Cause I'm Cheap Like That

I found this jewelry kit at Walmart when I went to Club Night in April. It was discounted to $7. I liked the shapes of the earrings in the kit and the pink was good as well so I threw it in my cart.

 I broke it out a few days ago and made a matching set of earrings and necklace. I have found that I really like making jewelry and it's not as difficult as I thought it would be.

 Here are the earrings. I like the oval shapes and the dangling pink beads and thought they were very fitting for my Type 2 wardrobe. Below are the earrings and 30"necklace. The whole set came together in less than an hour. And thanks to the marked down cost of the kit, each item cost a whopping $1. That makes me smile, cause like the title says, "I'm cheap like that."

History Fair

One of the 'fun' things that is required in 8th and 11th grade is entering the History Fair. The kids hate it but it's always interesting to see what topics are chosen and how the kids tie in the topic to the theme for the year. 

We did two entries last year and we thought that we were off the hook this year. 

Enter Ms. B as the 9th grade English teacher. 

Result-another entry in the History Fair.

So the theme this year was something like Revolution, Reaction and hmmm, some other R word.

Nina chose to study and share about how Mathew Brady revolutionized journalism with his photography of the Civil War.  I've personally never even heard of him. 

She did the research and paperwork but being less than thrilled with having to do this assignment again she didn't put too much time into her board. 

Was she surprised when she went back after the judging to see a blue ribbon in front of her entry. She was actually mad about it because it meant she had to go to Region with her entry.

Oh, the horror!

She was thrilled to not do so well at Region so that she didn't have to go to State. Silly!!

Can I really grow wolfberries?

Because I'm a wannabe gardener/farmer I sometimes read Countryside or Backwoods Home magazines. Last year I read about wolfberries, more commonly known as Goji berries. I decided that I was going to try to collect some seed and plant them to see if I can get them to grow here. 

When I went north in April to DYT Club Night, I stopped at Real Foods Market and found a bag of dried Goji Berries. Apparently that's the best way to get seed for growing them. Following the directions in the article I read, I soaked some berries overnight and the next day I squished the tiny seeds out of them. I should have put something in that picture for comparison's sake. But they are tiny, about the size of a pinhead. 

After letting them dry for a few days I planted them.  Hope this works!

Blue Mts.

 I took a ride up the mountain the other day to see if things were finally coming  back to life.

looking south on ski lift road

If you look closely you can see the green creeping up the slope of the mountain in this picture. The quaking aspens are pretty much fully leafed out.  The maples weren't far behind.

Tiny maple leaves

lower on the mt. -scrub oak

The scrub or Gambel oak that covers the lower slopes of the mountain is the last to resume their green coat. Around town they are almost leafed out, but up here there are just hints of leaves.

One of my favorite things is to see the meadows on the mountain covered in wild blue iris. I was a bit early, but managed to find a few that were blooming. The meadow below will be covered in a few days. It will definitely be worth another ride!

wild iris

meadow waiting for irises to bloom

Crispy Almonds

 Well, I finally had some success with a recipe from the Nourishing Traditions book. Of course, it was one of the hardest recipes in the book. HaHa. I have been purchasing large bags of almonds from Sam's Club to have available as snacks. After reading NT, I worried that perhaps they weren't as healthy a snack as I had hoped. So I decided to try soaking and drying them.

 The 4 C almonds are simply soaked overnight in a mixture of purified water and a TBsp sea salt.

 Then, they are drained and dried in a dryer or oven set on a low setting til they are dry and crisp. 

They are delicious. They can be a bit squeaky, which the kids think is fun. This recipe is a keeper for our family. I store them in this cute jar and I've been amazed that they have lasted as long as they have.

Six months down, 18 to go....

Yesterday marked the 6 month point in my boy's mission. I am having a hard time believing he has been gone that long already. At this rate, he'll be home next week!

 These are pictures of him and the mission president that was there when he arrived. A new mission president has since taken over the reins. 

He is doing remarkably well and having lots of adventures. We love to get his emails each week that relate those adventures. He has always been a writer and is very good with details.  We don't have to pull teeth to get information, unlike a previous missionary who will remain un-named. 

It has been a different experience for us as parents this time. Having a child in a foreign country even if it's civilized is interesting. We haven't been able to send him lots of care packages because the cost of shipping is just too prohibitive. Christmas was surely interesting.  We are so looking forward to Mother's Day on Sunday when we will hear his voice again.

I am so thankful for the missionary program of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It is truly an inspired program that not only helps God's children all over the world hear the message of hope and peace that His gospel brings, but it helps our young men and women grow up. There is a maturity that comes from thinking of and serving others 24/7 for 18 months to 2 years. It would be next to impossible to gain that maturity without serving a mission. I am so thankful that my two oldest sons have chosen to serve a mission and thus far have done so honorably. It has been such a blessing for our family.

Can't wait to meet the man who comes home in 18 months! 

Greenhouse?

One of the challenges we face living here in SE Utah at 7000 ft. is gardening. We have a very short growing season and it's very dry and windy, especially winds from the south and southwest. Last year we put one garden box in but the poor little plants just got beaten to death by the wind and didn't get enough warmth to actually reach maturity. It was a bit depressing.

 This the the south side of our house. We have been pondering the feasibility of attaching a greenhouse type room onto this end of the house. It's a huge blank wall that attracts lots of sunshine. The greenhouse would be able to use that heat and the plants would be protected from the wind by being enclosed. 

It's not in the cards this year, but we are hoping that it will become a reality in the near future. Growing our own produce would be so helpful to our family.

Simple or Prudent?

For quite a few years now I have had the goal to 'simplify' my life. To stick to the basics and not get caught up in the craziness that our society deems necessary.

One night as I was reading my scriptures I started reading through Proverbs. Some verses started catching my eye.

Proverbs 14:8  The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit.

Proverbs14:18 The simple inherit folly: but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

Proverbs 15:5  A fool despiseth his father’s instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent.

Proverbs 16:21  The wise in heart shall be called prudent

Proverbs 18:15 The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.

Proverbs 22:3 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.

I acknowledge that I am taking these verses out of context, but the term prudent really stuck out to me. And when I saw it in contrast to the term simple(which seemed to be equated with fool) I began to wonder if I have been attempting to reach the wrong goal.

Prudent is defined in Webster's 1828 dictionary as: 

PRU'DENT, a. Cautious; circumspect; practically wise; careful of the consequences of enterprises, measures or actions; cautious not to act when the end is of doubtful utility, or probably impracticable.

The prudent man looketh well to his going. Prov.14.

A prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself. Prov.22.

1. Dictated or directed by prudence; as prudent behavior.

2. Foreseeing by instinct; as the prudent crane.

3. Frugal; economical; as a prudent woman; prudent expenditure of money.

4. Wise; intelligent.

It seems to me that prudent is actually what I want to be, to become and to be descriptive of my life. 

To be knowledgeable, wise, frugal, to understand, to forsee evil and escape punishment. That is what I want.

I think I may need to change that word on my kitchen wall from Simplify to Prudent! 

Another T2 look

This was an outfit I wore last week sometime. I really liked the subtle tone differences in the shirt, cardigan and flower. 

The shirt is taupe, sort of purplish brown/gray. Got it at our local thrift store for $2. It flows nicely, almost has a silky feel. I believe it's rayon. 

The cardigan came from Down East last summer. I love the soft lavender color and it's very lightweight. The only thing I've decided I don't love about it is the hanging open factor. For some reason I just don't like those ends flapping as I walk. So I tie them loosely and get that draping quality in the front. I've debated trimming them into a more rounded shape rather than how angular they are now. Perhaps that would make it more comfortable for me to wear. 

The flower I got at our local scrapbook supply store and attached a hairclip to it. It is also a taupe, but a more brownish version. 

The dark jeans are some Old Navy jeans I got at the DYT store in Jan. I love them and the subtle details on them. No bling on my backside.

I have on a silver necklace with personalized charms to honor my mom and her battle with cancer and my dad who passed away in Dec. I know the circular shapes aren't just right, but because of it's sentimental value and it connecting me to my parents I wear it every day anyway. I also have on a pair of oval lacy silver earrings from Wallyworld. Very lightweight. Love them.

This is my natural hair color. I have finally gotten rid of the highlights I had put in a year ago to 'brighten' myself up. I finally, for the first time in my life, like my natural hair color and am finding ways to wear it that are soft, flowy and comfortable. No more helmet hair! 

The Closet Makeover

This is the story of the transition of my closet. From black and white and blah.......(pre-DYT) to

COLOR!!

My closet really used to consist of mostly black, white and brown. I had a very few patterned shirts, mostly solids. I did have a few bright shirts, trying to add some color to myself, but they were more T1 tints.I had really fallen into that trap that 'black makes you look thinner' and 'black goes with everything'.

I love my closet now. I love that all the clothing there is intermixable. I can pull any of them out, put them together and they will coordinate and look good on me. I do need to expand my green choices a bit and maybe some more blues as well, but it's been a very liberating transition and I am so thankful to have found Dressing Your Truth.

My "Private" Son

In January Ford joined the Utah National Guard. It was something he had been thinking about for a few months. We let him think about it for those months to see how serious he was about pursuing it.
Ben, my Brother-in-law, happens to be a recruiter for the UNG, but he never approaches his relatives. They have to come to him. Anyway, he came over after Ford  contacted him and explained to us how it works, what benefits there are, what the commitments are and such. I know it's not for everyone but there are lots of benefits to it. We had to fill out paperwork indicating our approval since he was still a minor.
On Jan. he went up to SLC with Ben to officially join and be sworn in.
Am I worried? Of course. What mother would not be?
But I have seen the excitement he has about him when he comes home from drill weekends. I have seen his confidence in himself shoot upward a great deal and I imagine that when he gets home from Basic he will be less a boy and much more a strong, confident man.

And this was the boy that my DH and I joked about sending to military school cause we just didn't know what to do with him! Oh, the irony of it.

*I have pictures of him being sworn in, but I am new to my Mac and can't figure out how to rotate them. I'll add them when I get it figured out.

My First NT recipe try

One of the first things I decided to try from the Nourishing Traditions cookbook was a lacto-fermented vegetable. Lacto-fermented foods are full of probiotics which are fabulous for our guts. 

They are also easy to digest because the digestive process has already begun on them. It is suggested to eat some lacto-fermented food before every meal to get our digestive system jump-started. 

So, I thought I would try the Ginger Carrots recipe. It was suggested as a good place to start since the sweetness of the carrots would balance the tartness of the lacto-fermentation somewhat.  

So I got all the ingredients and equipment ready and grated away! 

 Put in my ginger and whey, pressed the carrots to get the juice out and get the carrots under the juice. Sat it on my counter for 2 days then put it in the fridge. 

When I opened it, my kids said, "ew, that smells like bathroom cleaner." It was a pungent smell, but I thought it would still be edible. I put some on my plate and proceeded to take a bite. Guess what? 

It tasted exactly like it smelled. Not very appetizing. 

 I did finish off my plate, but later I ended up dumping the whole thing out. 

I don't know if I did something wrong and it went bad. I am thinking it may have just  been the ginger. I've never had it before so I don't know if that's how it smells and tastes. 

I am pondering trying it again and leaving out the ginger this time.  But I keep managing to put it off. 

I think perhaps it would just be easier to take a bit of yogurt before each meal. 

At least I know I like that.

Like most of my attempts in the kitchen it was a bomb. So discouraging. 

But I'm determined to not let it sideline me. 

I plan to keep trying things til something works right!

Mt. Washmore

 I think one of the biggest challenges of having a large family is keeping up with the laundry. A family the size of ours can create what I lovingly call Mt. Washmore in just a couple of days. I know there are several thoughts on how to deal with this. I particularly love the Duggar's laundry set up of having a room, close to where the laundry is washed, set aside as a family closet where all the clothing is kept, but that is completely out of the question for our family. So I'm going to share with you what has worked for me for years. 

I know lots of families who have their older children start washing their own clothing as soon as they are old enough to learn how. I understand the idea of that, but that has never felt right to me. It is just one more way of isolating and separating family members. I fully agree that's it's important to teach each child HOW to wash laundry, but I have always just had them help with the family's laundry. I believe that that teaches them to serve the whole family's interests, not just their own. 

In the summer I have them help more frequently than I do during the school year when their schedules are so crammed with studying and extra-curricular stuff. But I've noticed that as they get older they will often go and throw a load in the washer that has something in it that they need, usually a sports uniform, but they have learned that they need to throw in enough other clothing to make a full load. So they serve their own needs and those of the other members of the family at the same time. 

It's a win-win in my book.

Our system starts with separating the clothing as it is brought to the laundry room. I have 4 spaces, (wish I had room for 5) for the loads. We have a white/underwear/socks, darks/levi's, brights/colors, towels/bedding. I wish I had a 5th space for cold water wash items. We have lots of sports uniforms, workout wear and other items with spandex that need to be washed in cold water. They usually end up on the floor. 

 These are my new toys. I got them last year with our tax refund. They have simplified my life so much by cutting in half the amount of loads I wash and time I spend doing laundry. LOVE them. I keep the baskets on the floor below them to put in wet loads waiting to dry and to catch the stuff coming out of the dryer. My goal is to never have any clean laundry sitting in baskets or on furniture so my laundry rarely leaves this room unless it's folded and on it's way to someone's room. I fold it as it comes out of the dryer and put it in piles (by child) on the counter top that is on the wall opposite the washer/dryer. 

(See photo at right.)

It's at this point that I do require the kids to pitch in and move their own piles to their rooms. Ideally, they are supposed to check laundry every day and take care of it. The reality is that the piles often sit for days on the counter, but at least it's clean and folded. I have to get on them to put them away about once a week. 

One thing that I implemented when we moved to this house that has really helped is putting all the socks and underwear in bins in the laundry room. (The above picture shows the girls' bins. The clothing you see was folded at one time!)I don't have to sort it and try to figure out whose is whose. They just grab what they need when they need it.  I used to have bins for the big boys socks/underwear also, but since I only have one teenaged boy at home now, I know it's all his stuff so it just gets put in his clothing pile. 

I still put all the little boys' stuff in a basket and I haul it upstairs for them. The 6 and 3 year old help me unload the basket into their drawers. 

One of the most helpful tips was given to me by my mother years ago when I only had 3 kids. I was getting overwhelmed by trying to do all my laundry in a day and having it DONE. She told me to just wash 2 loads a day and be DONE. Laundry is never done, is it? Over the years, as our family has grown I have had to shift that to 3 loads a day, sometimes 4, but I have that feeling of being done at that point and don't worry about what's left in the hampers.  Since getting the larger machines I usually can do 2 loads and wash the same amount as the previous 3-4 loads. Getting some laundry going is one of the first things I do every day except Sunday. It's just become such a habit, I really don't think about it anymore. I am usually done with my two loads by noon.

Anyhoo, that's my laundry system. It works wonderfully for our family and you will never see piles of clean laundry lying on the couches in the living room cause it just never leaves the laundry room unless it's folded and ready to put away. 

What works for you?