Is it just me or is time speeding up?
I was just telling Chuck that he needed to update his blog. "My blog?" He says. "You need to update your blog!" So, here I am... updating my blog just in case there is anybody who still checks in on me from time to time. :o)
We didn't do much for Independence Day, just did our normal morning exercise and then worked around the house most of the day. We met some friends at Mass and then afterward went to a neighbor's house for a potluck dinner. That was fun, and we leared quite a bit about the area from folks that have lived, and farmed here for almost 30 years. Just don't ask me how to pronounce their (Finnish) last name!
Speaking of exercise, I bet you're wondering whether or not I've been keeping track of my minutes. (Remember my resolution to get 9,002 minutes of exercise this year?) Well, I don't have the exact number in front of me now, but I've gotten somewhere over four thousand minutes of exercise through the end of June. Thanks to P90X, Chuck and I are getting at least an hour of exercise a day, six days a week. We've just completed week 3!
The big event from the last week was a new addition to our family. No, I'm not pregnant again... yet! ;-) We adopted a new dog named Sophie. She is a St. Bernard; she's actually small for her breed weighing "only" about 100 pounds. I'll admit, the first day she made me nervous. Such a huge dog around the little children would make any mother nervous, I think. The fact that she got away from Daniel and killed one of our chickens that first day did NOT help matters. However, as she has been settling in this week, I've realized she really is a very gentle and well-trained dog. We just don't take her anywhere near the chicken yard! She has very good leash manners, will heal and sit on command, and she's already house-broken. Either Chuck or I will get some pictures up pretty soon, I hope.
It's been so long since I last wrote, you would think I'd have more to write about. Well, that's all I really can make time for right now anyway. The kids and Chuck and I are all doing well. God bless you all!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
I'm Still Here!
I think it is funny that my last blog update was on April Fools' Day. Ha!
We are all doing well, we've just been so busy. I'm only getting on the computer every couple of days, and when I do it's only for a minute. Quite a change from a year or so ago when I'd sit at the computer any time Mary Mae needed to nurse, several times a day!
As of yesterday, Chuck has been home for exactly three months. Every once in a while one or the other of us will have an attack of doubt and worry, but for the most part we encourage each other right out of it. Lord help us if we ever have an attack at the same time! ;-)
Well, since I last updated we went and got a pair of dairy goats. Cocoa is a 4-year-old Alpine and Lily is a 2-year-old Toggenburg. They are both sweet as can be, very well behaved as far as goats go, and they are giving us about 5 quarts a day of the sweetest, yummiest milk we've ever had! We've also increased our chicken flock to 40-some hens. Not all of them are laying yet (the younger ones) but we're getting around two dozen eggs a day. We've put up signs to start selling eggs... only sold one dozen so far, but gotta start somewhere. Now if we could just get the garden in it would feel like a "real" homestead around here.
All the kids are well, staying healthy and spending as much time as possible outside. They only come in these days to eat and sleep, and even then they come in reluctantly. ;-)
There really isn't that much to share as far as news goes. Our little lives in the North Woods just goes on, day by day, one way or another. God is so very, very good to us. I cannot begin to tell all the little ways in which He has blessed us these last few months.
I'm posting this message with a bit of haste and a lot of love... God bless you all!
We are all doing well, we've just been so busy. I'm only getting on the computer every couple of days, and when I do it's only for a minute. Quite a change from a year or so ago when I'd sit at the computer any time Mary Mae needed to nurse, several times a day!
As of yesterday, Chuck has been home for exactly three months. Every once in a while one or the other of us will have an attack of doubt and worry, but for the most part we encourage each other right out of it. Lord help us if we ever have an attack at the same time! ;-)
Well, since I last updated we went and got a pair of dairy goats. Cocoa is a 4-year-old Alpine and Lily is a 2-year-old Toggenburg. They are both sweet as can be, very well behaved as far as goats go, and they are giving us about 5 quarts a day of the sweetest, yummiest milk we've ever had! We've also increased our chicken flock to 40-some hens. Not all of them are laying yet (the younger ones) but we're getting around two dozen eggs a day. We've put up signs to start selling eggs... only sold one dozen so far, but gotta start somewhere. Now if we could just get the garden in it would feel like a "real" homestead around here.
All the kids are well, staying healthy and spending as much time as possible outside. They only come in these days to eat and sleep, and even then they come in reluctantly. ;-)
There really isn't that much to share as far as news goes. Our little lives in the North Woods just goes on, day by day, one way or another. God is so very, very good to us. I cannot begin to tell all the little ways in which He has blessed us these last few months.
I'm posting this message with a bit of haste and a lot of love... God bless you all!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
April
The first quarter of 2009 is already over. Time flies when you're having fun! ;-)
We have had wet stuff falling out of the sky off and on for a couple of days now. It is too cold to be rain, too wet to be snow, not icy enough to be sleet... just your typical "early-early-spring" nameless precipitation. We still have lots of snow, but the bare patches of ground are spreading and multiplying day by day. I think all of us are getting restless for spring.
Today I did something that surprised all of us, even myself. I made pasties. Usually when I've attempted to make pastry it has ended in frustration. But it worked today. The amazing thing is that I didn't follow a recipe, didn't measure a thing, and yet this pastry crust dough turned out more workable than anything I've done before. Within this crust you put a mixture of meat (I used ground beef and pork, but we'll probably use ground mutton next time), potatoes, carrots, onion, and rutabaga. It is quite literally a beef pot pie but without the "pot". They are so yummy, and I think they look pretty, too.
We have had wet stuff falling out of the sky off and on for a couple of days now. It is too cold to be rain, too wet to be snow, not icy enough to be sleet... just your typical "early-early-spring" nameless precipitation. We still have lots of snow, but the bare patches of ground are spreading and multiplying day by day. I think all of us are getting restless for spring.
Today I did something that surprised all of us, even myself. I made pasties. Usually when I've attempted to make pastry it has ended in frustration. But it worked today. The amazing thing is that I didn't follow a recipe, didn't measure a thing, and yet this pastry crust dough turned out more workable than anything I've done before. Within this crust you put a mixture of meat (I used ground beef and pork, but we'll probably use ground mutton next time), potatoes, carrots, onion, and rutabaga. It is quite literally a beef pot pie but without the "pot". They are so yummy, and I think they look pretty, too.
I've been keeping up on my exercise resolution, aren't you surprised!? ;-) In February I got 1,038 minutes of exercise. March was way less, only 691 minutes. This gives me a YTD total of 3,056 minutes towards my goal for the year of 9,002 minutes of exercise. "Somebody" broke my scale more than a month ago, so I have no idea what I'm weighing these days. Maybe that's just as well! I'm feeling good, though, and that is the point anyway.
One thing I have NOT kept up with, and that is taking pictures of the children. I'll really try to get lots of pictures to share tomorrow! But Mary is pushing her blanket on my lap and that means she's ready for bedtime.
God bless!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
What a month!
I can't believe I've neglected my blog ever since Thomas' birthday. Bad blogger! We have had a very eventful time since then, so at least I have a good excuse for disappearing.
Chuck has been home for over a month. It has been a big adjustment for him and for the kids and me, but we are so happy about being all together again. The "vacation" feeling has been wearing off for him, though, so he's been chopping wood, working around the house, spending extra time playing with the kids, and generally keeping himself busy doing all those "guy" things he now has time to do. Right now he is giving the Suburban an oil change under the watchful eye of a few little boys and one curious chicken. And in his "free" time he is studying for the state licensing exam to sell insurance. He is hoping to be able to complete this process within a few more weeks so prayers would be most appreciated!
In a way I guess you could say that Chuck and I have temporarily traded places. I got a part-time job working at the restaurant in town. I've completed two weeks now, and there are lots of things I like about the job. I'm finding out that cleaning somebody else's kitchen can be a lot more enjoyable than cleaning mine. I'm also picking up a few ideas that will help keep my own kitchen running more smoothly. When there is time I'll be sure to share some of these tips, in case some of my readers might find them helpful. It has been very strange to be employed outside the home again after more than a decade of being "just" a mom. Despite the fact that staying at home is looked down on by most people as a waste of time and talent, I was always really proud of my "SAHM" status. Thinking about it, maybe that is exactly why Our Lord has asked me to give up that status for a while. Another benefit is that I will never walk into a restaurant again without more appreciation of what the staff is dealing with.
And through all this we are seeing just how wonderful our bunch of kids can be. They have really pulled together and been working well through this time of adjustment. We are keeping up with their school work and chores pretty well. Everybody has been healthy, which is just amazing. For this cold and flu season we've had one minor bug that didn't even hit all the children. I am so thankful for their good health! I know it has been a long time since we've put pictures up. I promise we will get pictures just as soon as I have time to take some worth sharing.
We are heading toward spring break-up, but not there yet. There is still way more snow than bare ground out there! We're having highs above freezing, but there is snow in the forecast for this weekend, and we still have the "Easter blizzard" to contend with. Then there will be several weeks where we trade in the snow for mud (not an improvement, if you ask me.) And THEN it will finally really be spring!
I'm sure there is more that I'm forgetting to share, but that's all the update I have time for right now. Thank you all for your love and prayers... God will bless you for your kindness!
Chuck has been home for over a month. It has been a big adjustment for him and for the kids and me, but we are so happy about being all together again. The "vacation" feeling has been wearing off for him, though, so he's been chopping wood, working around the house, spending extra time playing with the kids, and generally keeping himself busy doing all those "guy" things he now has time to do. Right now he is giving the Suburban an oil change under the watchful eye of a few little boys and one curious chicken. And in his "free" time he is studying for the state licensing exam to sell insurance. He is hoping to be able to complete this process within a few more weeks so prayers would be most appreciated!
In a way I guess you could say that Chuck and I have temporarily traded places. I got a part-time job working at the restaurant in town. I've completed two weeks now, and there are lots of things I like about the job. I'm finding out that cleaning somebody else's kitchen can be a lot more enjoyable than cleaning mine. I'm also picking up a few ideas that will help keep my own kitchen running more smoothly. When there is time I'll be sure to share some of these tips, in case some of my readers might find them helpful. It has been very strange to be employed outside the home again after more than a decade of being "just" a mom. Despite the fact that staying at home is looked down on by most people as a waste of time and talent, I was always really proud of my "SAHM" status. Thinking about it, maybe that is exactly why Our Lord has asked me to give up that status for a while. Another benefit is that I will never walk into a restaurant again without more appreciation of what the staff is dealing with.
And through all this we are seeing just how wonderful our bunch of kids can be. They have really pulled together and been working well through this time of adjustment. We are keeping up with their school work and chores pretty well. Everybody has been healthy, which is just amazing. For this cold and flu season we've had one minor bug that didn't even hit all the children. I am so thankful for their good health! I know it has been a long time since we've put pictures up. I promise we will get pictures just as soon as I have time to take some worth sharing.
We are heading toward spring break-up, but not there yet. There is still way more snow than bare ground out there! We're having highs above freezing, but there is snow in the forecast for this weekend, and we still have the "Easter blizzard" to contend with. Then there will be several weeks where we trade in the snow for mud (not an improvement, if you ask me.) And THEN it will finally really be spring!
I'm sure there is more that I'm forgetting to share, but that's all the update I have time for right now. Thank you all for your love and prayers... God will bless you for your kindness!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Happy Birthday, Thomas!
Five years ago today, our Thomas was born!
Interestingly enough, Mardi Gras fell on this day the year he was born, too. I remember joking that I began my penance a day early. ;-) Chuck made homemade doughnuts for breakfast today, so that was a real treat. Thomas has requested shepherd's pie for his birthday dinner, and a chocolate cake for dessert.
I'll post some pictures later this evening...
Monday, February 23, 2009
Bizarre
When Obama's picture showed up on votive candles a few weeks before the election, I thought that was strange.
Since his election I have seen him referred to as "Savior" and "The One" as well as the "Anti-Christ". That's weired enough. But this picture, which I snagged from a news article linked in my yahoo mailbox, is just plain CREEPY.
I asked Thomas and Joseph what they thought it looked like, and they said he has a "halo".
Like I said; creepy.
Lord, have mercy...
Since his election I have seen him referred to as "Savior" and "The One" as well as the "Anti-Christ". That's weired enough. But this picture, which I snagged from a news article linked in my yahoo mailbox, is just plain CREEPY.
I asked Thomas and Joseph what they thought it looked like, and they said he has a "halo".Like I said; creepy.
Lord, have mercy...
Friday, February 20, 2009
Almost here!
Chuck just called a bit ago.. his plane landed safely and he is driving home right now. Thank you for your prayers! I hope you all have a very blessed weekend!
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