old and new

After months of scrimping on groceries and working a couple parties in December combined with Christmas cash….I bought myself a new camera.  It’s a Nikon D3000 and I am loving it!  While there were higher-end models I would have loved to get, this one stretched me to my dollar limit (and past it just a bit, thanks sweetie!)  It has a guide mode that has been a wonderful help while I learn all the terms and settings. 

In the three days I’ve had it, I have been reading up, trying to get up the nerve to venture out of the auto settings.   The photos above are of Christmas decor in my home.   My good friend came over  one night and helped put a bit of Christmas spirit in the place…it needed it and I was in a rut.  I love these photos, but I see things in them that tell me I have a long ways to grow with my camera. 

One of the best parts, I can take pictures of the girls swimming with no flash and no odd lighting problems.  I took it to practice the other night with the kit lense (18-55mm) and was shocked at how many photos I got.   Our pool has odd lighting, most pools do.  My old point and shoot just would not capture the girls at all.  The best photos I have of them in the water were from my phone and not quality at all.  I can not wait to put my zoom lense on and see what it will do. 

I am thinking long and hard about a 365 project.  I want to learn how to use this camera and know that practice will help greatly toward that end.  However, the last couple months I was lucky to get a post of two finished.  I hate to say I am going to do it only to drop the ball first month in.  Perhaps a once a week deal?  Still thinking on that one.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Are you tired yet of hearing how busy I am?  Christmas felt like it snuck up on me this year, my cards didn’t go in the mail until the 24th!  Then now we enter the 20 days of birthdays.  I do have plans for the new year.  In fact, I am thinking of doing a 365 project…a photo every single day of the year posted on the blog.  I hate to commit to it, unless I think I can honestly give it a go.  Any ideas for a topic?  So far I am thinking food, touch, and dear… (gotta talk to a friend on that one as she does that on her blog every now and then and it is too funny.)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas full of joy and wonder.!  Celebrating Christ’s birth takes on a new level every year with the girls growing and understanding more and more,

it’s almost a wrap

quick points or I might never write:

• trying to see how much I can stash from the grocery budget this month seeing as we have a freezer so full of meat and veggies right now that it almost doesn’t close
• I want/need a better camera and only have about $100 saved (reason #2 for the above money stashing)
• it will take awhile as we have about $600 budgeted a month for food/household and just milk and eggs take about $50, TP and other household tend to eat into that a good bit as well
• the girls decided to continue to swim into the long season, I have mixed feeling on this but am glad they are doing something athletic we are committed to doing only home meets with the exception of one invitational to help alleviate not having a weekend
• I suck at athletic…the only athletic bone I have in my body is whatever bone it is you balance on for a good boat pose in Yoga
• this year has flown by faster than any year I can recall, scarily faster…not just a smidge
• I finally realized that I have to take some time for me at some point in my week without guilt.  Otherwise, I am miserable and cranky and it tends to snowball on along through the whole family.  Thanks to a friend for the nudge in that I am still me even with the house, kids, husband, food, etc and so on.
• it was three years ago today that we finally held the twins for the first time…three whole years, wow
• time to do annual post-placement reports for the twins, makes me reflect on our trip three years ago
• hence crazy dreams where I feel like I am sleeping in Vietnam and the oddly nice but also panicky feeling accompanied with that
• I’m odd and I know it
• I enjoyed all the handmade Christmas I did last year, but it just isn’t happening this year.  I can’t seem to keep up (hence the lack fo posts.)
• the only optional thing I am doing right now is exercise and well, it really isn’t optional at 30 is it.
• thankfully, I have scored some awesome freebies for Christmas: photo books, photo calendar, and restaurant gift cards as well many other gifts for aroudn 50% off.  I would shop and think okay I have just enough, but go to check out and things I didn’t even know were on sale were or better yet I was able to stack some coupons.
• a budget of $200 for three kids, each other, 2 small cousins, three niece/nephews, 3 brothers, 3 sisters, 2 moms, a dad, two grandmas, and a grandpa plus teacher/coach types had us a bit worried
• God is so good, all the time, and real in my life day to day!
• I want junk food all of a sudden, but am determined to lose weight in December

That is it folks, that is where I am at and where I am going.

lets get cooking already

First off, I just got back from an amazing 6 day vacation with just my husband.  No kids!!!!  We went to Disney World and had so much fun going at a bit slower pace.  We managed to time our visit during the PGA tour.  I’ve never golfed, but walking part of a PGA event makes you want to try it out.  I never realized how beautiful and peaceful a golf course can be.  Of course, compared to my daily to-do, most places seem peaceful!  A big thanks goes out to my parents and his mom for making it at all possible.  An even bigger thanks to my sweet husband for going along with my grand scheme and taking the time to do it.  Here’s looking forward to the next time!

So, anyhow, I am on the plane yesterday thinking how Thanksgiving is less than a week away, YIKES!   I love Thanksgiving, all the family and food, but no pressures for gifts and where to put what gets brought home.  With our little trip, however, I have not planned one single thing to make.  Not one.  This is very unlike me.  I usually know in October what I want to make for Thanksgiving.  I look forward to cooking something new as well as old favorites.  The phone is usually buzzing back and forth to family members wondering who is cooking what.  This year, I have no clue if we are even having turkey (not uncommon for my side of the family to have a roast instead.)   Time to get planning! 

Off the top of my head, I am thinking a dish of cranberry relish would be good if someone is having turkey.  It’s wonderful with the meat the day of and even better on a leftover potato roll with a bit of leftover turkey and cream cheese.  I wonder if dad is even making potato rolls?  Then I am thinking veggies.  Roasted root veggies or maybe even a cabbage dish.   We have two dinners to go to this year.  One for my  mom’s side and one for my dad’s side.  Forest’s side isn’t doing anything this year, though we did invite his mom along with us.  No sense in anyone sitting alone during the holidays and she knows all of my side fairly well anyways.

The last thing I want to share is my “recipe” for the spaghetti squash casserole.  I usually just wing it like so:

• cut spaghetti squash in half, remove seeds, and roast in over until done (375 for an hour +/- according to size)
• use a fork to pull the stringy squash out of its skin
• ladle a bit of sauce in a baking dish
• put in spaghetti squash
• pour more sauce over top
• bake for about an hour
• top with cheese and brown a bit for the last 10 to 15 minutes of cooking

meals this week

Last weeks meals were good.   I browned 2 pounds of hamburger with some veggies and started adding tomato sauce and spices.  In the end I had 4 quarts of sauce.  We used one and froze the rest so that we can have a spaghetti-sauce related meal once a week with a little less work on my end. 

The roast was tasty and I used the leftover juices and meat to make a huge pot of vegetable soup…huge.  In the end I reduced it down to a thick 8 quarts figuring I can add broth or juice if we are wanting a lighter soup or to add noodles or rice to it or just leave it as is for a heartier, thicker soup.   

The Rosemary Chicken was easy as it comes and tasted great.  I put 4 breasts, 4 legs, and two thighs into my baking dish, dotted with butter, salt and peppered, and then threw in a sprig of rosemary.  Smelled wonderful, took an hour in the oven, and leftover meat to use for other dishes.  The other wings and thighs I boiled off for extra meat and then a start of some broth for chicken noodle soup. 

Spaghetti squash with meat sauce and Pan-fried Tilapia both got moved to this week thanks to an out of town swim meet that went long and my mom cooking us a meal.   Love it when that happens, I always say that any meal I do not have to cook always tastes that much better.

This weeks plan:

• Spaghetti Squash with Marinara Sauce
• Pan-fried Tilapia with roasted root veggies
• Beef Stew
• Chicken Noodle Soup (likely for lunches, but it might find it’s way to supper)
• Pizza…it just sounds good

what’s cooking?

Aside from swim meets, family get-togethers, and school I have been cooking meals and sleeping off a cold.  Well, we all have been dealing with the cold.  Chamomile steam treatments help keep my head clear, the tea goes down nice with a bit of honey to soothe my throat, and lots of broth based soups taste warm and comforting.

Here’s what I plan on cooking for dinner the next few days:

• Rotini with Meat Sauce
• Rosemary Roasted Chicken with Roasted Root Vegetables (using leftover chicken to make chicken noodle soup and for quesadillas for lunch)
• Pan-fried Tilapia with sauted summer squash and rice
• Fried Rice (with lots of veggies)
• Pot Roast (leftovers will be used to make a huge pot of veggie soup)
• Twice-baked Spaghetti Squash with Meat Sauce

Lunches are leftovers and soups.  Breakfasts are oats, eggs, and the occasional pancake or waffle day.   Fruit is served for snacks, breakfasts, and as the occasional dessert.

All of the meals will have lots of veggies with them and most will be served with a salad as well.  I’m really trying to keep us eating as many veggies as we ate in the summer when things were cheap to pick up at the market.   Glad I have the green beans I canned.  They aren’t as healthy as fresh, but they cost nothing out of my bi-weekly budget and taste good.

is there ever a time that life slows down?

You guessed it.  Still so busy.

• soccer tournaments in 40 degree weather with wind chills near freezing (Liz’s team did great)
• first swim meet (Jane finally logged a time in butterfly, big smile there!)
• The twins are learning so much, too much some days as they are managing to get into some mischief.  If they keep up at this pace, I’ll start kindergarten with them next year.
• Forest is running (ha! “run, Forest, run”) for an at-large seat on our city council.  Our budget was, well about $150 and that is long gone.  We decided to make the signs ourselves and I am hoping to finish the lettering today.  Election is two weeks away, perfect time to put up a handful of well-placed signs.  Thankfully I have a good friend that has been helping me on these.
• We have had a cold run through our house.  Not long-lasting, thankfully, but just enough to put a kink in your day.

I do have some real posts in the works.  An update on my canning and preserving as well as some meal lists.  I often go back to my old meal lists and use them to help in planning the menus for our week.  We are on a really tight grocery budget for the rest of the year and I plan on addressing that as well.

not an authority

I am not an authority on much anything, but I am always willing to share what I do know.   Denise over at There Is Always Room for One More asked a few questions about ordering a side of beef for the first time.  I’ve been there a couple times and offered to share what I know.  It ended up turning into a post to share with her readers.  Go ahead and check it out and be sure to read on through some of her posts…you think my house is crazy, I wonder how Denise get’s it all done with her houseful of beautiful children!  (I imagine her wit and great sense of humor come in pretty handy.)

way too long

I don’t know why, but I just am not thinking to come here and write.  Well, I do know why:

• vacation- went south for a week and enjoyed a bit of time away from the daily to-do
• homeschool- for every day of school the girls do, I have at least one hours worth of administrative time that is related to that
• house- it still isn’t a self-cleaning model…dang economy
• food- still cooking, fermenting, canning, and freezing
• family- we are blessed to have a big family that is mostly local…but it takes up a bit of time being close to all these lovely folks
• campaigning- my husband is running for city council and our budget is beyond slim…so we are sticking to what resources are free and that is pretty much just our time
• sprots- we are in those 2 weeks where soccer and swim overlap so Mon./Wed. we head to the field and Tues./Thur. we head to the pool.  Last Soccer game is next week, first swim meet is the following Sat.   I love that my girls are active…it keeps me active.
• everything else- church, yardwork, the poor dog (she acts neglected most days), my working a shift here and there, and on and on it goes

It’s no wonder I am exhausted by the time my head hits the pillow and it’s no wonder that there are no posts on this blog as of late.

Just to prove I am still cooking and so everyone can chuckle at my mistakes:

I made a pumpkin dish the other day that involved  pumpkin puree, eggs, spices, pecans, and a maple syrup glaze!  After it was in the oven for about 15 minutes I finally saw the little bowl with two beaten eggs sitting on the counter.  Darn thing never did raise any   It tasted okay, but not great.  It is in the fridge and might find a second life as ice cream.

Finally, running.  I miss it.  I have a hard time talking about it as it really came to be something I looked forward to and enjoyed in an odd sort of way.  I am still having a very hard time with  my foot and am thinking of heading to a sports medicine type specialist.  The family doctor and foot doctor have done little to nothing to improve my condition and I refuse to be told that at age 30 I can no longer run.  My thoughts are to find what keeps it recurring, fix it, and get back on track.  My sister is still running (my last good run was with her.)  She is on week 6 of the C25K program and I am so happy for her.  25 mninutes straight running is a huge for us and I am glad she has attained it…she’s my hero sometimes    I would love to get this taken care of and run a race with her in the spring.

Homeschooling with a Virtual Public School

How is that for an oxymoron?

We are a public school family that schools at home.  I’ve talked about homeschooling before, but this time of year I always feel a bit compelled to rattle on about it.  There are many families like us and will be many more to come, I am sure.

First thing first.  We are not anti-government school per-say.  I know that my kids are thriving in what is essentially a government school.  The online academy we are enrolled in is funded by our state just like any other brick and mortar public school.  The girls have a teacher, however I am their “learning coach.”  Which means I teach them and a teacher is there to ask us questions just as much for us to ask her questions.  We still go to all the state testings and have to put in the correct amount of hours and days for a public school.

The choice to homeschool is not one we take lightly.  You will never, ever hear me say “we are homeschooling through x grade.”  It is a yearly decision that is not even thought of until after New Year’s.  Forest and I talk extensively about it, pray about it, and often discuss it a bit with the girls now that they are at an age of (some) reason. 

There are down-side’s to a virtual school from a traditional homeschool perspective.  The freedom to choose from a variety of curricula is gone.  There are many forms to fill out (vaccinations, handbooks, etc.) just like a brick and mortar school has (though, not as many from what I hear.)  The biggest complaint the girls have is that they do not get snow days.  I do try to take a day or afternoon ”off” now and then just like any student would get for a school-wide picnic day, pep rally, snow or fog day, etc.  These days are like a treat to my kids.   There is time spent doing things you just wouldn’t do if you were going at it solo.  No teacher conferences, no online learning courses introducing you to what you did the prior year, no hurrying to finish before May 31 as you can school year round at your own pace…  I really could go on and on, but I won’t.

So, why go with an online academy?  It is nice having that teacher there if you do have a question or are stumped at how to get your student past a learning road block.  The curriculum, computer, and internet are taken care of.  Not a bad deal for a one-income family.  The curriculum for this school we love.  K12 is a common name in the online school world and for a good reason.  I’ve often thought if the online school bothered me enough I would still stick with K12…that is, if I could afford it.   The lesson plans are done for you and the subjects tend to overlap.  If you follow their schedule, there is a good chance that while you are learning about China in History, you will also be learning about it in Art and reading a story of that nature in Literature.  

It is also nice that right now we are approaching 12% complete in all subjects.  Many schools are just handing out text books and are reviewing last year’s learning.  We have already moved into the Italian Renaissance and Writing a Composition for the first time.  The time spent learning at our house is quality time, full of questions answers, and I hope, a bit of fun.  It has always been my two goals: 1) to teach my children how to read well and 2) to raise children who are lifetime learners.  If I manage that, I feel like I will have done well.