Spend Nothing Month

Sort of.

I like the idea of a spend nothing month- figuring out how to make do with what I have, and really thinking about what a necessity is.  Of course, it's not really practical (or possible, depending on your situation) to spend absolutely no money, bills will come, and we have to eat, but for the month of january we're going to spend as little as possible.  We'll get our milk delivery, and set aside a small amount of cash for groceries that we need- and once it's gone, it's gone.  The idea is to really consider where you're spending your money, and whether it is improving your life enough to be worth the cost.

There's one SIL weekend planned that I'm not counting (though I'm going to be careful with expenses that weekend).

Kind of a cleanse for the budget and the influx of stuff (most of it wonderful and much loved) at Christmas.

Anyone want to try it too?

Miscellaneous Happiness

Today I was sitting wondering why I am generally pretty happy when there are so many things to be overwhelmed and frustrated about.  Here are some of the things I thought of...

My kids are outside riding bikes in the driveway, and laughing.
My peas are planted (the garden bed was frozen a few inches down, but there was enough defrosted to put peas in).
Progress with the city to get permission to apply for a building permit is moving along at a decent speed.
The chicks are entering their awkward teenage weeks.
The chicks are playing angry birds with each other.  Running, flapping their wings and bowling into everyone else.
The chicks are establishing a pecking order.  Some are getting aggressive, guess which ones will go in the canning kettle first...  (Should it bother the feminist in me that chicks adhere to traditional gender roles so much?)
I'm married to someone I really love, and I would rather spend time with him than anyone else.
I've been getting regular exercise and have some big races this year!
The Girl Scout cookies arrived today.

What to do when you have the winter Blahs, and a greenhouse...

Plant some peas with your 3-year-old.

Fill some pots with lettuce seed.  

Hopefully we're eating lettuce before march...  I can't remember how long it takes to grow.

Finally get those grape propagations going.

Clean the greenhouse so that you don't have to put on work boots just to go in it.

Clean out all the dead tomato plants and be thrilled to discover that the still-living parts have new flowers.

Dream about how tall your peas are going to get.  (if they grow, that is...)

My Mister and I were trying to figure out where we'd do stuff like this in our dream house... It won't have a greenhouse attached to the living room.  We're thinking something like this would be a combination mudroom/living room project.  Dirty work in the mudroom, pots in the living room (which is where the south facing windows will be).

Hello Spring

What do you do for fun?

I can't remember what I used to do for fun when I was single.  I'm sure there was something.  I guess I liked reading, listening to music, shopping, playing my guitar, hanging out (is it just "hanging" now?) with friends.  

After I married my Mister, and even more so when J was born, I couldn't answer if someone asked me what I did for fun.  

Last week, someone asked me that, and I surprised myself with how many things I thought of.  I think maybe it just took me awhile (nearly 10 years?) to figure out how to be a wife and a mother and still be me, and have things that I do for myself, for fun.  

Running the 1/2 marathon was really good for me in that way- It forced me to put myself ahead of other things.  I had to run, or I wouldn't be able to make it through the race, so instead of running if I had time, I made time, I let go of some other things in my life and made running a priority.  Sometimes it messed up dinner times or nap times, but we all survived, and I'm happier because of it.  

I'm cutting back running to three times a week now that the race is over, but I plan on keeping my running time a priority.  It makes me feel good, gives me more energy, and it gives me time to think about whatever I want to think about.  Same with gardening.  I love getting my hands dirty, and watching things I plant grow.  Right now the raspberry canes I planted awhile back are starting to sprout tiny leaves and it makes me happy to know that I did that (and especially happy about the berries, I can't wait!).

So when someone asks you what you do for fun, what do you say?  (I'm embarrassed that it took me so long to realize I have a better answer than "I know I used to have things I liked to do, but I can't remember what they were".)

Strawberry Jam

I found strawberries for a great price, and bought 12lbs.  I spent the day making three batches of low-sugar jam.  I think I ended up with 6 pints and 13 half pints.  Hopefully that will be enough to get us through the year.  Between PB&J's and yogurt, we go through a lot of jam.  We also have a bowl full of sliced strawberries to eat.  

I find that I feel less overwhelmed by things when I've been getting stuff done.  A shelf full of strawberry jam certainly doesn't hurt (but drat, we're out of regular bread, guess what I'll be doing tomorrow).  I finished the last slice with a thick layer of the jam foam (I love Jam Foam...for a random flashback of jam foam drama, and a description of what jam foam is if you don't know, see here),

In other good news, I now have a ceiling fan in my bedroom (and really nice sheets, I can't wait to go to bed tonight!) so the warm weather isn't going to make it hard to go to sleep and I won't have thoughts about turning my AC before my mom does.  

My tomato seedlings are getting bigger and bigger and are doing well outside.  They've been out all day so far with no signs of sunburn (although it has been overcast) so hopefully they're about done with the hardening off process and I can plant them after this next storm passes.  Saturday maybe?

The surviving chicks seem to be doing well, they enjoyed a nice treat of strawberry stems today and were very happy.

Soccer practice & Game tonight, and then I can crash.  

Lunch with friends tomorrow, then a play date (and bread making somewhere in there).

Soccer game on saturday, and maybe I'll take the kids and go for a bike ride.  I might make it through the weekend!

Picture Round Up

Dinner two nights ago- it looked so good I had to take a picture.  Buffalo steak with mushrooms and asparagus and couscous.  Plus a side of home made fake-sour-dough bread to dip in oil and balsamic vinegar.  Dinner doesn't get much better than that.

I've taken up couponing.  As a hobby more than a way to save money, since I can't figure out how people live off of the groceries they can buy with coupons, but getting things for free or really cheap does bring a bit of a rush.  All of this was just over $30.  I "saved" $60.  (I also got a pack of gum for free but forgot to put it in the picture.)  Yes, I'm photographing my groceries now.  My life is that exciting. 

Signs of Spring I:  Baby Chicks 4 bantam Cochins, 1 standard Rhode Island Red (not pictured).

Signs of Spring II: Bare root strawberries planted a week ago are indeed alive and growing.

Signs of Spring III: Popcorn popping on the apricot tree.  The recent cold weather doesn't appear to have done too much damage (yet).

Sun Worship

A late nod to winter solstice, today I feel the need to post about how much I love the sun. The last week or so, I've started noticing the sun shining in the front windows of my house. It starts sometime before 4:50, which is when I noticed it today. In the late summer, I shut the blinds in an effort to keep the sun out. In the winter, the sun is too low in the sky to reach those windows.

Spring is coming (eventually). Must be time to graph out my garden plan...

Funny Things My Kids Say...And an Exercise challenge

A: Mom! MOm! (me running into the bathroom thinking there was an emergency) Mom- Look, I made an ocean in the potty. The pee is the water, the bubbles are the island, the little poop is the fish, and the big poop is the shark.

J: Mom? (Also in the bathroom- we spend a lot of time in the bathroom around here) Do you see my muscles? (he points to his ribs)
Me: Those are your ribs- they're bones, not muscles.
J: Oh, but I'm still strong, see? (flexes his arms).
Me: You are strong!

And, this isn't funny, but today walking A home from preschool, his hands were cold so he was holding my hand, and his little hand felt really nice in mine, and it made me think how fast they grow up. J still holds my hand sometimes, but not as often, and his hands are not too much smaller than mine these days. Being a mom is a pretty good gig, even if I do get pooped, slobbered, and boogered, and-every-other-bodily-functioned on, on a regular basis (I don't really get pooped on very often, but really, once is enough for a lifetime).

Also in other news, I'm joining the Great Fitness Experiment's January experiment. Charlotte is taking Shape Magazine at their word to see if their "Drop 10lbs this month!" workout really works. The format is as follows:

Monday - Shape Magazine strength circuit
Tuesday - Boot Camp interval workout (you can sub biking, running, swimming or any other activity that gets heart rate upupup and then takes it down for a rest and then back up again. The key is the intensity - you want something short and hard. Don't go over 45 minutes. You want a suggestion? Do the 8/12 bicycle sprints!)
Wednesday - Shape Magazine strength circuit
Thursday - Yoga/walking
Friday - Turbokick interval workout (again, sub in what you like)

I think for the interval workouts, I'm going to do several short rounds of wii fit hula hooping to make up 30-45 minutes worth. Charlotte posted pictures of the Shape Magazine strength circuit on her blog, but It's hard to read the words, and some of those, I can't tell how the model got from one position to the next, so I'll probably pick up a copy at the store, or at least read it in the check out line...

Anyone care to join me? I figure this will give me a little bit of accountability to actually follow through. I'm starting today with a wii fit hula hoop interval workout. I don't think this is going to help me gain muscle, but the hazy, cold weather has me feeling a bit blah, so I think this will help, and I don't think I'll lose any weight with it, when I workout regularly I crave eggs. :)

New Years Resolutions

I don't really like the idea of new years resolutions, I do, however, like the idea of setting goals for myself, and a new year seems like a good time to set some goals, so call them what you want- here are mine...

-Gain a few pounds of muscle. If I weighed a bit more, I'd theoretically be less susceptible to illnesses, and I'd prefer to not gain fat. This goal might be the hardest. Any tips for gaining muscle and not fat? I'm guessing ice cream every day is not the way to go here... Is weight training necessary for gaining muscle?

-Clean out clutter. I have too much stuff, and would like to simplify and organize things.

-Be content with what I have. This goes along nicely with simplifying and organizing. It's easier to clean out clutter if I am careful about what I bring into my house in the first place. I'm not going to stop buying things (I love books, and nice quality kitchen things, and my kids like games and toys), but I'm going to be more thoughtful about what I buy.

So This Is Christmas?

Several years ago my Mister bought Sarah Mclachlan's christmas album for me from itunes, I start listening to it the day after thanksgiving, and keep it in until spring. She sings John Lennon's Happy Xmas, and it's one of my favorite songs on the album, and I think despite the "secular" nature of the song, it really makes you think about what christmas is supposed to be about.
Today I read a good post atPoliticaLDS about how we have become so materialistic, and greedy. We've taken something that is supposed to be a time where we think about the birth of our savior and what that has meant in our lives and turned it into a shopping frenzy. I've cut back a little this year, but I still fall into the trap of, "oh, I just need to buy this one more thing". Christmas becomes a time where I buy the things I've been wanting all year long (for myself or other people) instead of a time to be grateful and content with the blessings that I have. Even in the do-gooding, we end up buying more stuff. It's a dilemma. It seems sad that a child would go without a new toy christmas morning, but there are children all over the world who go without food every morning.

Another interesting post I read on One Utah where in the comments they were discussing the ridiculousness of "Winter Oreos" when they should stop trying to be politically correct, and just call them Christmas Oreos (since I'm sure Jesus really appreciates specially colored oreos in his honor).

What I like

I like nice dirt.

I didn't realize how much I like digging in nice dirt until this morning as I buried several hundred bulbs in the new flower bed that was my birthday present (thank you to parents, grandparents, and in-laws who gave me money for my birthday!).

Saturday my Mister dug out the front flower bed. It was filled with gravel and clay. We brought home several plants and a truck load of soil/compost, but didn't have enough to fill the bed, so yesterday my Mister got another load of topsoil. We got all the plants planted and the bulbs placed, then it was time for dinner, and the mosquitoes were out so we didn't make it back out.

This morning, I walked A to preschool, put CP down for a nap and got to work. I buried all the bulbs (crocus, daffodils, tulips, and freesia), the dirt was nice dirt. Soil. Black with a nice earthy smell. That's what soil is supposed to be like, I had almost forgotten what real soil was after a summer of trying to work with the slimy clay stuff found naturally around my yard. Then I mounded the beds to create a ledge around the edges to hold the bark in. Then I covered the whole thing with bark mulch. I'm excited for spring when I can plant some of the perennials that I'm going to grow indoors from seed this winter.

I like Fall. The air is cool, and inside the house, it's cool enough to really need your blankets in the morning. Outside everything feels crisp. I think last spring someone asked me what my favorite season is and I said spring, because everything is new and alive after a long cold winter, but right now I love fall the best. I'm tempted to haul in leaves to dump in my front yard. It's the only thing I don't like about my new house- the trees are babies. I miss our big old trees that dumped huge piles of leaves for the kids to jump in, and to use as a winter mulch in the garden beds.

I like the smell of good things baking in the oven. (I saw a picture of a carrot cake yesterday and had to make one- now I just have to decide if I should do a quick frosting job so we can eat it sooner- or if I should make little carrots with leaves for each piece.... The dilemma I tell you... If only I could upload smells, it's a good one.

I like rows of newly canned fruits or vegetables lined up on the shelf.
I love the colors of fall and pulling out my "fall" decorations. Home starts to feel a little more homey (just wait for the christmas decorations- those are the best!). I like my front door. Stop by sometime.

If you were wondering, after my last post. I found a cure (temporary or not, we'll have to see) for the spending bug. Being content with what I have (and getting some dirt and/or cake batter under my nails doesn't hurt either).