Resolution Tuesday: The Final Week

And here we are. Three days and it's all over. I've decided that a weekly reporting made the year go faster than normal LOL!

This week's report will be a final recap:

Area 1: Weight

The final reckoning is 7 pounds remaining off as of the end of 2011. I'm sure I lost many more than that and then put them back on. But, the fact is that 7 STAYED off. 2012 will be a new effort in this area.

Area 2: Family

My "family" of seven will dwindle as of Friday. My sister and her family will close on their house then and will be sleeping there that night. Instantly we will be a family of three again, with no little baby. I will miss the baby! They won't let me keep him, though. Something about wanting him for themselves. A little selfish, if you ask me...

Area 3: Schedule

Now that the holidays are almost over, I'll be getting back to regularly scheduled life. We're settling in for the winter and I might possibly waltz more furniture around. HERE I talked about moving to our first floor leaving the second floor as storage, pretty much. We're going to be moving our wood stove to the first floor which should actually send some heat up to the 2nd. I JUST might consider moving the bedrooms up there again. We'll see.

Area 4: Chassis Maintenance

The ol' chassis is a year older now. There are new wrinkles, aches and pains. Things don't work exactly like they used to. New things have shown up that No One Told Me About. I don't consider myself a "clunker." No, I am now moving into "vintage." What does one do with a vintage vehicle? I'll tell you. It is garage-kept and given pristine care with the best fluids and fuels. There's also a lot of praise and appreciation. Sounds good to me!

Area 5: Debt

The dead part of the season is here, as far as my husband's work schedule goes. It's been a week now since he's had work. He saved back some chair repair jobs, etc. for this downtime, but there's still a hole until some work that he was able to schedule for January. Meanwhile, he's been doing repairs around the house. One year, and soon, the debt WILL be gone and this downtime in the work season will not be the same feeling as it has been. One year, soon.

Area 6: Garden

Put to bed and waiting for next year's plan. I already know some things I will NOT be planting. I'm also determined to learn all I can about growing tomatoes. Next year's goal is a HARVEST of those yummy things!

Resolution Tuesday: 2 Weeks to Go

TWO, count them, TWO weeks to go until 2011 is gone. What will 2012 bring?

Here's the second to last reporting of my 2011 goals and how they're going:

Area 1: Weight

Another year and a total of 7 pounds lighter. Seven. That's not all the pounds that have been lost, no. Those are the ones that stayed away once I banished them. That part is good...

Area 2: Family

We have completed three weeks of family togetherness with my sister's family. We're having a blast but they're eager to get into their own home. It looks like that won't be before Christmas, so Christmas will be at my house this year!

Area 3: Schedule

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!

Area 6: Chassis Maintenance

Can it GET any more dry? We have been using pots of water on our woodstove as well as humidifiers, but goodness! Of course, I have been drinking non-stop sweet tea and pretty much no water. Perhaps there lies the source of my pruniness?

Area 5: Debt

We've been minimal in our gift giving this year. For my husband's side of the family I scanned in all of my MIL's pictures and put them on a CD. This will be the second Christmas since she died and I thought it would be nice to have the collection available.

For my side of the family, I made a photo album of a selection of photos from mine and my sisters' childhoods. It turned out REALLY well. Snapfish had an offer for "buy one, get two free" so I took advantage of it. HERE is a link to that offer which is good until December 26, 2011.

Area 6: Garden

We finally got a load of manure for the garden. I never did get the cover crop planted, but I WILL be ready to do that next fall/winter. The fact that we were able to get the manure (for free!) was really great. We knew we didn't want horse, even though it was plentiful. My dh talked to a man a few streets over who raises 2-3 steers on his 3 acres each year (for their own meat) and he told him to help himself.

Maybe NEXT year the tomatoes will be happy enough to actually grow!

Resolution Tuesday: 4 Weeks to Go

My sister, BIL, and their two kids (8yo and 7mo) have sold their house! They're also in the process of buying another one! The challenging part is that they had to move out on November 30th but won't be able to move in until the end of December. Meanwhile, they're technically "homeless," but not really. We believe that family takes care of family, so we now have seven living together in our house. The categories below will reflect aspects of this circumstance!

Area 1: Weight

Now I can blame my sister for my not losing weight. No? You mean it's not her fault that I am partaking of all sorts of delicious meals? Shoot.

Area 2: Family

As I mentioned above, family does what it can when family members are in need. This has been a golden opportunity for my son and his 8yo cousin to learn to get along better. They're still working things out LOL!

Area 3: Schedule

Despite the upheaval, we are all persevering with keeping housework under control and maintaining the homeschooling. It's been fun having a class with TWO kids in it! It certainly makes games and such easier.

Area 4: Chassis Maintenance

I got a mani-pedi certificate for my birthday. I turned 24. Well, times two.

Area 5: Debt

We are now at 30% paid down. Slow going, but at least it's moving!

Area 6: Garden

We're looking for a source of free manure to till into the plots. We also talked about growing a ground cover for the winter. What suggestions would you have for a nutritious cover crop to be tilled in when spring arrives? We're in New England and I'm pretty sure that we're going to get snow at SOME point in the future!

Resolutions Tuesday: 6 Weeks to Go

Area 1: Weight

I'm scared. I love the holiday season. Love it. I also dread it because, of course, the holiday season is replete with dangerous landmines as regards weight loss. I do NOT want to end 2011 having lost ONLY FIVE FREAKIN' POUNDS! Not good. I'm an adult. I don't have any physical issues beyond being over 40. What IS my problem? It's rather embarrassing to have posted about this all year and have a measly five-pound-loss to show for it. I've overcome a lot of things in my life, but this one is kicking my butt. I don't have an answer to this for me, but I am determined to find one.

Area 2: Family

Thanksgiving is coming up this week, but I'm going to give some thanks right now.

I have a husband who is godly man, the epitome of a Southern gentleman, an amazing provider, loves me even when I'm not very lovable, and an amazing example of a husband and father for our son to emulate. I am a blessed wife.

I have a son who is not a follower. He knows his own mind (even at 2yo!) and has a sense of justice that will serve him well as an adult. He's very funny and very talented. He has a sweet spirit with no "jadedness." (Is that a word?) Last night at church he and a five-year-old boy were walking around holding the hands of an 18mo little girl. They were just walking around being careful with her and enjoying the fun around them. I can't remember and can't imagine life without him. I am a blessed mother.

That's not to say that they are not both very human. We all have are less-than-stellar moments. Doesn't matter. I'm thankful for their being in my life. My life is better because of them.

Area 3: Schedule

I have made it my daily purpose to attempt to work as diligently as I imagine Laura Ingalls Wilder's mother did. For example, they camped for a few days near a river and Ma's first job the very next morning (after breakfast and washing that up) was to get to the laundry. My first desire after traveling for days would be to sleep in, check my emails, and maybe go out for breakfast. I have been keeping Ma in mind as I embark on each morning's tasks. It's amazing how much work I have accomplished! I have it SO much easier with all the appliances, etc. Now I'm seeing some headway in the tasks that I've been putting off with the declaration that I "don't have enough time." Ma Rules!

I've decided that my "hit and miss" style of blogging is annoying me.  I seem to write in a "feast or famine" style, churning out 5 posts in a row and then disappearing for 2 weeks.  I don't like that.  I've set up a tentative schedule that might work for me.  I intend to blog five days a week, taking the weekends off.  For my initial routine I'm going to try to write Monday's posts about something vintage, Tuesday's posts will be my Resolution Tuesday updates until the end of the year, Wednesday's posts I'm hoping to develop something along the lines of a series--short or long, Thursdays will be something about daily life that I just HAVE to share with you, and Fridays I'm hoping to do a sort of food report as I'm working through  my food stock to reduce the amount of money spent for food.  That's where I'm going to start (this week!), but I will adjust as I go. 

SO, that means you have to (you must!) read my posts during the week but I'll let you have the weekend for other, less important activities like, I don't know, your own life.  My blog is THAT important.  (I see you rolling your eyes!)

Area 4: Chassis Maintenance

I've had issues with styes since I was 16yo. That first one appeared the morning of my FIRST DATE with my now dh. I slathered on the makeup and he didn't notice. I actually have a scar from that one! I've been reading up on natural ways to deal with them and thought I'd share some of the things I've done that seemed to help in the past.

Definition of stye and chalazion

If you are prone to them, gently wash eyelash area each morning with baby shampoo.

If one develops, use hot compresses to relieve pain and then use castor oil to help them heal. It works pretty fast when I do this.

If you develop a chalazion (which I had never heard of before until one showed up about four months ago), apply the castor oil several times a day, using a hot compress on top. So far the one I'm dealing with is still there, but I can tell that it's getting smaller. I have been doing this only at bedtime, but I'm hoping that several times a day will get this thing gone already!

Area 5: Debt

Two steps forward, one step back. Now our chimney might need a new liner to the tune of $1500. If we don't get it fixed, we'll have to get a drop of kero which would use up $1000 of that for this winter. If we go ahead and get it fixed, it's fixed and we'll use that source (wood stove) for the next however many years. The wood is all done (dh has worked from spring until today gathering it), so it's just this issue of the chimney. It may be one step back, but we're still doing the two steps forward!

Area 6: Garden

TODAY I am going to go ahead and process the Brussels Sprouts. That will mean we can completely put the beds, well, to bed for the winter. I've covered the areas with the compost I've been working on and a tiller should be available soon to turn it all under. I'm actually thinking about adding another bed. We'll see if we can get to that before the weather gets really bad. I have made copious notes of what I did and what I will NOT do next year. Maybe next year's efforts will produce better!

Resolution Tuesday: NINE Weeks to Go!

Nine. NINE! Craziness.

Area 1: Weight

[Crickets]

Area 2: Family

I'm currently a single mom. I have seen my husband approximately 22 minutes in the last four weeks. He's TRIPLE booked with everyone wanting their painting done before the holidays. This happens every year and I always think I can handle it. Then, along about the 3rd week of this, I start getting grouchy! In a small way I have an inkling of an idea what women whose husbands are deployed or on the road feel. Bless you, those of you who deal with this!

Area 3: Schedule

I've actually been doing some small jobs for my husband to free him up to do the more detailed work this past week. I've been doing hard labor with much cozying up to the heating pad at bedtime and not even an ounce has budged. The only thing that has ever worked for me for weight loss is to cut out the sugar and grains. Fast food (which I've been using plentifully this week) is not the place to go to get rid of sugar and grains!

My son has been doing schoolwork while I've been peeling wallpaper. I've been listening to him read about the Civil War and Isaac Newton. This isn't my preference for homeschooling, but we've made it work in this unusual circumstance!

Area 4: Chassis Maintenance

Winter dryness is setting in. I've armed myself with a bottle of lotion and chapstick on my bedside table. It's time to get out the humidifiers, too. To help reduce the microbes in the air (and hopefully ward off some potential cold bugs), I add Tea Tree or Lavender essential oils to the water. THIS website listed some great ideas about using essential oils in this way.

Area 5: Debt

Except for this week of pitiful fast food, we've been faithfully NOT going to restaurants since we came back from our trip in September. It feels REALLY good not plunking down $40-$50 each Sunday!

Area 6: Garden

A deer (I think) has been munching on my Brussels sprouts! It took a couple of days for me to realize that there were some plants missing. I finally counted them and figured out someone was topping them off!

I harvested the cabbage and celery today and will chop and freeze them tomorrow afternoon. One bed is pretty much ready to turn under for the winter. It wasn't as successful as I had hoped, but it wasn't a failure, either. Live, take notes, and learn!

Resolution Tuesday: 11 Weeks to Go

Area 1: Weight

Up a pound this week. Boo. Today I'm determined to stay on track.

Area 2: Family

My husband has been working VERY long hours. I've barely seen him. Son and I are deep into 4th grade subjects. In fact, we're just reenacted the Battle of Antietam (Civil War) with his bears. I don't like the big push toward getting the exteriors done before really bad weather sets in. (My husband is a paint contractor.) In another month, though, we should see more of each other. Looking forward to that.

Area 3: Schedule

That has been put on hold this week as I slog through the mountains of business and personal paperwork. I allowed myself to slack off and now it's time to get back on track with this as well! I take breaks to arrange bears to fight battles.

Area 4: Chassis Maintenance

My chassis has been neglected. Today I plan to color my hair so I don't look like my 75yo mother. SHE looks great in the grey--me, not so much! On Saturday my husband and I put in a snap-together Pergo-type floor in our living room. The amazing news is that it was completely free! The painful news is that my entire body wanted to know WHY I would squat like that for 8 hours. My hair hurt. I'm better now.

Area 5: Debt

Here is where I've been spending my time this week. I'm working on revamping everything. I try to do Dave Ramsey's budget and find that we've cut everything to the bone already. It's the stinkin' debt payments that're eating us alive. Thankfully the interest is 0% on two and 4% on the third, but the amount that goes out each month as the minimum plus some is staggering. When we get rid of this debt, we will NEVER go into debt again! In fact, we had NO debt until we were in our mid-30s with many circumstances converging to cause a huge debt load. I'm more than ready to get back to that level of freedom.

Area 6: Garden

Someone (a deer?) has been eating our Brussels sprouts plants! I'm trying to let them grow a bit longer to get them to a good size. I'm going to harvest the cabbages and celery this week, I think. They don't appear to be much bigger than they were a month ago, so I will go ahead and get them in before a real frost hits.

A rather "heavy" list this week--sorry about that. I'm just reporting in. In the next few days I will make it a point to do some nice posts that are cheerful and vintage-y. Meanwhile, back to work I go!

Resolution Tuesday: 13 Weeks to Go

Our leaves are changing rapidly. They're also starting to fall with the rain we've been having. I guess Autumn is here.

Area 1: Weight

Can I get a Woo Hoo? 3.4 pounds down! That means the 2 I gained on vacation PLUS another 1.4! (Notice that I completely believe in decimals and NOT rounding when it comes to weight loss.)

Area 2: Family

Structure, structure, structure. For us, anyway. It always seems like complete flexibility would be the better and more fun thing (been dealing with that all my adult life), but I love how much we accomplish and how rested we feel when we get up after a good night's sleep and get right to our responsibilities. It makes the evenings more enjoyable because we've actually completed a lot in today that doesn't have to be pushed over into tomorrow and we're tired enough to just go to bed without wanting to "veg."

Area 3: Schedule

We officially started school yesterday (wonderful first day!) and already we're taking a field trip. We're going to a local museum that offers classes for school groups and homeschoolers and today is our day. It gives us our "state" credit and we're getting it in before the more challenging (like the way I said that?) weather sets in. I'm going with my sister, niece and nephew.

Area 4: Chassis Maintenance

A lighter chassis today! I'm so thrilled that I moved downward again. Lots and lots of salads, lots and lots of water and some exercise. Continuing this is always the challenge.

Area 5: Debt

Slogging away on this. The museum we're going to today will cost me a whole $5. I have a school budget and this activity is kind to that budget!

Area 6: Garden

So far all the winter crops are stilling hanging in there. We've had a ton of rain for the last few days and it's been in the 40s and 50s. The next dry day we're going to turn over the plot that's done with some (homemade!) compost and put it to bed for the winter.

Resolution Tuesday: 14 Weeks to Go

Well, I'm back. I'm glad to be back, too. I love traveling, but I'm always happy to get back into the routine of every day life.

Since we took this educational trip, we delayed starting the homeschooling. In fact, we're not officially starting until Monday, Oct. 3rd. We were so immersed in the time period from 1607 to 1781 that we were a little glazed over on the way home. It was fantastic, though!

My plan to start NEXT week came from the extreme need to get the house in order THIS week. Fall cleaning, aka "Brawn Week" has been fully embraced. The only thing we have left to do is the upstairs (2 bedrooms and the master bath). It always feels so good to do this and I'll feel better able to concentrate on the schooling. This year will be more intense than ever as my son is in 4th grade.

I hope you enjoyed my "Classic" posts. I appreciate all the comments and will be responding to those very soon. Now to catch up on my resolutions:

Area 1: Weight

I gained ONLY 2 pounds on the trip. I say this because I recognize that it would probably have been more like 5 pounds if I hadn't done so much walking. Hours and hours of walking. Hours.

Area 2: Family

It's always interesting when we spend 24 hours a day together. New dynamics exist and I find myself bouncing between relaxing because someone else is there to take charge and trying to take charge because the someone else doesn't do things my way! Mostly it's so wonderful because we can just be together with no other responsibilities pulling us apart. This makes for great memories for all of us.

Area 3: Schedule

As I mentioned above, I'm nearly finished with Fall Cleaning and will be back in the regular routine come Monday.

Area 4: Chassis Maintenance

Do you know what happens to hair that is dipped into chlorinated water alternating with sea water and then washed in hard water? Straw. We all had straw hair. That's ok. My son learned to really swim this trip and that is nothing short of a miracle considering his stark fear in the past! Besides, all the chlorine and salt and minerals are now washed out with lots of conditioner making up for it.

Area 5: Debt

This trip was about 60% prepaid over the last few months. That helped a lot in our financial situation upon returning. We're determined to really attack the debt in a fast in hard way. One of the areas will be decreased (to, like, 0%) eating out. My post on Sunday Dinner reminded me of my original plans in this area.

Area 6: Garden

The first day of Fall Cleaning I spent outdoors getting the garden in order and cleaning up the summery areas (like the pool). We still have cabbages, Brussels sprouts, and celery going well. One lonely tomato plant is trying and a couple of pepper plants still look healthy. I'm making notes on all my mistakes and will definitely get things together EARLIER for next season.

And how was your week?

Resolution Tuesday: 17 Weeks to Go

The summer of 2011 has officially ended. As usual, it didn't last long enough! That's OK. The next season is under way.

Area 1: Weight

With lots of yo-yoing and even at times being HIGHER than my starting weight in January, I have arrived at a whole five pounds . . . LOST. It's not much, but at least it's on the downward side. We're going on a vacation south of the Mason-Dixon soon (Williamsburg!!), and I highly expect those five pounds to return as I eat the foods of my youth. Or maybe not. I intend to supplement my southern food choices with lots of salads and we'll be walking A LOT. Perhaps I might even maintain! (Might as well take a positive outlook.)

Area 2: Family

This sort of belongs here as it benefits my family. I have asked (begged) a lady in our church to give me some lessons in fitting clothes. I have my second lesson this week and I've already learned several places I've been doing things wrong for decades. Her mother was a professional in this area and taught her daughter all the tricks of the trade. It's nice being excited about sewing again.

Area 3: Schedule

As of Friday we finished up our Summer Program in homeschooling. Since we'll be away for half of September (doing educational things), I am not starting our new school year until the beginning of October. It did occur to me last night that I still need to put this new school year together. I haven't even looked at anything yet. I love curriculum planning time--I just need to sit down and do it.

Area 4: Chassis Maintenance

I got nothing here that's new. My toenails have faithfully enjoyed color all summer. That's something!

Area 5: Debt

The vacation to Williamsburg that I mentioned above came about because we wanted to take advantage of the homeschool rates on tickets and lodging that were available. We just finished studying this time period and wanted to bring it to life for J. We were prepared for these costs, so half of it is already paid for. We've been using a mostly cash system for over a year now and it is REALLY nice having things not show up a month later on the credit card bill. We've also gone to an automatic draw on the debt so that every month has the minimum plus a good extra chunk reducing the total. These are at 0% and 4%, so things are beginning to show improvement.

It's slow but steady progress!

Area 6: Garden

The tomatoes are FINALLY starting to come in a bit. We've also gotten a nice harvest of green beans and a few bell peppers. The collards have been plentiful. Irene's winds broke a few of the cucumber, bean, and melon stems, though.

This garden has definitely had to overcome lots of conditions. We had flooding in May, two weeks of absentee gardeners in June, a squash murdering crazy women with shears in July, and a hurricane in August. Now it will have more absentee gardeners in September.

Gee. It's a miracle anything grew at all!

Resolution Tuesday: 19 Weeks to Go

Wow. We're in the "teens" now as far as the number of weeks left in 2011. I don't think I'll count down next year--it seems to be making the year go faster!

Area 1: Weight

I have lost 3 pounds in the last two weeks. I know EXACTLY how that happened. I have officially sworn off of McD's Caramel Frappes. My body ordered me to after being up one night, all night, with extreme stomach pain. My new name for this beverage is "Frappe Blah!" (My son likes that and uses it often.)

Area 2: Family

I've been working on finishing up my son's summer program. The biggest thing we've worked on all summer is getting him to stop hating math. It seems to be working, mainly because I've found a math series that he absolutely adores. It's called Life of Fred. (To see more about it, click on the title.)

Area 3: Schedule

Regular maintenance has been going fine. A new desire to organize has been kicked into high gear, though. I will be posting about this increased ampage soon. It's bordering on extreme, but a good extreme!

Area 4: Chassis Maintenance

I have been coercing, I mean asking a lady at church to teach me her major skills regarding fitting a pattern. I got one lesson in February. I have been begging, I mean checking with her to see when our next class might be. As of this morning, I should be increasing my knowledge starting tomorrow at 1:00!

Area 5: Debt

Nothing new here. You may move along to the next category.

Area 6: Garden

Let's see, all the items that are doing great so far: lettuce, cucumbers, melons, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, peppers, collard greens, and some yellow squash before I murdered the plant.

Those that are not: Tomatoes

The most important crop we wanted success with? Tomatoes

There are a lot of flowers. There is some fruit. Nothing is ripe. The few that sort of ripened were split and ugly.

At least all the others are happy!

Resolution Tuesday: 21 Weeks to Go

Area 1: Weight

No poundage lost the last two weeks, but my clothes are ever so slightly less tight. I think it's all the water, veggies, and gardening!!

Area 2: Family

I love summer. My son and I have taken advantage of the ease of just enjoying the outdoors. He's been helping a lot in the garden work and it's nice to see him (and for him to see) helping the family. I make sure I praise him, especially when there's no complaining about the work!

Area 3: Schedule

With the garden, the ever-ongoing-desire to lose weight, and the continued chipping away at our debt, I've decided it's time to "Cook From My Pantry" again. That's where I started this blog 3 years ago! HERE is a link to the first time through.

Area 4: Chassis Maintenance

In the winter I try not to over shower my skin. It gets very dry and unhappy. In the summer with all the heat and activity, I have no choice. Believe it or not, it STILL gets dry even though it's fairly humid. I just realized this afternoon when I took my shower that we never put our filter back on after we changed the shower head--12 months ago! The filter removes a lot of the chlorine in the water. When the water heats up, not only are we bathing in certain amounts of chlorine, we're also inhaling it. I think I'd better put that on the "Honey-Do" list asap!

Area 5: Debt

I did some calculating on Sunday night and we have put to rest a full 25% of our debt, even with the recent roof and basement setbacks! We're still not done with the repairs for the basement, but things are to the level that the rest of the repairs can wait. Woo hoo!

Area 6: Garden

I hate to say this, but I evidently killed my beautiful yellow squash plants. There were probably nine plants all growing in one GIANT bunch. The flowers were plentiful and the whole thing was gorgeous. Then, we were hit with powdery mildew. I decided to cut off the leaves (at the bottom of the stem) that had the mildew on them. Things are very sad and moldy looking now. Was I supposed to just cut the leaf and not the stem? How can I prevent this in the future?

I feel guilt-ridden. I think the other plants tremble a bit when they see me coming with the shears!

Resolution Tuesday: 22 Weeks to Go

Area 1: Weight

I've been doing a lot of hard physical labor this summer. I feel stronger, which is nice. I feel productive, which is really nice! For me, however, losing weight is nearly 100% dealing with the food. We're eating lots of salads and veggies, but I'm still frequenting a certain M place with their evil Carmel Frappes. Those things have so many calories that no amount of gardening and hauling things around the yard will be able to compete with the amount I have consumed. Of course, you know that it's all McD's fault, right? It's not me at all. Nope. I should sue.

Area 2: Family

Today is our 26th wedding anniversary. We're going out this evening for a nice, quiet, child-free dinner. All day I have been thinking about what we were doing 26 years ago at each glance at the clock. Right now I was finishing up making sure the reception items were in order and getting my bridesmaids rounded up to go and get dressed for the service at 1:00. We were SO young!!! (I was so thin!) Though it has been more than a quarter of a century, I still look at my sweetheart's face and see that boy that was grinning so broadly as I walked down the aisle. I'm so grateful for the years that we've had and the years we will have together.

Area 3: Schedule

I've added something to my daily schedule. I've added a stroll around our acreage--all .75 of an acre of it. I tell my son that we're going to go "walk the gardens." It's fun to see what is already there and think of what is to come. It's a nice thing to do while I can still walk without layers and parkas and thick boots!

Area 4: Chassis Maintenance

Nothing new here. I'm coloring my hair later today. Woo hoo.

Area 5: Debt

With all that's going on in our economy, I've been wondering about selling some gold. We don't have much, but we've been holding on to it as we've watched the price of gold rise. Anyone sold any? Anyone have thoughts on how long to wait?

Area 6: Garden

I was picking Japanese beetles off of my green beans yesterday. I detest those things. I also found a couple of worms that needed to move along as well, so they all met their demise together. Everything has lots of flowers on it, which is encouraging. I've processed some yellow squash for the freezer and we've eaten lettuce, tomatoes, and collard greens so far. Correction, we've all eaten lettuce, tomatoes, and squash, but only my dh and ds have eaten collard greens. I may be from the South, but I don't do collard greens OR okra. My dad was from New York. It's all his fault.

Though not from my garden, I did score some strawberries at a great price and just finished making some jam. Hopefully I did everything correctly. I tried using something new called Pomona's Powdered Pectin. Raspberries will be in in another month and I want to put up a few jars of raspberry jam as well. That should take care of our jam for toast needs as well as sweetened fruit to put in the yogurt. (I buy plain yogurt in the 32oz container and mix in the fruit as I serve it. MUCH cheaper!)

Resolution Tuesday: 23 Weeks to Go

Area 1: Weight

I'm UP 3 pounds. Combine some water retention with NO walking this week. We have been eating lots of salads as my lettuce is still going great. I can just FEEL the vitamins vibrating into my body as I eat lettuce that's only minutes old!

Area 2: Family

Here's a question that came up for me recently: When you listen to someone talking, do you actually see that PERSON? Do you admire their particular verbal skills or knowledge of the subject? Or, do you (like I noticed about me), listen with one ear and formulate your own feelings and what you're going to say when they take a breath?

I forced myself to be aware of that yesterday. When my husband was speaking, I was focusing on his face--the face that I remember being 16yo! I listened until he was finished and then had nothing to add. He had covered the topic without my butting in. Imagine that!

I tried that with my son, too. If given any encouragement, he will talk nonstop until your ears bleed. I tend to tune out if I'm not interested in the topic. This morning I focused on his beautiful eyes and listened to his sweet, young voice. I paid attention without throwing in any corrections or comments. He didn't rattle on like he usually does. Imagine that!

Area 3: Schedule

Having the basics under control has been an excellent thing. It has freed me up to be spontaneous. Outings, people coming over, sitting on the porch and reading for an hour while J is splashing in his pool. I love summer.

Area 4: Chassis Maintenance

My particular chassis has always been an insect attractor. I was always the kid covered in bites while everyone else was standing around comfortably. I also reacted to them with swelling, hard, hot areas inches and inches around each bite. For decades.

I recently discovered two things that have revolutionized my insect attracting life:

1) When bitten, IMMEDIATELY put cold packs from the freezer on the bite and keep it there on and off for about 10 minutes. THERE IS NO SWELLING! It also takes away the itchiness.

2) If a cold pack is unavailable and a bite ends up swelling, take apple cider vinegar and pat it over the whole area several times. I did this recently after the swelling had been there for two days and we were hitting the hardened up level. By the next morning, it was no longer hot and you could feel softened areas. By the following day, it was down to normal-people bite level!

47 years of suffering. Hopefully someone else will read this and avoid decades of this torture!

Area 5: Debt

No change except that we're paying extra on all debts. Whittle, whittle, whittle.

Area 6: Garden

My garden is totally flourishing. We've almost broken even with the amount we spent on the garden in lettuce alone. We're still waiting impatiently for tomatoes, though. That's the REAL purpose of a garden, right?

Resolution Tuesday: 25 Weeks to Go

Hello all!

Last week we hit the official middle of the year 2011. Summer is (finally) in full swing here. In fact, it is currently 88 degrees and sunny. I'm writing this on my screened porch (fans on high) while my son is splashing around in his small pool. Life is good. Now for a quick resolution update:

Area 1: Weight

With all the beautiful weather, I've been getting more exercise. I've also been upping my veggie intake which has made me feel better all around. I forgot to get on the scale this morning, but I was down a bit last week.

Area 2: Family

I've decided I'm not going to have any more bad days. How's that for a statement? I actually had one this morning. I guess what I should say is that I've decided I'm not going to allow any day to stay or finish as a "bad day." Each time things try to shape themselves in that direction, I'm going to make it a point to find some way to turn it around. For example, I was mightily discouraged this morning. I could easily have wallowed around in that discouragement for quite some time. I chose, instead, to actively find a way to encourage someone else. It made all the difference. The issues of the morning have not resolved themselves, but I've at least given this day another name besides "bad day."

Area 3: Schedule

I haven't posted about this in my homeschooling website (which hasn't been updated since, like, April!), but I have a modified "summer program" going on. I'm going to post about that over there soon, so click on the link if you're interested in what that means, exactly.

Area 4: Chassis Maintenance

I can't remember if I mentioned this before, but I want to bring it up again. I'm in my 40s (Good golly, Miss Molly!) and, well, my hair isn't as thick as it used to be. Now, the body hair being more sparse is totally OK with me. It's the "crowning glory" loss that has been kind of scary. I literally broke my vacuum beater bar because there was SO MUCH HAIR clogging it up so fast.

I brought up this question on a forum for AnnLouise Gittleman who wrote Fat Flush and many other books. AnnLouise has spent decades studying female hormones and her advice really, really works. Her advice regarding my hair loss was exactly what I needed. I am, apparently, low in Biotin. When I take my Biotin daily, my hair stops falling out and it becomes thicker again. When I stop taking it, within 4 weeks I'm shedding like my Pomeranian used to do in the spring.

Just thought I'd share!

Area 5: Debt

Slowly we're recovering from all our water issues. Some friends donated their time and we were able to get our roof finished for about half the price. My husband was able to negotiate the wood for a wood shed (that we'll be needing) and saved approximately 80% (NOT a misprint). I'm actively managing the books and things are starting to feel less oppressive all around. When we get out of debt, I declare that we will do WHATEVER we need to do to stay out of debt. I know things happen, but we will do our part not to contribute to it ourselves.

Area 6: Garden

My garden is actually doing fairly well! I have been faithful to weed, water, and pick bugs (eww!). We've been eating lots of lettuce and radishes as that is all that's mature right now.

We always make it a point to comment about how the food we're eating is only 8 minutes old. We just FEEL the nutrition coursing into our systems. We effuse about the lusciousness of the whole experience. My son just rolls his eyes.

Then I send him out to weed!

Resolution Tuesday: 27 Weeks to Go

For my first post back from my unintentional hiatus, I thought I'd catch up on my accountability. Therefore, weeks, 28 - 31 will be rolled into this summary and then I'll make a better effort to stay up-to-date. My next post will be in July. Can you believe it's almost July?

Area 1: Weight

For two weeks in July, my husband and I painted the interior of a customer's vacation home--on "The Cape." (Cape Cod for the unfamiliar.) The customer asked if he would be willing to do this, and would be welcome to bring his family along. When he told me about it, the "yes" came zipping out so fast I think I screeched a little bit. We had an AWESOME time during the day playing at the beach, visiting the historical areas, enjoying an antique car show...and eating. I did a lot of cooking (trying to save money), but that did nothing for my waistline. Thankfully the walking and biking kept extra pounds off, but there was definitely no loss. I'm back on track this week. The evenings and early morning were spent prepping, painting, wallpapering and repairing the entire interior. And cleaning. That place sparkled when we got through with it!



Area 2: Family

See above. That was probably one of the best vacations we've had, especially in the family dynamics. One of the (many) reasons things went so well is that I've actually taken up a new word as a reminder of what I want to be like: Radiant. As I've mentioned before, I can be very grumpy. When I wanted to complain about having finished the 162 steps to the top of the Pilgrim Monument, I remembered my "word." I smiled. It might have been a grimace of pain to others, but I was definitely trying!

When my son wanted to misbehave, I remembered my word and put not just a smile, but a radiant smile on my face as I encouraged him to go the right direction. It helped me to have the right frame of mind to fix the behavior, not be upset with the person.

When it was midnight and my husband was working, I didn't complain about MY being tired. I remembered "radiant," smiled, and chatted with him about how enjoyable our vacation was and how I appreciated his willingness to provide it for us.

My default has been less (much less) than radiant. I'm trying to reset my default!

Area 3: Schedule

I'm pulling things back together (sort of emergency mode) after all the tearing up of our house that has occurred. The basement flooded (the FINISHED basement that is no longer finished), and the roof leaked in very horrible ways. Belongings are all out of place and decidedly NOT attractive. I'm wading in, though (pun intended), and intend to bring order to all of this over the next few weeks. Yes, it's so bad that week(S) will be necessary. Though disheartening, we are FAR, FAR better off than the victims of the true flooding that has happened all over the country. So, I'll amp up the radiance and get to work!

Area 4: Chassis Maintenance

I tried my best not to get a sunburn, but I did get some tan. Though I applied sunscreen to my lower arms the "age spots" from previous sun damage have increased again. I have been applying the Castor oil as I posted about before HERE.

Area 5: Debt

The most discouraging part of all the house damage is the financial setback. Along with ceiling repairs, foundation sealing and painting, and loss of belongings, the water in the attic set up a lovely bout of mold in the insulation. We have to hire someone to "contain" it and then replace the insulation. Oops! I mean, ...

Area 6: Garden

The garden is growing like weeds--along with all the weeds that grew while we were gone. I'm hoping to get to some of it today as this is the only non-rainy day since we've gotten back.

I made a little mistake when I planted the garden. I was trying to fit THAT in between rainstorms (the day after I planted we had hail) and it completely slipped my mind to indicate WHAT I planted. Yep, no labels. I recognize some things, but the lettuces are unfamiliar. I hope I don't accidentally pick weeds and put them into our salads!

Resolution Tuesday: 32 Weeks to Go

Notice how I'm playing fast and loose with that whole Resolution "Tuesday" thing. I should rename it "Tuesday-ish" and be more accurate!

Considering the devastation that's going on in other places with all the flooding, I really can't say much about our little experience here. But, I'm going to. It is raining so much that I'm pruning up. We've developed leaks downstairs now and the basement is trying to turn into a pool again. Yesterday SEVEN separate thunder storms rolled through. It even hailed! I'm just a bit tired of all of this, but I keep reminding myself that it could definitely be a lot worse. Then I vacuum up some more water and go on with the next task.

Area 1: Weight

Another pound in the right direction. That could be just the water weight lost from all the sneezing I've been doing courtesy of the pollen count. How we could have high pollen AND extreme rain is beyond me.

Area 2: Family

I've been reading about Tasha Tudor lately. For those that don't know, she was a children's book illustrator who deliberately lived as if it were 1830. She talked about how visitors always commented on how dark her interior was. I also recently watched a great PBS documentary about the industrial revolution and the invention of the light bulb. That one invention alone gave us the opportunity to work longer and more productively, so the commentator said.

During the storms yesterday, J and I used an oil lamp to read and do our work by. I understand better what an amazing change must have occurred when the cities received electricity. We are SO used to things being as bright as we want. We're also used to staying up late, because we can, and letting the computer or TV entertain us. I'm not sure that Tasha's choices were all that strange, though. I know that without access to all the bright lights and electricity I'd probably get more sleep!

Area 3: Schedule

I've been actively using my updated schedule for a while now. It is SO working! Even in the midst of all the extra activities of water and finishing up homeschooling for the year, things are running smoothly. I love a schedule that works!

Area 4: Chassis Maintenance

I changed out the closets to include summer clothing. It's kind of fun to see things I haven't seen in half a year. I've been taking care of the chassis of EACH family member as I'm renovating some clothing to become summer wear. That kind of sewing is very quick and rewarding!

Area 5: Debt

I have a feeling that our insurance is not going to cover any of the damage that is happening. To date we had reduced our debt by 22% (yay!), but I think we're going to have to incur some to take care of these issues. One of the downsides of home ownership!

I used to think that I wanted to build a cute, sweet little house whenever we got around to being able to do that. I may have changed my mind. I'm now thinking "waterproof." I saw THIS house on a recent Yahoo offering and it's sort of tempting! No more leaking and flooding! What do you think? No?



Area 6: Garden

My "babies" mostly died, but there were some survivors. Wednesday there was actually no rain, so I took advantage and planted them and also lots of seeds. My knees and back were SO sore, and I think I even sunburned my nose a little bit.

Then, Thursday the storms and the hail and the deluge came. I haven't gone out to check them yet. I'm afraid I will cry right in front of all the neighbors. I may send my dh out to look when he gets home...

Resolution Tuesday: 34, No, 33 Weeks to Go

As I mentioned a WEEK ago, "it's been a week." Thank you Packrat and Trixie for your encouragement! I won't bother with too many details, but I will say that ONE of the issues we've been dealing with is how the abundance of rain in our region has attempted to put an indoor pool in our basement! We kept ahead of it, but it looks like we'll be resealing the foundation and replacing the carpet. The upside is that I got plenty of exercise hauling water out of the basement as I used the wet vac on an hourly basis for days.

And on to our regularly scheduled Resolutions Report:

Area 1: Weight

What with all that water hauling and paying more attention to consuming vegetables, we're heading in the right direction again. Two whole pounds!

Area 2: Family

Thanks to a "Domestic Skills" worksheet I recently filled out, I have discovered something. After 25 years of working very hard to learn to declutter and clean my home, I found that I really HAVE accomplished that! I scored 100% in that area. I rejoiced.

Then I looked at the next area of skill questions: Cooking. I learned that I am desperately in need of improvement in that area--which I already knew. I've determined to apply the same concentration in this area as I did for the cleaning/decluttering area. I'm going to try to accomplish that in LESS than 25 years. My family rejoiced.

Area 3: Schedule

As I've begun to incorporate better cooking skills, I'm glad that I've made it a point to do most of the cooking in the morning. It makes it SO much easier to have just last minute prep to do before dinner. I encourage you to consider doing that if you're at home during the day. What a way to alleviate stress!

Area 4: Chassis Maintenance

I'm going to "change over" our closets this week. It appears that the snow is truly gone for good, though the rain seems to have settled in. I think it should be safe to bring out the summer clothes as long as I keep some long sleeves and light jackets available.

Area 5: Debt

I have no idea what our basement situation is going to cost. I may pay the minimum amounts on the debt for a short time until I know what we're looking at. My purpose in doing that is to have CASH available to pay for whatever we'll need for the repairs.

Area 6: Garden

I left my "babies" outside in this deluge. I have been draining them in hopes that they'll recover, but they're pretty water-logged. It's a good thing I take better care of my human baby! Of course, my human baby would have let me know, loud and clear, if he was not being attended to.

Is it wet where you are? It seems that flooding is happening all over the US in many different areas. Is anyone in NEED of some rain? I'll try to send some your way.

Resolution Tuesday: 35 Weeks to Go

Only 35 weeks left of 2011? Amazing.

Area 1: Weight

Aaaaand, we're back where we started. I believe this is called "yo-yo." I am NOT trying to play games here, dagnabbit!

Area 2: Family

We've got company coming this week (waves to FarmMom). My son is an only child. FarmMom has four, one of them a boy my son's age. Last time they visited J wanted to go back with them and I expect the same thing this time. (Hmmmm. It could be like a second honeymoon with my dh...) Nah! I guess I'd miss my baby and want him back home. Since I can't run fast enough to catch their van as they leave, I'll just have to hang onto J so he doesn't jump in before they close the door!

Area 3: Schedule

I recently did a three-part series (HERE) on what's been working for me in this area.

Area 4: Chassis Maintenance

If I DO have to chase FarmMom's van down the street to retrieve my stowaway child, it will require a pedicure. Perhaps I'll just go ahead and schedule one to finish up my Christmas present, in anticipation.

Area 5: Debt

A "setback" of sorts. Our 8yo van needs some TLC. Brakes, particularly. Air Conditioning, possibly. It has been an awesome vehicle, so we want to take good care of it. Definitely not an asset in the financial realm, though!

Area 6: Garden

My babies are coming along, though the peas sustained a blow when the soccer ball landed in them. Around these parts they tell us to wait until Memorial Day weekend to plant. This year we will. Next year I'd like to attempt using cold frames to get an earlier start. Have you used cold frames before? Did you make them yourself? How, if you did?

Resolution Tuesday: 36 Weeks to Go

WE HAVE SUNSHINE TODAY! IT'S 70 DEGREES! (Please excuse all the shouting. It's been a long winter.)

Let's see. My progress this week is as follows:

Area 1: Weight

Up ANOTHER pound. Wrong direction. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Area 2: Family

Teaching organization to a 9yo boy. He's an only child, so he doesn't realize that everything he owns would practically be common property if he had siblings. He has NO idea. He sometimes doesn't see WHY I insist on his keeping his belongings put away when not in use. He's certainly WAY better than I was at that age. We'd have the big Saturday clean-out and all visible things chucked all over the room would be stuffed under the bed. I had to learn the hard way that doing that is NOT the best scenario for living. He still doesn't understand WHY, though.

Area 3: Schedule

My several-weeks-tested new schedule that I've been mentioning is working GREAT for me. Tomorrow I will post the synopsis and my example for anyone who loves reading other people's schedules (like I do!).

Area 4: Chassis Maintenance

It's time (finally!!!!) to break out the warmer weather clothing. This "tip" doesn't have to do with MY chassis, but my son's: He has outgrown all the "play pants" that he's been wearing around the house all winter. They're going to get new lives, however. I will turn most of them into shorts since the waist and hips still fit. I paid no more than 50 cents for each pair (yard sale) and now I'm getting double the use for my money!

Area 5: Debt

Along with last week's mention of switching our CC debt from 15% cards to 0% cards and applying the saved interest amounts to them for the next 12 months, we're also writing down the amounts we DON'T spend that we would normally have. At the end of the months we'll also apply those figures to the debt. Just this week I've already added up $10 unspent money that will go to the cause.

Area 6: Garden

My "babies" are doing well. They're sitting in the sun today with a good drink of water. We're going to clean out the front flower beds on Saturday.

Now I'm off to clean the basement for half an hour and then we're going to the PARK!!

Resolution Tuesday: 38 Weeks to Go

(As I posted HERE, I am going to "report in" on my resolution progress each work for the entire year. I had six areas (the seventh was doing this reporting) to which I wanted to give special attention. Posting about it keeps me accountable, which I find very helpful. I hope you don't mind!)

Area 1: Weight Another pound gone! I've been downing the water and my vitamins faithfully. The weather has FINALLY started looking spring-like and I plan to get out and do some serious walking. I'm also going to stop eating after 7:00 in the evening. Baby steps!

Area 2: Family This may sound corny. It may sound annoying. Are you ready? I'm making a concerted effort to have a--it sounds so silly!--"lilt" in my voice. Let me explain. When I speak to my husband and my son, I tend to have a matter-of-fact sound to my voice. Just the facts, ma'am. I noticed that when I talk to others, however, I have a much brighter, happier tone to my voice. I'm calling it a "lilt." For the past two days I have employed that new tone. I have seen AMAZING results. 25 years of marriage and I just noticed this. Oh my. Also, my son turned 9yo today. MY BABY, MY BABY! I'll wipe my tears and move on to the next area.

Area 3: Schedule After weeks of fine-tuning my schedule, I'm about ready to "unveil" it. It's a big deal to me because it is w.o.r.k.i.n.g! I'll share it in case something useful might pop up for someone else.

Area 4: Chassis Maintenance Now that our weather is changing (finally), my lower body will get some exposure. I'm going to take care of that and also dig out my sandals and get them spruced up. I did a post about shoe care HERE that I thought I'd bring up with this (finally) change of season.

Area 5: Debt I just found out that the company that does our IRA has a cool program. We just switched to them in 2010. For the first four years we're with their company, they will contribute 4% of whatever WE put into our IRA to our account. How cool is that? It doesn't help our debt now, but we have been putting into an IRA since we were 24yo. Hopefully that will be a great thing when we "retire."

Area 6: Garden I got all my early seeds planted! I hope I didn't water them too much. I have 2162 varieties of lettuce, 8492 tomato plants, a lot of flowers, and, of all things, OKRA. We'll see how that goes. (My numbers may not be quite accurate--maybe it just SEEMED like I planted that many.)