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. 

iBid Farewell

Outside my Window:  Cold, windy, several inches of snow on the ground and everything looking like crystals.  We had an ice storm earlier this week and are currently without power.  I am blogging from a remote location.  It looks beautiful but the rustic living is getting a bit old.  People are beginning to get power back so hopefully we'll be restored by the weekend.

What's on my Mind:  Making choices about which organizations and activities to stay involved in both personally and with/for the kids.  There comes a point when you can't do everything and you need to prioritize.

Had a fun outing a while back with my choir buddies to Columbiaville.  We went to lunch then shopped at a new choir supporter, Inspired, a really cool repurpose shop, then went on a tour of the William Peters Mansion, who was a lumber baron.  Very cool place, wonderfully renovated, they do parties and murder mystery dinners there plus it is a bed and breakfast.

Thankful for: Two wonderful concerts with an amazing group of singers.  Very impressed with how our sound is developing.  The Friday performance was packed out and we had a great turnout on Sunday as well.  Looking forward to "All Creation Sings" in the Spring. 

Creative Endeavors: Working on a poster design for the 2nd Annual North Branch Cross Country Spring Fitness 5K.  Almost complete and will be distributed about town after the new year.  Also lighting the fire under the Lapeer County Concert Choir board of directors to expand our educational outreach, more info to follow.

My Latest Project:  Setting up attendance at National Honor Society meetings in schools around the area to go in a recruit kids for 4H camp counselor training.  Rob and I have also become involved with the FRC Robotics team for Ed-Tech and North Branch.  The kick off is at Kettering on January 4th then the real excitment begins!

My 3 Sons:  Ben's experience at the First Tech Robotics challenge was a bit of a frustrating day but he kept it together and came in 10th out of 21 teams which isn't bad considering he never got to drive the robot before the competition due to technical difficulties.

Ethan made it to finals at his first middle school forensics tournament at Hartland and finished 6th in his category (Poetry).  The state competition at Central Michigan University was pretty fierce and he did not receive any awards there.  He is going to use his 3 Wizard poems by Jack Prelutsky piece one more time in January then begin working on a duo with his buddy Noah for the spring tournaments.  

Fox did his first Model U.N. event and is looking forward to the new topice of World Economics which he feels will be more interesting for him.  He is also waiting to do an interview for National Honor Society to be a buddy to an elementary student and has started attending meetings for the high school robotics team, they are pursuing him to be their "money man" and keep track of their financials as well as acting as a team manager. 

The First Born:  Single again.  Down to one job but that's good.  Judged her first Forensic Tourny at Central and is planning to do more and try and come help mentor the middle school team.

Employment News: I worked at Honeyflow filling holiday orders and have been subbing.  Rob is at the end of his unemployment and we just got the account for his new business, Kings Mill Technical Services, set up at a bank in town.  The calls have been coming in pretty steady and hopefully will continue.  Since we've been down this road of self-employment before we have a little bit better plan going into it so I believing this will a succesfully move.

Hoping to Improve:  Making time to write.  Running schedule has been messed up because of the icy conditions.  Looking forwarding to running my first 8K on Jan 31st regardless of training.  Below is the HSXC team at the Fall Sports Banquet.

Food for Thought: I've been reading a great book called Food Rules: An Eater's Manual by Michael Pollen that really enforces the thought behind the food choices we make.  It helps me stay true to the cause of fresh eating especially when the schedule gets busy and "fast food" gets tempting.  My friend who battles with arthrtis has adopted a no wheat and no sugar routine over the past few months and has noticed a remarkable difference in her condition, basically no inflamation and very little pain/discomfort.  What you eat matters and heals if we just give it time for the body to accept the change.  Taking a pill just covers symptoms for a time but doesn't really heal anything.....just saying.

Last Words:  Here is my mantra for the new year ....
 

   

iWasn't Ready for Snow

Outside my Window:  Orange, yellow and brown leaves all over the ground, lots of wind, and today rain expected to turn to snow later in the day.....and now as I finish this post it is officially snowing.  Love Michigan!

What's on my Mind:  Grace.  How to guide teenage boys with authority and love from a mother's perspective.

Thankful for:  Rob having more time to deal with projects around the house due to his unemployment.  One deer in the freezer, hoping for another.  4 new tires on my van.

Creative Endeavors:  Putting together the marking materials for LCCC's December concert.  I think it turned out pretty awesome.  Now I'm working with the typesetter on the program.  Lots of work but always worthwhile in the end.

My Latest Project:  I am TRYING to do National Novel Writing Month  (NaNoWriMo) again but it is not going very well.  My word count is not where it should be but I'm not giving up yet. 

My 3 Sons: The cross country season has come to a close.  It was a rough go for a moment with Fox, he and the coach got into over some things at one point and he actually quit the team in haste and frustration.  After a cooling down period they made ammends, Fox had a week of suspension but then came back and finished with the team with a fabulous new personal record of 20:19.  Our Senior girl and Fox's CC buddy made it to State Competition this year at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, MI so just about the entire team made the trek to cheer her on.  Now Fox is shifting into Model U.N. mode and is also participating in off season sessions twice a week after school.  Congrats also, he was inducted into the National Honor Society this month.

Benjamin's S.T.E.M. class is working on a robotics unit and will be going to Hartland in a couple weeks for a competition.  I am planning to go along and help as a team manager as well as just being there to support the middle school science teacher in this endeavor.

Ethan was awarded "Rookie of the Year" for middle school which I totally wasn't expecting.  Coach also gave all the ms kids an engraved medal for their amazing efforts.  Now Ethan is working on his piece for Forensics.  The kids stay after school as a group on Mondays then come in for individual practice one other day.  He is working on a group of Jack Pruletsky poems about wizards.  Their first tournament will be in a couple weeks in Hartland also.

The First Born:  Working like a dog but loving her two new work families.  She is also going to be helping with the local forensic tournaments as a judge.

Employment News: Nothing to report.  Although Rob has been fielding many calls nothing concrete has developed and it looks like he may be returning to his self-employed status as traveling CNC tech.  My feelings are mixed about this but I'm trying to stay positive.

Hoping to Improve:  My running schedule.  Right now I'm only getting out twice a week, once on my own for a brisk 2-mile then on Saturdays with the small group I run with.  Did 4.4 with them last week, need to add another loop before the New Year's Resolution race since I've set a goal to run the 8K this year.

Food for Thought:  Enjoying the final spoils of the garden, finishing the lettuce that I planted late, and harvesting the herbs (thyme, rosemary, cilantro, and parsley).  Put together a few bottles of herb vinegar to use during the winter.  Got the big garden rototilled, moved the carpet that was preparing a new area, turned that over and extended the plot once more.  Hoping to double my yield next year.

Last Words:

iGive

Outside my Window: Beautiful sunshine but crispy air temp.

What's on my Mind: How to parent teenage boys.  Mine have been a real treat lately.  And trust me, I know they are tame in their rebellions compared to what I understand some people have dealt with.  It's a delicate dance.  You know what they say, "teeangers are God's way of helping us let go." 

Thankful for: Opportunity.   And keeping the bills paid.

My Latest Project has been taken advantage of my employer's generosity and picking batches of grapes for jelly and juice which has also become my Creative Endeavors as well.  My friend Sarah offered her kitchen and we spent a day making several batches of jelly.  She stuck with the traditional Concord jelly recipe while I used some Canadice and Cayuga grapes with natural sugar, honey, and regular sugar (in various batches). 

She made two batches of Concord that turned out fabulous plus had juice to spare for another batch the next day.  I did four different batches with the two varieties, only one set of the Cayuga set, but it IS tasty!  The rest I'm using for a juice base and in granola bars.  Last night I juiced up some Stuebens, they are very similar to the Concord but slightly mellower.  The boys taste tested it and said it didn't even need sugar added.  Next batch is NO sugar, followed by a LOW Sugar, and one HONEY batch.  Fun times.  Also working on a round of Canadice juice.  Yummo!

My 3 Sons: The boys have started to push the boundaries a bit as would be expected with teenagers which has caused some tense days.  Not to mention their poor choices creating much unwarrented distress.  We had a week where it felt everyone lost their bloody mind and now after penanance and discipline measures have taken place we seem to be back on an even keel once again.

Fox recently subbmitted his application for National Honor Society.  Ethan has checked in with the middle school Forensics supervisors and is in the process of selecting a piece to work on.  Ben's soccer experience has been challenging with the rec program again this year but we're sticking it out and making the best of it.

The first Born: Still vegan.  Still working 2 jobs.  May help with some Forensics events with the North Branch School team since little bro is going to be competing.  Alex did in high school and really enjoyed it.

Employment News: Didn't get the position I interviewed for but found out I was second choice.  Not sure how I feel about that.  Probably going to continue working at the farm part-time helping fill online orders.  Still subbing as well, been in the middle school a few times already and high school special ed.

Hoping to Improve: My attitude.  Feeling very crabby and complaintive lately....could be hormonal.  Or that I'm a pink drowning in a blue world if you know what I mean.  Being the only female in the house can push your limits of grace to the brink.

Food for Thought:  Recipes made with love can never be fattening!  (Smile)

Last Words:

Make it a point to do something every day that you don't want to do. This is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain.

~Mark Twain

iGet Sticky

Outside my Window: Morning darkness with a lines of fog as the sun begins to lift into the sky while the moon still glows. At least it was when I started to write this post.  Now, the sun is shining and the birds are singing but the air remains slightly chilly.

What's on my Mind: Simplicity.  Back to basics.  Cash Only.  We've been working towards this for many years and it has started to become second nature.  I'm glad.

Thankful for: A great place to work.  I've really been enjoying my days at Honeyflow Farm, meeting people from different countries, talking with people from the U.S. that are nutritionally and environmentally aware, being in the good outdoors, learning a new skill, working with my oldest son.

Creative Endeavors: I've been bringing a composition notebook to work, and write for a second when there's a lull.  Started to brainstorm ideas for this year's NaNoWriMo story.  Might cheat a bit and pull out an idea I started a couple years ago but stalled on and go for a finish.  But I have a couple fresh ideas that intrigue me as well..... oh, the possibilities!

Latest Project: DECLUTTERING Still.......

My 3 Sons: Enjoying their school routine, classes, and sports.  Right now they are keeping it all As, have been checking their own status and reporting to me before I've even gone and checked!  Wink, smile, nudge.  What's up with that?  Hope it sticks.

Ethan is in Drama class 6th hour and goes over to the high school building for it, interested to see what their final production will be.

Ben has started soccer practices, so far it has worked out with cross country, no problem.  Haven't gotten the game schedule yet.

Fox is having a decent running season coming through pain free at the end of races.  He also is working Sundays with me at Honeyflow. 

Sunny day at the Lapeer County Meet!  Fox just finished running and Ben and Ethan were waiting for the middle school race.  Ben medaled. They all had good times on a tough course.

The first Born: Workin, workin, workin' day and night!  I'm guaranteed at least one check in a month when she makes her car insurance payment!

Employment News: Interview tomorrow.......

Hoping to Improve:  Continued fresh eating into winter.

Food for Thought:  The food you eat that is grown closer to you, locally, has more nutritional value than food produced farther away.  The farther away, and the more processing involved, the less nutrition it holds.

Last Words:  

iMade the Tealights

Outside my Window: The days have been overcast lately and the weather cooling.  Perfect yardwork temperatures, love those hoodies days!  Above is a snap from the cross-country course at Brown City High School and Nature Center.  It was a wonderful day for a run.

What's on my Mind: Getting my yoga practice back into the schedule.  Now that the boys will be in school I can get back to my morning routine of practicing while the house is quiet.  It's not the same when everyone is home and I just don't get up early enough to do it before the rest of the household awakes in the summer.

Thankful for: Another fun and educational outing with my choir ladies, this time to Port Huron to see the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse.  There is a 20 year restoration plan for the facility and things are looking wonderful so far.

Creative Endeavors: Still working with my perennials moving plants around and getting the colors and sizes arranged better around the house.  Rob also got the wood chipper going finally so hoping to mulch up all the branches he trimmed over the last few weeks and get a good covering down on the gardens.

Latest Project: Decluttering (an ongoing, neverending project, really) and setting things aside for our massive garage sale next summer.

My 3 Sons: First day back to school could not have come to soon.  The boys were so bored they couldn't wait to get back in the academic routine!  Me, too!  I forgot to explain in the last post that after a couple of regular football practices Fox realized there was too much he did not know about the sport and decided to go back to cross country with a new perspective, refreshed appreciation, and upgraded attitude.  Ben is also going to double sport this season with rec-soccer since he needs to get as much field time in as possible before high school try-outs next year.

The first Born: Loving her two new jobs closer to home, both still in food service but that's fine.  She opens for Tim Hortons and does evenings at Appleby's in different towns.

Employment News: Started this past weekend at the farm, pouring honey, making candles, helping customers.  It was a steady but slow opening but in another week or two when the prime grapes come in things are going to get wild!

Hoping to Improve: Working together on projects with my husband and making the tough choices to let items go that are useless, hold bad chi, or can bring some kind of profit.

Food for Thought: "I have been inspired by seeing folks tackle this challenge [eating fresh] head-on, in unique ways. For instance, the Edible Schoolyard project founded in California by Alice Waters, the head of the buy local, eat fresh movement, has had a tremendous impact on the children involved as well as on the local community in which the project was founded.  I was so impressed by this project that I have worked with Alice and some other folkds in order to bring an edible schoolyard to one of our schools in New Orleans.  As a result, children are eating better, more healthful meals, and have a genuine respect for Mother Earth and the hard work required to put food on the table.  They are learning about nutrition, gardening, and the impact of farming on our environment."  ~Emeril Lagasse - Farm to Fork: Cooking Local, Cooking Fresh

Last Words:

iHave no Expectations

Outside my Window:  We have been having the most wonderful weather lately, warm but not miserable, mixed with some cooler days that start you off with sweatshirts in the morning but by 11a it's t-shirt and shorts all the way.  The activity around the Buddliea bushes in the Gramma Garden has been crazy, very hard to capture these busy creatures on film.

What's on my Mind:  Mental health, forgiveness, family.  I just finished reading the book "Silver Linings Playbook" for our next book club meeting.  I had seen the movie in theaters but it had been enough time that I could forget what I saw and really get into the characters as written.  It really made me think more about the influence of family and relationships; when you need to forgive, let go and keep connection; and when you need to completely release any contact for the sake of your mental well-being.  It's a very fine line and a tricky road to cross. 

Thankful for:  A great first cross country meet at Croswell-Lexington High School this morning.  The weather was perfect, we had the biggest team since my boys have been involved, and Fox had his old mojo back, having fun with his running buddies and taking it all in stride.  Coach wasn't pushing anybody, this was an invitational meet and the goal was just to get a baseline time set to work off of for the rest of the season.

Creative Endeavors:  Putting together a Fundraising Packet for the Lapeer County Concert Choir 2013-14 campaign.  Rearranging perennials from various garden areas.

Latest Project:  Getting the donations to the 4H Feeds Families Committe delivered and/or stored until the organizations can use it.  Since there was so much meat donated I had to get resourceful and got a freezer donated from the Habitat for Humanity Restore.  We gave some to House of Hope which prepares hot meals weekly at various locations, some to North Branch Emergency Aid which distributes weekly food boxes, and some to the United Methodist Women for their shut-in meals that they prepare and deliver to the elderly in the community.

My 3 Sons:  Getting put to work around the property quite a bit, luggin tree limbs, raking grass clipping, push mowing, cleaning out and rearranging the back of the garage.  Still to come, closing down the piggie pen and making modifications for next time.  Went to Junior orientation with Fox this week and got his schedule. These his classes for the entire year:
AP Prep English, Pre-Calc, AP US Government, Economics, Physics, Drafting, 3D Design, Intro Stats, Current Events, You and the Law

Middle School open house is coming up this week for Ben and Ethan although they've already gone online and peeked at their classes.  E wanted to find out if he made it into PreAlgebra....he did!  He's also got Drama class for first trimester and Ben will be in the S.T.E.M. class again which he loved.

I've also asked all the boys to find a non-sport actvity or club to do during the winter months.  Ethan is going to try Forensics, Fox is thinking about Model U.N. and/or Legislative Debate, Ben is not sure what he'll do yet.  We talked about maybe trying F.F.A. (Future Farmer of America) but he's not that convinced.

The first Born:  Putting in applications EVERYWHERE, finally started getting calls for interviews.  Had a job offer today to start training next week.  Has another 2nd interview tomorrow and is hoping to be able to work at both places since they've been talking to her about different shifts.  Both are far closer to home so gas expenses will be extremely less plus no more BK drama.  You go girl!

Employment News:  Did my renewal tutorials for subbing but have also been putting in online applications looking for a regular secretarial or administrative assistant job in the area.  Also going to be working weekends at Honeyflow.

Hoping to Improve:  I've begun reading a very disconcerting book "Pandora's Lunchbox: How Processed Food Took Over the American Meal" by Melanie Warner.  My crusade to cut out processed food began awhile back, this information will certainly propel me to stay on track.  These food scientists are so proud of their preserving accomplishments but what has transpired in the meantime is not even close to real food any more, it's really just food representation.

Food for Thought:  Since our employment change we have been blessed with donations from neighbors' gardens and freezers plus our garden is coming in nicely.  It has been a joy to cook for my men regularly again with locally grown/raised produce/livestock. I've also been working on freezing zucchini, swiss chard, and apples.  From garden to bowl....quick and easy coleslaw!

Last Words: 

Life is 10% what you make it

and 90% how you take it.

~Irving Berlin