Poo on the Shoe and Hair Loss

Writing is one of my passions.  It's also how I help support our income.

I successfully wrote a narrative essay as an exercise yesterday.  That was after two days of writer's block.  

I am back to writing daily.  It really means a lot to me.  As a child, I fell in love with writing poems and still have many of them.  However, today, l do not write poetry.  For now anyway.

I follow a few blogs, regarding writing for a living, more encouragement, motivation, and tips.

In following Rachelle Gardner's blog, she adds statements to "tweet."  Since I do not "tweet" I am reposting one on my blog today:

“The first key to making a living as a writer is VOLUME."

So, today I plan to increase my "volume."

Over the last 5-7 years, I have let many distractions pull me away from writing.  It's very easy to do, when you have a large (blended) family.  It's not all peaches and cream.  It's also poo on you shoe and hair loss.  

So, whether the kids like it or not, Mom is back in action.  Which means (reality moment: kids don't like responsibility) a messy house most likely - Family Meeting Friday.

 

 

Messing with Milk

I am so happy they we have fresh goat's milk, as part of our self-sufficiency, and health reasons.

The government just can't stop messing with milk these days.  Read here:  Flavored Milk

. . .  just passing this along for anyone interested.  "Diet" Milk? Ugh.

Using Up

It's been a while since I posted anything regarding the Dark Days Challenge.  Yesterday, breakfast was fresh farm eggs, and organic waffles.

Dinner was a pasta dish using my home canned tomato sauce, frozen (garden) green peppers and dehydrated mushrooms.  My home canned, organic applesauce is a wonderful side for breakfast, lunch or dinner (or for baking too).

This week I have had a hankering for iced tea.  I have been making a gallon almost every day.  Mmmm!  

Today, I will be scrambling up 2 dozen eggs, and adding onion and green peppers (from last year's garden), and adding frozen spinach.  This makes it easy for hubby to grab a quick breakfast burrito before he goes to work.

Evening, wind down time, usually involves hot tea.  I purchased organic, loose leaf tea from a small (privately owned) local business.
 

Tuesday Can't Go Fast Enough ~ Baby Goat Gets a Name

As you can tell by my blogpost title, there are two of us who dread this week and next - driver's education classes. 

Always Something. . .

We ran into "snags" with the goat fencing.  We could not drive t-posts, due to cement around the foundation, so we nailed up 2 x4's against the barn and then ran the fencing out.  However, once we started getting on a "roll" we ran into needing another tool.

My 16 year-old finished putting up some last boards, to keep the stalls baby safe, and started moving her supplies last night.  She finally finished about 9:00pm.  

Do you see that little gal on the outside of the pen?  That little escape artist got through the boards.  My daughter had to go back out after dinner, and put metal fencing all around the stall. 

We still need to board up the "birthing" stall that is on the very right, and then the outside (temporary) fencing (back of the stall).  Thank goodness the barn has a small animal door that slides, that we took advantage of, and the fencing will be directly on the outside of that door.

After that we have a motion sensored light fixture that will be mounted on the barn too.  And possibly a predator light.  We get a lot of rats, weasels, raccoons, hawks, owls, and what not. If you have bought such a light, and have a review, I'd love to hear it.


We woke up today to freezing rain and a layer of ice everywhere.  School is closed today as well.  I have yet to find out if driver's education closed. Even the community college closed.

The weather man got the weather wrong yesterday.  Brrr!  When we all came in about dinner time (Hubby, myself, our 16 and 13 year-old daughters), my cough had already returned.  So did the congestion and runny nose.  The chance to sleep in today, was a wonderful surprise.  

Our 13 year-old is back from her class trip, and I am sure she is enjoying the chance to rest up this morning as well.  Her feet are still swollen from all the walking they did.

A Year of Quotes:

"Setting a goal is not the main thing.  It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan."

    ~ Tom Landry

   

 

Sunday

It's Sunday and we already have a busy "work" day (I detest work on Sunday, but this "stuff" must get done....once and for all).

Have you ever had a job that needed to be completed, and it just kept dragging out?  And out?  And out?  And you never thought it would get finished?

The goat stalls, in the other barn, are one of those jobs.

Every time there is a day to work.....something is needed, something breaks, or the drill battery dies.  Or there is some kind of interruption that stalls the job.  And then there is the weather.

Today is the day, I want this job finished.  Say a prayer. 

We still have to move temporary fencing, build new fencing, and so forth.  

The reality of self-sufficiency, is that it takes investment.  Including time.    We don't have hired hands, and hubby works outside the home full-time.   And the other reality is, is that I have very little time, even as a stay-at-home Mom.  There are no "days off" for me.  Or for Hubby.

What are you . . .

(my snack while cleaning yesterday...a girl has to have her chocolate)

I'm not one to "blog hop" or the like, but I found the most recent post on Henningsen Happenings a fun one. 

Here's mine:

What are you. . .


Listening to:  the rabbit shake his watering unit, and my oldest daughter's cell phone vibrate (she should know that her alarm won't wake her up that way).  Not exciting information I know.

Eating: Nothing at the moment, but just ate two farm fresh eggs over easy for breakfast.

Watching:  Hubby and I are in the 6th episode of 8, of McLeod's Daughters.

Reading: Naked, Drunk,and Writing (see?  It really is a book)

Making:  Another dishcloth and more rag rugs.

Planning: What chickens to buy soon, what cool weather vegetables to plant, and what cheeses to make this year.  What to build to house our meat chickens.  New item ideas for Farmer's Market and what dates to attend.

Doing:  Right now I am blogging while I wait for the washing machine to finish.

Feeling: Tired. Overwhelmed with today's mundane chores.

Loving: The sunshine this week. 

Wanting:  A completely clean house all in one day.  A sun room for hubby and myself. To get back to the gym.   To screen in a side porch.  To rip out all carpet and put in wood flooring.  Another weekend getaway with hubby.  My extra weight to miraculously fall off  (hey....you asked what I "wanted").  To buy a camper.  To build or create a "writing" room of my own.  To...to....to...this list is endless.

Thinking: Wondering what my 13 year-old is doing in D.C. right now.  Thinking that I should already be on the treadmill, and not sitting my bum in this chair. 

And looking forward to:  A much needed, relaxing trip to the island, camping, sipping iced tea on my front porch, and opening the windows.

A Year of Quotes:

"Well done is better than well said."

  ~ Benjamin Franklin