Trying NaBloPoMo This Year.

I've tried it in the past and failed after a week, but I'm hoping this year will be different. The theme is "blogging for blogging's sake" sounds like something I do anyway. Just got to make sure I do it everyday.

If you're interested in trying NaBloPoMo out just click on the badge above or go to www.nablopomo.com and sign up. It's ran by Blogher this year and you need a blogher account to win prizes.

I may have to dig out a crochet hook

For this scarf http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=238536.0

I could so see my dear daughter wearing a Luna Lovegood scarf in a purple color. I'm just not real sure on the crocheting part. I can do simple stitches, but this may be out of my abilities. Oh well, learning new things is always fun, right.

Do They Make a Patch for this?

I swear giving up facebook must be a bit like giving up smoking. You have all the best intentions, but sometimes you sneak that quick puff. No I haven't logged back into my facebook account, not about to screw up that 14 day thing they do. I may have logged into my kiddies and hubby's accounts. Not to read any statuses mind you (okay maybe one or two), but to set their privacy and account settings. They get tagged in too many posts and pictures(Hubby gets annoyed with being tagged) and I wanted to make sure that I enabled the feature that prevents tagging (or limits it or something). I think this weekend I'll work on everyone to just get off facebook for good of the whole family. I mentioned it yesterday and dear daughter had the nerve to say "Why would I let you deactivate my facebook?" See those words there? The "let you"? I explained to her that she had it all wrong and I let her have a facebook account and if I wanted to delete it I could. That shut her up for a minute. Now she's trying to come up with good reasons to keep it open. For example: I don't talk to my friends much on breaks and vacations. Well to tell the truth she doesn't get to talk to them on facebook much during those times either. Unless it's for homework computer time is a privilege and they are not allowed to get on whenever they want. So unless chores are done, attitudes are good, homework (during the school year) is complete, they are not allowed on facebook anyway. Then for only a certain amount of time.

Anyway I'm still about 99% facebook free. I'm learning to not care what's going on in the lives of most other people. The ones I do care about, I call or I live with them. Apparently I'm not missed on facebook either because I've not received any communications from the 140+ "friends" I had on there. Always knew I was pretty much a shadow... Welp enough of that, see facebook is depressing and I've got too many good things going on to dwell on it. I have a great hubby, great kids, and God.

GoodBye Facebook

Well I did it, I deleted(deactivated) my facebook account. I figure it's best to go cold turkey with it. As I was trying to limit myself, I still found myself logging in way too much. More then I thought was healthy, and since I'm trying to be healthier I decided this was best. Mental health is as important as physical and I don't think facebook is conclusive to good mental health. I'm probably going to have my kiddies delete their accounts as well. My middle son just said he didn't care because he doesn't use his facebook anyway. Here is my final status update for facebook:

Good-bye Facebook. Our relationship has come to its finale. I'm no longer wanting to know who did what to whom for how many jelly beans. I no longer am concerned with seeing the same shared picture of a cute/funny/silly/stupid cat/dog/critter/ for the 50^th some odd time. I've read the same jokes over and over again for the last time, they're no longer funny. I've enjoyed finding family members and classmates. I like keeping in touch with former co-workers. I just do not need to know every minute detail of their life. Everyone needs some secrets. Everyone doesn't need to know what you did last summer.

I'm still around. I have email (4 of them actually), yahoo messenger, 2 blogs, a home phone, a cell phone and GASP a home address. I hear you can buy these little things called stamps at a place called a post office and actually hand write and mail a letter, or pictures, or a post card. I do believe I'll start doing this and support the USPS (maybe they will be able to stop raising the cost of stamps if we all do this). My local Kroger's even sells these stamp thingy's. Keeping in touch is no problem really. I fairly easily reached, just may take some time in getting back to you. If anyone is curious about my bunches day-to-day lives, like I said I have blogs.

I'm looking forward to the benefits of no longer having a Facebook account. No more notifications of game requests. Less anxiety from not being able to keep up with the joneses. If I don't know so and so did this or bought that then what do I care if I have it, do it or whatever. More time for my family, reading, knitting, schoolwork, housework, hobbies...well more time in general.

I may miss some pictures from close friends and family. However I think that is all I'll miss.

I'm not sure anyone had much of a chance to read it...

I probably should of waited an hour or so after posting before deactivating. I think it was better to do it this way, for me anyway.

Oh and here is my scarecrow:

Scary huh? The kiddies have since replaced the bat with a teacup and a rake. I still have to hang the wreath, guess I have time for that now.

Cold Season Shows it's Ugly Head

Yep I've got a kiddie home sick from school today. Which means I'm home from school trying to get sick kiddie better.

Last night middle son was complaining of a sore throat. I took my handy dandy little led flashlight, washed my hands and took a looksie in his throat. No redness, no white patches, no noticeable swelling. Well that's good. Took his temperature, no fever. Even better. So I give him some vitamin C, tell him to take his multi, and gave him a fish oil capsule (which he was surprised he could swallow, the things are freakin' huge). I sent him to bed and went on to prepare for bed myself. While in the shower I could hear his coughing, over the sound of running water. Ugh, it didn't sound the best. However he was already asleep, which is also a sign he's not feeling well, so didn't give him any cough medicine. This kid is one of my night owls and usually takes quite a bit for him to settle and go to sleep after being sent to bed.

So this morning I go to wake up all the kiddies for school and as usual have to tell him a few times. I take another looksie into his throat and it still looks fine. Check temperature, 96.8 so that's fine (my family normally runs a little under the 98.6 average). So I tell him to go ahead and start getting ready for school and I go start the coffee pot. Well after a few minutes he's up fixing his bowl of cereal and I see how pale he looks and notice the dark circles under his eyes. I ask him on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being someone broke your arm, how bad his throat hurts. He says an 8. I ask if he thought he could make it through school today, he says he probably should stay home. I look at him and am already thinking the same, as I didn't want to drive the 40-45 minutes to class only to get a phone call and have to turn around and drive nearly an hour to their school. The school doesn't mess around with sore throats, fever or no, and as soon as he mentioned to someone his throat hurt I would be getting a call. I want to keep an eye on him today anyway, last time he had tonsillitis and strep he didn't run a fever. Also strep is already making it's rounds, a friend of mine has had it hit her bunch week before last.

So today is going to consist of making ginger lemon honey tea, doing laundry and wiping down surfaces, studying for marketing test tomorrow, studying for chemistry test Thursday, doing lab prep work, doing other homework, more cleaning and some knitting. As soon as the temps get warm enough I'm going to air out the house. I was googling cold and flu prevention tips and one that was recurring was making sure to get fresh air. So I'm going to try that and a few other things and pray that he gets better and can go to school tomorrow (I have that test plus two labs, so really cannot miss tomorrow) and no one else comes down with it.

Here is the recipe I found for Ginger, Lemon, Honey tea. I'm really hoping it does the trick.

GINGER, LEMON, HONEY TEA

• 3 cups of water~ bring to boil
• 1 Ginger root ~cut up into pieces or grate
• after water comes to a boil turn it to simmer
• add ginger root and simmer 15 minute
• pinch oregano (optional)
• pinch sage (optional)
• 1/2 juice of lemon
• 2 TBS of honey or to taste

Just some random stuff.

Yes I did make the scarecrow, I'll post a picture tonight when I get home from class. I meant to post it last night but got busy watching t.v. and hanging out with the family. I also made a wreath that I think looks more Christmas-y then Fall-like. I'm going to go ahead and hang it on the door and snap a picture to show you and see what you think. The colors are kind of fall-like and I did glue a few acorns to it. I wanted to used downed leaves but I just couldn't get them to stick the way I wanted them too. I was also afraid with the way the kiddies go in and out the door that the leaves would fall off leaving me with a nekkie wreath on the front door.
I need to get studying hard for tests this week and next. I've been glancing over the information but cannot honestly say I've been studying it. I feel like I know about 80% of everything fine. It's that 20% I need to worry about.
I also have a recipe to post on my other blog, just as soon as I upload the picture for it. Seems to be a pattern going on here. I've already written the blog post though, so that's a plus. Just have to upload the picture and click publish.
Speaking of recipes, next weekend(sometime between running a 5k, oldest son's Civil Air Patrol meeting, church and studying and working on scarves), I'm going to go through my google reader and my favorites pages (on both computers) and go through all the recipes I've either saved, liked or starred. I have several that I want to do, but either can't find them, forgot about them or something like that. So the plan is to go through and start printing out the ones that I've tried and went over well with my bunch. Then I can make a list of the ones I have yet to try and get on it. Some I need to redo to make them healthier, but that's okay.
Well I guess it's time to crack open this Physics book for a bit before class. Sorry for the rambling post, just catching up a bit.

   I just love it when Saturdays turn in to lazy quiet days at home.  We went out earlier and hit the Goodwill looking for jackets.  We got one Adidas one for my middle son and a fishing reel.  Next was stop at the flea market down the road.  There the kids spent their allowance on video games, water guns and a nerf dart toy.  Dd also got a pretty little gold-plated knick knack and we got her a jacket as well.
  I got started on a scarf yesterday...it's about a quarter finished now.  I'm hoping to finish it by tomorrow night, then block it and have it ready for the next cold snap on Thursday.  Then I'm going to get started on everyone else's scarves.  I'm figuring on a scarf a week so that I'll have plenty of time to complete them and the half a million other things to do by December.  I'll have to get some cotton yarn or find some for Hubby's scarf.  I'm not sure if he'll were it to work, but if he does I want his to be made out of a material that I don't have to worry about melting to his skin when he welds.  So it has to be a natural fabric.  Bamboo is suppose to be fire resistant, so I wonder if the yarn would be as well.  This website says that alpaca is rumored to be water and flame resistant...so that's an idea.  I could also get a 100% wool yarn as it has slight water and flame resistant properties.  The kiddies and I can have cheap yarn, but with Hubby's line of work (outside and around the open flame of the welding torch) I have a tendency to want better fibers.  They'll handle the conditions better, I think.
  Well, while Hubby and middle son are gone fishing, I think I will round up the three that are home with me and head outside to rake leaves.  I'm thinking of making a scarecrow for our Fall decoration.  Ooo I have a wreath frame I could somehow attach some leaves and acorns to it (I bet wood glue would work) and have a decoration for our front door.  Plus I have an idea for Christmas card photos (I'm going to try and send some out this year) that I need to build.  Really I'm just procrastinating, I have two tests this week to study for. However, it'll be productive procrastination and that is totally acceptable. Right?

p.s. I had thought of doing the Jeepers Creepers 2 scarecrow...but I'm not sure the neighbors would like it.  It would be awesomely scary though.

Narrowing Down Christmas ideas

I love Christmas.  The feeling of generosity and excitement in the air.  The hustle and bustle of everyone shopping. The giving, the smiles.  Everything but the weather. It's really too bad Jesus couldn't of been born in July.  Anyway, as I said in the previous post that I'm trying to have a very frugal Christmas this year.  At the same time I want to make sure everyone I care about gets a little something.  So I'm looking into homemade gifts and here are some of my favorite ideas so far:

Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments
These are really simple and shouldn't cost hardly anything or take anytime at all to make several.

Hot Cocoa Mix
I like that this recipe is slightly different.  I think a serving size or two in a pretty little bag or box from the dollar tree with a candy cane or just some peppermints would make a nice gift.

Paper Ornaments
I saw this and thought it would make a good craft for the kiddies.  I don't think you can have too many ornaments on the tree and kid-made ornaments are always the best.

Yarn Dolls
I'm not sure if I'll  do this one or not.  I have plenty of yarn to do it with, just not sure my nieces would like them.  I thought of doing like angel themes and turning them into Christmas ornaments.  I may make a few and give to my younger nieces, my older ones may like them.

Photo Block Ornaments
These are adorable and I think would be perfect for mine and Hubby's parents and grandparents.  I can print out some pictures I've taken over the past year and put them on small wooden blocks to mail out.  I think they would really like them.

Of course there's always homemade candies like:
Cranberry Crunch Bark
Sugar Mints
Homemade Whoppers
Candy Icicles 

Also cookies are good to send as well. Well, certain cookies anyway and you have to package them just right.  A quick google search gives many tips on how to make sure cookies arrive in the same condition they were sent.

I have a few more ideas I'm considering as well. I'm also going to make my bunch scarves for stocking stuffers.  I'm making myself one this weekend because we had a big bad cold front go through (yes 50 for a high is cold here, given our normal winter high is around 50 give or take a couple degrees). I couldn't find my other scarf and so a simple, quick knit is in the works this weekend.  I so dislike being cold.  I also have some carving patterns I want to try, but may wait to do those.

More Thinking...Facebook and Christmas

   Okay this is another mixed bag type of post. However these two have been on my mind lately.  First being cutting back Facebook time.  Facebook is a big time sink, it's not very efficient (especially since the last update) and it gets too addictive.  So I'm slowly but surely cutting back my Facebook time.  I don't want to cut it out all together as I have mostly family members and old friends on there and this is the best (in some cases only) way to keep in touch with them.  However I want to get to where I'm only checking it a few times a week rather then a few times a day.  So I've been unliking fan pages, except for the few that I'm truly interested in.  I'm working on cutting out my own status updates.  I have a blog, the link is available on my facebook profile..if anyone wants to know whats going on they can come here.  Better yet, they can send me an email, give me a phone call or just write an old-fashioned letter.  Writing posts on a blog requires thought.  Writing a couple lines on a Facebook status doesn't, so Facebook is contributing to the dumbing down of American in that sense. 
  So my goal is to not put anymore status updates on my facebook page unless something super major occurs (my life is rather boring so that's not likely and I'll probably write here first anyway). I will continue to share pictures with friends and family and comment on anything major going on in their lives.  However I think I'll change my facebook subscription settings (I'm really liking this feature lately) to where I only get updates in my newsfeed from their major status updates and pictures (except for my kiddies, I want to know every little thing they do on facebook).
    Now on to Christmas. The weeks, days, hours are flying by and this semester is already half over.  Which also means Christmas is almost here ( I have a week and a half between my last class and Christmas).  I've starred lots of ideas lately on my google reader feed and pinterest for Christmas decorations and gifts.  I'm plannning on making scarves my bunch for stocking stuffers.  I want to make some candies and cookies and ornaments to send in small family gift boxes for my siblings and Hubby's siblings.  I've got to narrow stuff down due to finances and time restraints.  When it comes to giving I want to go all out, but am rarelly able to. I love to give gifts, to be that moment of cheer in someones day. One reason why I like to do swaps, I like to make people happy, it makes me happy.  I've also got to ask the kiddies to write down 5 things they would like for Christmas.  I hate giving them a limit like that, but we have a super duper tight budget this year. I want to them to really, truly think about what they want and need.  I know what my daughter wants as she's already done this, and everything on her list is doable.  Her priciest thing is a 40.00 mp3 player.
I've thought about going back to work prn.  However, today in Marketing class, we got slammed with a huge project to work on.  I also have a project to complete in Intro to Foods and one coming up in Gen Chem II lab.  I'm taking 18 hours of classes this semester, I'm not sure with all that I've got time to do even prn.  So we tighten our belts a bit more and settle down for what may be a Hard Candy Christmas.

Been Thinking

     I've been thinking about a few things lately...well lately being this morning mostly and  little bit yesterday.  There are a few things I need to be doing in order to be a better mom to my kiddies.  They are growing so fast and getting so close to being young adults.  My oldest is about to turn 15 for goodness sake and talking about having a military career, going to college and being a farmer when he's through with all that (I'm thinking of a post of how people nowadays think of retirement, it's no longer sitting back taking it easy or going traveling it seems).
   Anyway, back to the been thinking part.  I was thinking on the sermon the preacher gave yesterday. It was on James 1: 19-21.  How we should be "swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath."  I really need to try harder with this when dealing with my children.  The preacher talked a bit on that as well, when dealing with our children.  We expect them to actively listen to us when we speak.  They have every right to expect us to actively listen to them as well.  Sometimes, I'll be reading, or doing something online or just plain not giving them my 100% attention when they ask for it.  So they get a lot of  Uh huh's, We'll see's, and Maybe's or the "Go ask your dad" which in turn goes to "Go ask your mom" (I have to admit though, sometimes Hubby and I are just funning them when we do that) . Also, I do sometimes interrupt them mid-speak when they are trying to tell me something that I "think" I already know what they want to say or ask for (I'm not sure when I became a mind-reader, I have to admit I'm not a very good one).  For "slow to wrath", yep guilty.  I have a quick fuse, it's became longer over the years.  Sometimes though just the smallest thing sets it off, usually during high stress periods like finals week.  I need to make sure I'm taking a moment, calming down, before dealing with what ever has angered me, or that I've perceived has angered me.  Sometimes it's nothing that major and not worth getting angry over.
    So I need to fix this, I need to open my ears, close my mouth, and take a moment to breathe when something gets my dander up.  Sounds easy, right?  I believe in teaching by example.  Children will mimic what they see their parents doing if they believe it's what you're suppose to do.  Also if I do this then when I reprimand to do the same I can point out that I've been doing it as well.
    Another thing that got me thinking is I need to be more available to my kiddies.  More there.  This came to my attention this morning when I was on the computer checking my Facebook account and the kiddies were in the living room eating breakfast and watching cartoons.  I'm for quality over quantity when it comes to family time.  You don't remember how much time you spent with your family growing up, but you do remember the moments you spent together.  With our schedules, meals together doesn't always work out.  For example, this semester I'm home after 7pm four nights a week.  The kids' bedtime is 8pm so dinner is usually between 5 and 6p. Hubby eats with them those nights of course, I can't because I'm home after dinner is through.  I can eat breakfast with them though.  Maybe we can implement a Saturday night dinner thing.  I've got to think about this one some more, but there has to be ways that as a family we can be more "there" with each other.  We are bad, as a group, about drifting off into our own little corners.
Okay, wow, this turned into a longer post then I had intended...a little more ramble-y as well.  I guess I'll continue this tomorrow.  Have a great day.

Save the Tatas and Run

Race for the Cure

  
    On Saturday morning, October 29 2011, I will be lacing up and running 3.1 miles in support of the Susan B Komen Race for the Cure.  This raises money for breast cancer research and also supports me on my path to being healthier.

     I think I'm just about ready to run.  My only fear is that I've been training almost exclusively on the treadmill in the gym, running about 2-2.5 miles 3x a week.  According to the treadmill I'm doing about 14:30 miles...that's not good enough for me.  If you recall on my very first 5k I did 38:42, 14:30 miles does not equal 38:42.  If that's what I'm running I'll actually do worse this time around then I did on my first run...that's not good.  

    This weekend plus Monday and Tuesday is fall break for me.  My goal is to run 2 to 3 miles everyday on a surface that is not a treadmill.  I'm going to run my street, around the park that's a couple miles away, anywhere to see how well I can do.  I need some out-of-doors training to go with my indoors training.  I feel strong, but I'm not sure if that will translate to me doing better then my last race.  My goal is to run more during this race and beat my last time.  So if I come in at 37 minutes I'll have beat it (I want to do better then that though).

   Also, since this is a charity race, I need to raise some dollars for it.  So if you have 10.00 or so you could donate to the cause please do so HERE .  My goals is only 150.00 dollars. Unfortunately I'm still 150.00 away from reaching it.  So if you can spare some please do and thank you in advance.  15 days to go, woohoo.

I'm also cross-posting this on my other blog To Be Awesome.

How's it Going?



My son and I taking the plunge and a big step to being obedient Christians :)



 After my baptism I had a very trying week.  I can't say I wasn't warned though, nearly everyone in my Sunday school class said that they had things happen to test them after their baptisms.  My goat went missing (I freaked out because there were also tire tracks in the front yard), my laptop crashed, I forgot my student id card at home and so couldn't work out (going to the gym has become very big in my life...and I like schedules and don't like to change my schedule much), also forgetting my id meant I couldn't get a snack or drink using my Dining Dollars on campus, I locked my keys in the house one morning, I couldn't find my keys and leave on time another morning, the glass in our back door got shot out by the neighbor boy's bb gun and plenty other small things.  I got frustrated with everything and really wanted a break. However I looked at them as small things and decided by the end of the week they weren't nothing to sweat over. 
We went to my brother-in-laws wedding last weekend.  It was a gorgeous day for an outdoor wedding too.  My new sister-in-law is sweet, funny, and perfect for him.  I wish them many blessed years together.  I also managed to stay out of the wedding pictures.  Yes intentionally, I'm not comfortable having my picture taken as I'm too big for me and I take really bad pictures.  Case in point...scroll up.  I justified as since I wasn't in the wedding party I wasn't obligated to smile at any camera unless it was something I really wanted.  I am in a couple of the backgrounds so at least when they look back they know I was in attendance.  I rather blend into the shadows with family functions anyway.  Need help looking after the young'uns? I'll volunteer.  Food need to be set out? Sure I'll lend a hand or two.  However when it comes to being in the middle of stuff, I rather not.  Family expects way too much and I always feel like I get found lacking.  A lot of it is baggage from my childhood that I just cannot let go of, I try however it's very difficult.
Well my battery is about to go so I'll end this post. I'll try and post on my other blog and let my few readers know I'll I'm doing on the fitness/health front later (tomorrow probably).