly until midnight.  It makes it tough on getting repairs and work accomplished. 

I don't have farmgirls close by, that have the knowledge, or the time, to put up goat stalls, fix vehicles, nor fix a possible water leak under the house.  The water pump has been kicking on and off when it should not be. 

Hubby did replace all the parts in the toilet tank, but the pump continues to kick on.  We have no crawl space to get under the old part of the farm house.  We will have to dig out a hole, use a very good flash light, and see if we can spot any leaky pipes.  Not what we wanted to deal with.  We can't afford a bug infestation down there (due to water sitting) and we can't afford to burn up our pump either.

So, when my son gets up, we will see what we can do on our own today.

Then, it's back to writing.  With all the work yesterday, I did not write at all.

I may need to drive out for wood pellets too.  We are down to one bag, and burning on #1, it will last about 32 hours or so.  This year they are $3.99/bag.  Stores like Meijer and Wal-mart here are selling them from $4.50 to $5.00/bag.  Ever year the price goes up, but it's still less expensive than our electric heat.

Yesterday was a good day for drying laundry outside also.  The sun was out, and wind was just enough to dry everything.  And the smell?  Intoxicating.  I love the smell of my laundry after it's dried outside.  It's invigorating and soothing, both at the same time.  

  

Christmas Count Down

I love Christmas time.  I love to make ornaments.  I love to bake and cook.  I love that I have time to read this time of year.  I borrowed this book from the library (interloan).  I love this book.  It not only has lots of recipes, but tips on each page for frugal gift ideas, or jazzing up a home baked gift, or fun homemade holiday decor.  

 As a child, my sisters and I would cut pieces of paper, write numbers on each one, and punch them with a hole punch.  We'd then tie the numbers with yarn and tape the countdown to our headboard on our beds.  We'd look forward to ripping off those papers each day, as Christmas got closer.  Of course as a child, we'd relish the day for opening gifts.  Today, I embrace the real reason for Christmas, but still have the opportunity to watch the kids with anticipation.

I saw this fun activity in the book, and thought it would be fun for adults to make for themselves, for adult friends, or kids.

So, who will you make one for? 

Mug Rug for the Football Fanatic ~ Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

The pattern is really for a place-mat, but I call it a mug/snack rug for a football fan.  I just finished one for a Christmas present for hubby.  These look pretty nice when they are finished.

The pattern can be found at

Applesauce Chicken Dinner

(Applesauce chicken cooking in the crockpot)

Hubby and I are officially back to the gym.  The means frugal and easy meals, that are also healthy.  Although pioneers didn't have crockpots, this meal is very self-sufficient.  It could easily be cooked over a fire using cast iron pans too.

First, I went searching for cookbooks on meals using applesauce, but I didn't find any (just baking cookbooks).  I found a crockpot dinner recipe on-line, using chicken and applesauce.


Anyway, back to the frugal dinner.  If I don't raise it, I do buy organically grown chicken.  It's not frugal, but worth our healthy lifestyle. And of course I buy when it's on sale or clearance, and freeze it too.

Then I needed a side dish.  Red Quinoa? Yep, but after checking the cupboard, I was out.  Sweet potato fries?  Yep, but not conducive to working out at the gym, and expecting kids to turn the fries every 15 minutes.  Hmm?  My side ended up frozen carrots that we grew and froze over summer - a  self-sufficient, chemical free meal.

I used the recipe that I linked (above), but used organic apple cider vinegar, organic cinnamon, home canned organic applesauce, organically grown chicken, etc. I may be making homemade hot sauce next season too. Cayenne and hot sauce are a great substitute for store bought hot red pepper flakes.

This was very good, and all of the family loved it.

   

Applesauce Banana Muffins

If you are wondering what I'm going to use my home canned applesauce for, here is one recipe I make with it.