Fighting the Resistance!

As the weather becomes friendlier the creative juices are beginning to flow again.   Not ready to tackle any outdoor projects yet, I've been writing and also doing a bit of painting.  Need to have some entries for Fair which is moved up to the last week in July now.  Camp NaNoWriMo has begun, it's only a few days in but I anticipate success.  I'm taking my unfinished November project and finishing.  To start, I input scenes and ideas I wrote during "Make Me Write" sessions into what I had started in Scrivener.  Next I spent some time getting my chronology in order, mapping out the timeline of challenges and tragedies for my main character.  I've also needed to do a little research into the time period which is during the 1960s with some childhood flashbacks to the mid 50s.  It is challenging to keep in mind the lack of technology during that time.  Things that I've grown up with and become so naturally acclimated to were not part of the regular daily routines back then.  It was much easier to remain anonymous which is what my character seeks to do.

First layer...still in progress.

Fox had a harrowing writer's event recently.  He has been writing for years, working on different projects until he gets bored then starts a new idea.  Recently his tower died but with dad's help they did recover his creations and he stored them on a flash drive.  Lately he's been working on my old computer but still saving to the flash drive, even though I told him to save a copy on the hard drive also.  Well, he bumped a chair against the flash drive and broke it beyond repair even though they did try to solder it together.  He put a copy of the old stuff on the hard drive but not all the new material.  That he was saving to the flash drive so he lost about 5000 words and three months of creative effort as he says.  He immediately sat down and started noting manually everything he could remember.  I feel awful for him since he was just commenting this was a work he was actually considering developing to completion and letting others read it.  Wow.  He has now taken himself into his cocoon of creativity to try and recapture and continue the momentum.  This has entailed building with Legos, watching a marathon of Harry Potter movies, walking, and listening to his music. 

The 'big room' is covered with Legos. 

At least he clears me a path to get to my bedroom in the evening. 

This is the start of our enrichment activities that I had planned to do with the boys this month.  Perfect timing because we've all been in need for a punch of inspiration.  Last weekend we took in a play at the Flint Youth Theater called "Jackie and Me" which was about Jackie Robinson.  They always have top-notch productions and this one did not disappoint.  Quite a contrast to the local high school musical Aladdin that we watched the evening before.  Still a fun show, sets and costumes were great but boy do we need to upgrade the sound system in our theater!

Confab during intermission during dress rehearsal. 

Great production they even sang with Brooklyn accents! 

Kim Josephson in the role of Eddie was our favorite.

The next week the boys got a day off of school to venture down to Detroit for some cultural exposure.  First we took in a dress rehearsal at the Detroit Opera House of "A View from the Bridge" which takes place in New York circa 1950.  Click HERE for a synopsis. 

A view from the DIA

Then after a quick lunch at the DIA Café we toured their traveling Samurai exhibit.  It opened in early March and will run thru June 1, 2014.  Audio was available so Fox, Ethan and I listened to both the adult and youth commentary which was very well done.  Ben decided to free form and read.  The video about how they make the swords was fascinating and all the ornate armor was incredible, hard to imagine someone actually wearing that get-up around.  Part of the samurai life section talked about literature and the ink and watercolor illustrations were gorgeously detailed.  Now I want to purchase a pack of watercolor paper and some ink quills.

It was a real gritty city adventure day too.  Since I'm not usually down in the area any more I had a little bit of wanderlust in me to explore.  First we went down through Palmer Park where all the stately old homes are.  Many have been retained and restored and are used by organizations as offices more than residences on some streets.

 

I love the show Rehab Addict with Nicole Curtis and last summer she restored a house in Detroit so I wanted to go and see it.  It was quite an experience driving around the ghetto with the boys.  They were pretty shocked at the conditions as was I.  Especially being a Detroit girl and remembering a childhood of city experiences.  We also found my old house, so sad.  Even the neighborhood Nicole did her project in is deplorable.  Houses are abandoned or burned out and the ones with people living in them are riddled with trash.  The route that I once walked to elementary school is now blocks of empty lots full of garbage.

 

 

 

 

 

Seeing the conditions of the city sparked some good conversation.  We discussed the type of environment they'd like to live in when they are on their own.  The differences between rural life low-income and city life low-income.  It also gave us all a new perspective and appreciation for our little town.  I am curious to see where the boys end up....will they stay small town or try movin' on up to a deluxe apartment in the sky.  ;)

 

It was a good day out and helped bring about inspiration in various ways as I continue to work on my third novel.  Since I started formulating this post we have moved into our spring break and the weather has turned warm finally.  The past couple days the boys and I have gotten outside to combat the multitude of limbs and branches that have fallen in the front yard.  I've also done some raking and the place is beginning to look fresh and alive again!

 

 



Updates on Life in General

Many things have been happening with the family as we transition from our winter activities into spring sports.  Two boys will be running track for their schools.  High school has already begun practices and middle school will start this week, however the first couple meets have already been rescheduled because it is still too cold and snow has not completely melted.

Benjamin my 8th grader has been quite a handful lately, he is all attitude lately, addicted to video games, and we've had some grade issues.  (How's that for transparent)  Discipline measures have been put into place and limits on the gaming but it has made for another challenge in an already trying season.  Soccer is starting soon and with that regular physical activity back in his routine he'll start to chill out a bit, not to mention just getting over our severe cases of cabin fever.

Ethan has been sticking with Forensics.  He changed his piece and category.  His 3 Wizard Poems did not achieve any recognition but his second time presenting his Storytelling piece "The Three Little Javelinas" by Susan Lowell earned him 3rd Place at the MSCI Middle School Tournament in Novi this past weekend.  He received some great comments from the judges and is excited to continue to refine it for the spring finals coming up at Wayne State University next month.  He will again be playing rec baseball this year in addition to running track.  Rock band practices are going well and he is becoming more confident singing leads. Today he also turned in his application to attend Space Camp like his brother did last summer.  He had three great recommendation letters submitted on his behalf and wrote a decent essay, we'll see what happens.  In June he is going to MSU for their Exploration Days event spending three days, two nights on campus taking part in a Flash Animation workshop and another called Improved Life Skills Using Duct Tape which should be interesting. 

Fox is kicking it into high gear getting ready for his senior year and investigating choices regarding college.  He is done with Model U.N. events for this year but is planning to participate again next year.  An even better experience than the school events was a trip he made to Lansing to participate in the 4H Extension's Capital Experience.  For three days they met senators and representatives in the Capitol, discussed various issues, composed bills, and worked to get them passed before the House.  The kids from our county were treated to a personal tour of the House floor by Senator Kevin Daly which was a real treat.  Since he was a part of the Education committee for this event his group got to meet with members of the State Board of Education.  They were all very personable and helpful.  It fact all the representatives and house members that they ran into around the Capital were extremely nice and accommodating.  Fox thought it was an amazing program and is looking forward to going again next year.  MSU is definitely on the top of his list for college choices.  He really likes the idea of having the resource of all our local government being so close by.  He met some kids at the conference that already do internships with the reps in their counties.  In other news he is enrolled in his first online class this trimester Intro to Computer Programming I: Visual Basic.  He likes the way the class is set up online and has been able to get through the first couple weeks of lessons fairly quickly.  We are still waiting to find out if he made it into the LAB: Free Enterprise Camp at Northwood University this summer.

My dear husband is recovering nicely but still taking things slow.  He will be taking a trip to California next week for a job but details are still being worked out.  Most of the winter he spent working on his new company website, conducting paid phone consultations, selling parts online and trying not to go completely stir crazy.

Me?  I've been getting my runs back into the weekly schedule, going out less but running farther distances when I do get out.  I've also been writing and editing regularly.  Sometimes just random thoughts, sometimes on my novels, some times articles for possible submission, or just journaling.  My goal is to keep it part of my routine as much as possible.   I also signed up to participate in Camp NaNoWriMo next month which is very similar to the event that runs in November.  Will do a combination of continued development of my third novel and editing my second. 

Lately I've come to the point again where I feel it necessary to scrutinize my volunteer activities.  While in the past I operated under the idea that if I loved something so much that I was willing to do it for free eventually the fates would make way for me to gain income from those passions.  However lately some of the programs I've been involved with have been creating more stress and confusion than joy which makes me feel that maybe it's time to let those things go in order to put my time and energy towards other goals.  Don't want to make any rash decisions so I'll let it simmer before making my final choice.

..... to be continued.

Soup's On!

Over the past month I've been playing around with some new soup recipes, just the thing on a cold, snowy evening.  The top one is a wonderful Tortelli en Brodo with a chicken stock broth, spinach, carrots from my garden, and a bit of herbs. 

This next one below is a vegetable broth with grilled tofu noodles, mushrooms, corn (from my garden) and spinach again plus this one was super spiced with curry, turmeric and anise. Very tasty, the boys hardly noticed there was tofu in it.

I also used more of my frozen home grown corn to make a fantastic Chicken Corn Chowder that turned out fabulously.  So good we got right to eating and I forgot to take a quick picture.  I used potatos in it, onions, milk and half/half, seasoned with salt, pepper, dry mustard, and dill.

One of my greatest defenses against illness that I use in pretty much everything I cook is herbs and spices.  When you buy processed foods they use natural and artificial flavorings which gives you nothing nutritionally.  Using these flavorful and healthful plants made a world of difference for your body, mind, and taste buds!  Even something as simple as sunny-side up eggs I add a little dill on top with the salt and pepper.  Pumps up the flavor and looks pretty too!  Stir-fying is a staple for my family, it is an easy way to get great ingredients into one pan.  Sometimes it is served over rice, sometimes noodles, or it can get a little more exotic with couscous and quinoa.  I also try to use as many colors in my cooking so we can "eat a rainbow" every week.

It is rare that I eat in restaurants for a variety of reasons but one near our home that I am always excited to visit is the Flint Crepe Company.  Click on the name to visit the website.  Their recipe guidelines alone make me happy.  From the site:

Our recipes will...
​-be made from scratch.

-be driven by the food that is currently available based on our region and season.

-be sourced from growers and producers that operate their businesses ethically and responsibly.

-Offer something for everyone (ask us*).

The menu constantly changes depending on what is available seasonally and they never dissappoint.  Last week I went on a field trip with a friend and we stopped in for lunch.  I had an incredible Reuben Crepe and a loose leaf green tea.  Heaven.

What was the field trip you ask?  We went to the Flint Institute of Arts to see an A la Carte program about Women in Art.  The original film has some technical difficulties but the replacement was just as amazing, informative, and inspiring.  It was about Kiki Smith, an amazing artist who works in many mediums, as she prepared for a house museum exhibit in Venice, France.  After the movie we perused the galleries with new pieces and were fortunate enought to have a delightful interchange with one of the museums trustees.  We also got to see the new ceramic and welding wing that had recently been added to the art school.  That is something on my bucket list, to take a ceramics class again someday.  I had done many art classes as a kid but got away from it as an adult.  It has been my experience that people who completely imerse themselves in artful endeavors and keep their youthful thinking tend to live more healthy and ultimately longer lives.

Eat Happy.  Art Happy.

Waste Audit

Well, with the weather being the way its been we're off our regular routine. Greatly. This means the recycling has been piling up in the back of the garage. What does our refuse look like after three months? For a family of five basically.

In addition to this we've also generated 4 kitchen trash bags and 2 42lb dog food bags of various other (mostly paper and plastic bags) trash. I'll spare you the photo of that. While I still mostly shop the perimeter when I go for groceries there are certain condiment and staple items that we still purchase. But the worst culprit of refuse is the milk jugs! With four males in the house they easily go through a gallon a day and would go through more if I bought it. Prices going up as they are we may be going on a serious milk fast.

Surveying our accumulation I've been convicted once again to find a way to cut back on our trash generation. This winter I've been baking a lot, making our own sweet goodies for not only the idea of cutting down on packaging but also because of the nutritional benefits of being able to control the amounts of sugars and types of ingredients. The results of this has been a great loosening of all my pants! I am constantly persusing various books from the library on green choices, thrifty suggestions, and healthy/economical foods. My latest favorite is “The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying & Start Making” by Alana Chernila, and found it to be a fantastic resource. Some items are beyond what I would attempt such as graham crackers or bread stix.  Many recipes I've seen before and have put together myself from time to time such as pancake mixes and granolas. Where I need to put more effort into producing my own in bulk or per use is in the area of condiments. Suzanne Sommers had a great recipe in her diet books for ketchup, it's a little time consuming but definitely worth the effort, the flavors are much stronger and natural than the store bought variety.  I haven't attempted it yet, but I've always been curious about making mayonnaise.

Household items are an area that can get out of hand when it comes to packaging and disposal. Paper and plastic products for quick meals and lunches can be a great temptation as well. We try to use cloth as much as possible for napkins, rags, etc. Convienent as they are, believe it or not, paper towels contribute to 3,000 pounds of waste in landfills each day.

So, what's in your garbage?

Still working on a major overhaul of things accumulated around here.  We've seemed to become the donation zone for many, which is cool if you know you're going to use something but it's time to whittle down and make the tough choices, if it's been sitting for five years, time to go.  Just waiting to hit the ground running once all this snow-jazz is over with!

Education Remorse and Recovery

I have been having a very hard time with the state of my children's public school education for a variety of reasons.  Part of it is just a winter slump I'm sure but more and more I hear of things that are done or more accurately NOT done and the students are suffering for it. If I did have any more kids I would surely work with them at home for the early years again and I'm grateful I did that.  Alexandra homeschooled up until 9th grade and it was her idea to enter the public school arena, looking back now I regret not getting involved with co-ops and homeschool groups earlier but we covered a lot of territory on our own and she learned through field trips and activities in a way that she didn't even realize we were "doing school."  The best compliment I could get during the first and second round of conferences was "I didn't know she was homeschooled."  She hit the ground running and loved getting involved with extra-curricular activities and it was nice not to have to pay and travel for her to participate in various enrichment.  When it came to academics I did my best to let her administrate herself.  She wasn't the most organized student but she did well and for the most part liked her teachers and her classes.

circa 2004 - the sheep & lamb days

 

Fox was home until middle school and when he entered the public school he was very eager to learn and did well with his assignments however over time it seems like he's less and less impressed with the academic status of our public system.  It's not that the material is difficult but as he explains it is presented in a very "lack-luster manner."  We've just received the new Student Handbook and info for scheduling next year, his senior year, the one that you should finally get to take all those classes that you've took prerequisites for and now get to do the fun classes, challenging classes in the area you're considering to pursue in college.  However, there are no classes beyond the basics offered really.  I'm totally disgusted and discouraged.  He is going to have to take some classes online because I'm not putting him in blow off classes just to fill his schedule and he'd rather be doing something more productive too.  Since my daughter started they have dropped so many elective classes it is pathetic!  No Creative Writing, no genre classes, no mythology, no playwriting, there's hardly any extra history classes, no advanced level art classes, the business class offerings are a joke, beyond Biology and Chemistry the only other science is Environmental Science.

Benjamin is going to be a Freshman next year and the schedule is pretty much set with all required classes so there is little room for explorative classes.  The biggest "required" class I have issue with is Health, which is totally stupid and could be covered in about 2 weeks of science, an entire 12-weeks is completely unnecessary.  I honestly believe it just gives them information about some things I'd rather they not be presented with.  Ben has only done pre-school, Kindergarten, 2nd and most of 3rd grade at home.  He did better having someone other than Mom as the educational authority but I see his attitude becoming more jaded as time goes on.  His particular class has a pretty bad reputation and I'm not really keen on him getting lumped in with that group.  Normally he's an all A student but this year his grades are slipping a bit and I think it is because of boredom and lack of challenging subject matter not to mention influence of associates.  He'll be in seated classes for 9th grade but we may investigate some other options for sophomore year.  This one is my all attitude boy and time will tell if he decides to explore other learning options.  The other challenge is the new requirement starting with the class of 2016 that students need two credits of a foreign language to graduate.  Our Spanish and French classes are pretty weak and not what they really want to pursue.  I'm going to hold off on the language classes until his junior year so he can get his prerequisities done to do the CAD and design classes which is what he'll need for the engineering track.

Ethan has already committed to jumping off the seated class roster and working with me to plan an alternative schedule for his 8th grade year.  We're deciding on which classes to register for online, which we'll develop our own curriculum for, and which he'll go into the building for.  It was my intention for Ben and Ethan to work entirely online for the 2nd trimester this year but I kept getting talked out of it.  With as much school as we've missed I wish I would have stuck to my guns.  Next time around I will.  E has also become remise of the attitudes and behavior of many guys in his class that he thought of as friends.  This is a time for some serious character development, hope I can help him make good choices, or at least make sure he knows options are available.  He also thinks he could get through material much quicker if he worked on his own without so many distractions.

We're exploring summer camp options as well, need to keep sane during these snow days.  Thinking about summer helps.  Fox applied for a program in Midland at Northwood University called LAB (Learning About Business) Free-Enterprise Camp.  They except 40 students.  He also applied and interviewed for the Capitol Experience trip through 4H and attended another Model U.N. event at Saginaw Valley State University as the Canada delegate.  There is one more coming up at Hope College, wherein he'll represent the Netherlands.  I got to attend the Wayne State event, it was very interesting to see how things are run and the work the students do from different schools.  Very eye-opening.  Meet your college-bound competition.  Speaking of college I've been getting Fox registered for campus visits.  So far we've booked Oakland University in March, Grand Valley in April, and Central Michigan in May. Ben would like to go to the Lake Superior State University Engineering Camp that Fox attended in 2010 but I also found another program at Michigan Tech!

Both Fox and Ben made the decision to withdraw from robotics.  While I am normally a don't-quit-and-see-it-through kind of parent in this particular case I felt it would be better for all involved if that choice was honored.  There were many factors in play but sometimes it says more to set a limit and step away when things are not progressing well.  I'll leave it at that. 

circa 2014 - fun with forensics

 

Last weekend was our big Broncos BullYard Forensics Tournament.  Alex came and judged along with some other former NB forensicators and drama kids.  I also got to judge for the first time and checked out some categories I had never seen before during my stand-by rounds.  Judged a round of DI (Dramatic Interpretation), DUOs, and Storytelling.  The presenters were amazing it was so hard to rank them!  Ethan took his Wizard Collection of Poems piece again but added another poem.  He didn't break semis but had a great time watching his friends who did.  He was inspired to try Impromptu Sales and in high school Broadcasting.  For the Spring Season he's going to work up a Storytelling piece, we're currently researching material.

Creative Climate

This winter continues to be relentless, the snow, the ice, the extreme cold, and some major winds have been taking its toll on everyone's spirits and pocketbooks.  Cars don't want to work, pipes are at risk of freezing, our one hot water heater never stays lit for long because the wind keeps blowing it out which is very aggravating.  Hubby has tried many things over the years to combat this problem but nothing seems to work.  It's just been an endless stream of challenges for everyone. 

I've hardly subbed at all because we've barely had any real school days.  So my time has been spent revamping the house and doing some repurposing and preparations for house projects when the weather breaks.  We've got a lot of deconstructing to do before we re-construct.  Mostly this entails packing up stuff and moving furniture.  I have half of the house neat and organized the other half is the "in progress" side. This is nothing new to me since I've always seemed to live some sort of double life. [smile, wink]  Also, decided to relieve some boredom by doing a repurpose project, painting and changing out knobs on an old dresser from my mom's house that is now the "credenza" for my new office space.  What do you think?

I know the color choices are a little out there but I like it.  And this is my new office space.  I've been working to get organized and move into a more professional attitude with my goals for writing.  Got a new laptop and have been relearning the most basic functions on this newfangled system that you're forced to have on your computers.  Arg.  Also loaded the Scrivener program and files for two novels I've composed and am in the process of editing, polishing and completing.  Honestly for a few days there I never felt so stupid in my life when came to navigating through this new set up but I think I'm finally getting the hang of it.

My brother sent me an awesome book for Christmas called "the War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles" by Steven Pressfield which is absolutely fantastic and just the shot in the arm I needed.  The first section talks about the 'resistance' or basically all the big and little things that keep you from that creative goal.  "It's not the writing part that's hard. What's hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is Resistance."  I've just entered the second section "Combating the Resistance" and again, great stuff.  Also came across an article in a Writing Basics magazine about tips for success, Number 1: Never do laundry!  Meaning don't think you're going to "just throw in one load" because it will escalate from there and the next thing you know you're reorganizing your kid's closet instead of writing.  I've been trying to write daily, something, either for the novel, a grant, my journal, random articles, or this blog post.  Something.  Anything.  Even if it's just one page, one paragraph, one sentence, just write words on the page.  They may turn into something more concrete later, they may not.  That's not the concern at this point, the idea is to just keep the creative outlet open and flowing.

What's coming up for the Parton gang next month?  Fox will be visiting the Wayne State University and Saginaw Valley State University campuses for Model U.N. events.  Ethan will be polishing his Poetry piece for the Bronco Bullpen Forensic Tourny and making his debut at the 3rd Degree Burns Annual Fundraiser, and Ben will continue work on Team #5201's robot (Spartonix)  that will need to be bagged by mid-month.  And hopefully we'll all be enjoying some kind of break in this tundra-like climate we've been having.

I leave you with a little writer's humor. 

Stay Warm.  Stay Safe.  Stay Grateful.

Smoothies, Skinless, Success!

Over these wintry weeks I've been having some fun in the kitchen, finally feeling a flow of good, clean, eating in our household.  I'm not expert, but have been making strides over the years to avoid processed foods, "shop the perimeter" and in the best case of scenarios; grow it or raise it yourself.  In the colder months it is a challenge to have fresh, so frozen is the next best.
 
I am a smoothie master and the boys will tell you so.  They are so easy and pack a punch of flavor and nutrients. Here's one of my classics.  Started with fresh strawberries (frozen work too),

 

then broke up two bananas, and squeezed in juice from three oranges.  Blend. 

 

Add can of pineapple if desired.  Blend some more. 

 

 

  Big shots for 4.

 

 

There are many great resources on how to make smoothies, but there's really no rules.  Here is a great list of 50 from Food Network.  I have a book on Kindle that I get ideas from, he's big into using coconut milk or water.  I like to use Almond Milk or vanilla yogurt, it all depends and certain times I also add wheat germ or flax seed meal, ginger or mint to boost the power!

 

Even if I can't grow pie pumpkins myself I always buy some when they are for sale locally grown.  They are baked, spiced, and frozen to be used in yummy creations during the 'hibernating months.'  I defrosted some to make a homemade pie, although truth be told I bought frozen crust, shame on me.  Pie crust is one thing that I've never been blessed with a talent for.  BUT I can put together a mean filling and this time I ended up with extra filling so I pulled out a small tin, greased and floured it, then poured in the extra and sprinkled some mini chocolate chips on top.  My kids never got into pie crust much any way and most holidays would leave it sitting on the plate, so voila! 

 

Skinless Pumpkin Pie

 

 

Made my first attempt at homemade egg rolls (except for the wrapper).  It was a relatively easy process and they tasted delicious.  I decided to use turkey instead of pork.  I also realized I did not have soy sauce or oyster sauce (who EVER has oyster sauce) as I was reading the recipe.  So I used a Teryaki Sauce instead ... awesome.  These are your basic ingredients, bean sprouts, carrots, cabbage, ground meat browned and spiced, and the wrappers. 

 

 

Carefully fill and fold, using a dab of water on the corner to help keep the closed.  I opted to use the bake method and laid them fold side down to start.

 

 

They turned out great.  I had a few wraps left over and extra veggies for the filling so I made a few meatless egg rolls for lunch one day and pan fried them.  Just as tasty!

 

 

Well, that's what's been cooking in my kitchen, in between meetings, and cleaning, and kid activities, and shopping, and subbing, and stuff like that.  Hope all is well in your world.



Fresh Start and False Start

Ah yes, another year to conquer, so many possibilities, such high hopes we have, such anticipation of the good things to come.  Well we had quite the end of 2013 when an ice storm came through our little part of Michigan and knocked out power, in our small town, in the closest 'city' to us, and beyond.  We were out for nearly 5 days right through Christmas.  Yep, no power on Christmas and you know what, we survived.

The boys were awesome and really never complained.  They have always played well together since during our homeschooling days that's what they did.  Immediately when the lights went out they pulled out some board games and came up with their own super game using RISK, Monopoly, High Bid, Masterpiece and money from several others.  Every time I would work through the room I'd overhear negotiations for stocks, shares, trades, and auctions.  It was hilarious.  After a couple days of this elaborate super game they moved into Lego mode and created a city on the coffee table and beyond.  In between they would go out and help bring in wood for the wood burning heater and snow to melt for various uses.

Christmas morning there was no present opening.  For their combined gift Rob and I decided to get them a gaming computer that they had been asking for.  It was my intention to purchase a few small gifts the Monday before Christmas as well, but when the world came to a halt on Sunday, that was no longer an option or a concern.  The computer did get delivered on the Eve by a dedicated UPS delivery person who marched up our driveway since they couldn't drive through due to tree branches over the driveway and power line but it was not put to use for days later.  The boys were happy just knowing they had one coming.  They also made some great choices in their gifts they bought for me and Rob which we opened a little early since they got a super flashlight for their Dad that was very handy in the power outage. 

My favorite gift was a pair of new frying pans that got some great use quite quickly.  Thankfully I had just gotten the propane stove hooked up in the "extra" kitchen so we were able to cook even without electricity, we strategically made our way through all leftovers in the fridge then worked on the items in the regular freezer.  The items in the stock freezer we left snuggled together as long as possible then when it was cold enough we transferred things to outside receptacles and packed ziplock bags filled with ice around stuff.  In the end we didn't lose much food but note to self, next year do more canning than freezing!

The entire experience was also an awakening for the hubby and I to get back on track with our preparedness but being self sufficient in desperate times such as these.  The list has begun on what to upgrade for next year, if not before, definitely need a new kerosene heater, fix the generator,  make sure there is always a supply of batteries, flashlights, candles and matches readily available, keep jugs of water around (we usually have a couple milk jugs full and on top of the kitchen cabinets), and work on the wood supply.  That surely shouldn't be a problem since we will be cleaning up branches until September!

I must say I sort of enjoyed the cooking during the power out, I used all the good stuff from our garden that I put in the freezer, we had locally raised meat, lots of herbs to work with, and plenty of baking supplies.  After the power came back on we got out into the world for a spell, did some grocery shopping and grabbed mostly fruits and veggies to cook with.  None to soon because 2014 began with a good snow storm that had everybody holed up again.  During the blizzard that followed the ice storm I got creative with a can of Hershey's Special Dark cocoa and made chocolate cake from scratch, gourmet hot cocoa, and fudgy brownies, all were fabulous.  When you have the time and there is no option to go anywhere it is amazing how creative and resourceful you can be.  Thankfully power stayed on when the temperatures dropped to nearly 15 below zero!

Holiday break was extended by three days and the kids finally got on the bus this morning although it was negative nine degrees while we shivered in my van that just didn't want to warm up, waiting for the bus to arrive.  The whole experience of the past couple weeks has brought back the original inspiration for moving out here in the first place, to live more sustainably and at some point off the grid.  As with so many things some times life gets in the way and since Rob was gone so much for work and I was involved with kid and community activities those goals seemed to fall by the wayside.  Hopefully this year we can start moving back toward that direction.

Who knows what the future holds, I'm happy to take each day as it comes and be grateful to have another day to be surprised.  I can tell you a few things on the horizon.  Winter activities for the boys include Robotics (Fox is on FRC Team 3535 and Ben on rookie Team 5201), Fox is also continuing with Model U.N., Ethan will be doing some more Forensic tournaments and is auditioning for a youth rock band tomorrow called 3rd Degree Burns (he's auditioning for singer and will be learning bass).  All the boys will soon begin counselor training as well and work at the 4H camp in July.  Rob began getting calls and emails from clients yesterday which is a good sign life is beginning again in his industry.  Me, I will continue my role as Vice President and Acting President for the Lapeer County Concert Choir, Chair of the 4H Camp Committee focusing the next couple months on recruiting counselors by doing presentations at NHS meetings in various area high schools, and also working to get a resurge of volunteers for the 4H Feeds Families Committee which the boys have agreed to help with as well.  Rob and I are also registered as mentors for the robotics teams and will be at as many build sessions as possible.

Here's wishing you a peaceful and prosperous 2014.  Remember don't sweat the small stuff, and it's all small stuff.