It’s raining! May 8, 2008

IT’S RAINING!!!

You cannot see it, but I am doing my happy dance. 

North Georgia is still in a drought but it is getting better and every drop that falls is a great thing.

Not to mention my gardens will just be popping tomorrow! 

I cannot wait until I can (hopefully) sneak outside before the kids get up and check out what is going on. 

The only way this rain could be better would be if there was a little lightening. 

Today, my walk through the veggie garden revealed new lettuce, radishes and beans growing. 

I wonder what the morning will bring. 

~Rhen

Thursday Thirteen #21 May 8, 2008

My Thursday Thirteen for today is 13 things our family is planning to do and hopes to do over the summer and into fall.

1.  Camping (several times, I hope)

2.  A field trip to a gold mine.

3.  Visit Sea World.

4.  Visit Busch Gardens (Both of these will happen when we take Ms. Firecracker down to Orlando to compete in Nationals.)

5.  A trip to the zoo.

6.  A trip to visit grandparents.

7.  Fishing.

8.  A hike and a picnic in a state park.

9.  A field trip to DeSoto Caverns.

10.  A couple of afternoons at the lake.

11.  A field trip to a local museum.

12.  Visit a local wildlife sanctuary.

13.  Spend as much time with the kids and having fun as possible!

So, what is your 13 for this week?  Pop over to Thursday Thirteen to visit more TT’ers.

*This is the last week for the current poll.  If ya wanna vote just click the polls page at the top of my blog.*

Have a blessed day,

~Rhen

Wordless Wednesday- At the park. May 7, 2008

  

 

WFMW- lessons-learned-the-hard-way May 7, 2008

Oh man, do we all have lessons we have learned the hard way. 

You get a tip on how fantastically it worked for someone else, you try it, and then disaster! 

Things should not be allowed to work that way.

What has not worked for me?

Getting up really early suggestions.  I know moms who have half of their daily to-do’s accomplished by 6:30 am.  I am not one of those moms.  Don’t get me wrong.  I do not sleep my day away or anything but I am by no means a get-up-before-the-sun-and-conquer-the-world kind of girl.  I conquer the world after 7 am. 

Swiffer wet jet.  I do realize how sanitary it is to be able to throw away the pad but it just cannot clean the edges of the floor, the cracks (or grout) in tile and baseboards.  It just doesn’t seem to work as well as an old fashioned scrubbing.  I use an industrial string mop and wash the head.  It is a washcloth to clean the baseboards and edges.

So, what doesn’t work for you? 

Pop over to Rocks in My Dryer to read more “didn’t work” and leave a few of your own!

Have a blessed day,

~Rhen

Tackle it Tuesday May 6, 2008

This week’s tackle is for my daughter, Ms. Firecracker (7). 

This was her first year taking gymnastics lessons and then competing as a gymnast.  She earned 26 medals, 4 ribbons and 2 trophies.  I was storing them all in a bag on my dresser. 

I wanted her to be able to enjoy them so I bought some of those command hooks and put them on her wall.   There were 6 in the package, which is perfect.  She competed in 5 meets and then State.  Each hook holds the medals from 1 meet. 

Now all her medals on up for her to see and her trophies are on her shelf.

While we have finished the season for the local and state meets, she will be competing in Nationals in June. 

I am so proud of her!

What have you tackled?  For more great tackles or to get inspired visit 5 Min for Mom.

Don’t forget to leave me a comment so I can visit your blog!

Have a blessed week,

~Rhen

 

This week’s plans and menu May 5, 2008

Good Monday all!!  I hope you had a terrific weekend. 

1.  ~Even more laundry.  Like it will ever end!

2.  ~Grocery shopping.  I shop every two weeks and today it the day.  I will go right after my Dr’s appt today. 

3.  ~Gardening- the last of the succession planting will happen this week.  That includes corn, beans, squash, lettuce and more.  I picked up some herb plants this weekend that need to go in the rock garden. 

4.  ~Homeschooling.  More work on their basic books and finishing up subjects.  We will also be doing a lot of planet gazing this month and planning a field trip to Amicalola Falls.  I will see if anyone wants to carpool to help with the price of the gas to get there.

5.  ~Spiritual Health-  I am reading Elizabeth George’s book A Woman After God’s Own Heart.  It is such an awesome book.  I also have the study guide with it.  I like the way she guides you by asking you particular questions about what you read and what you thought.  Very inspiring!

6.  ~Projects- We will work on gathering rocks and building the walls of the rock garden.  The garden is outlined but most of the walls have not yet been built.  I am also going to finish the last of the t-posts.  I couldn’t get to this last week because of a hand injury.  I need to get a fresh bale of hay in the chicken house, ask my neighbor to backfill the retaining wall Mr. Muscles finished and build a second chicken run. 

7.  ~My cleaning zone this week will be the kids’ rooms.  Our May assignment for Organizing Junkie’s Monthly Round Up is kid’s rooms.  I am very excited about getting their rooms done!

On our yummy menu this week is:

  *Herb breaded chicken with black eyed peas, asparagus, fresh sliced veggies.

  *Roast with sweet potato casserole and green beans.

  *Tuna Salad (nice cold meal on a warm day)

  *Veggie pizzas

  *BBQ Chicken stew

  *Hamburgers with potato salad, corn and Greek salad.

  *Saturday night is the night Mr. Muscles treats us all to dinner out.  Woo hoo, no cleaning that night!

All meals are homemade and if you are interested in a recipe just let me know.  I will post it with next week’s menu. 

For more Meandering Mondays visit Tiany and for more Menu Monday visit Organizing Junkie.

Ya’ll have a very blessed week and don’t forget to leave me a comment.  I love them and then I get to come visit you!

~Rhen

Planet Gazing May 4, 2008

This came through one of my homeschooling groups.  I just wanted to pass it on!

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3 planets are in our evening sky this May, so if you have a telescope in a closet somewhere, it’s time to dust it off and enjoy some pleasant spring time stargazing.

If you don’t have a telescope try to find an observatory in your area that has public viewing nights. Saturn is at its best of the year right now, but it is losing its rings. Due to the tilt of Saturn’s axis we will view the rings edge on next year. As we get into summer the skies will fill with humidity and be less clear and dark.

The planet that is afraid of the dark, Mercury can be spotted low in the west just after sunset. On May 6 use binoculars to find the 2-day old Crescent Moon. Mercury will be the “star” below and to the left of it. Mercury will be highest in the west on May 13 when it sets 2 hours after the Sun. A telescope will reveal it to look like a tiny First Quarter Moon!

Mars is the reddish-orange “star” next to The Twins at the beginning of May. You can watch it move away from The Twins all month. Check it out with binoculars on May 21-23 when it will be moving through the Beehive Star Cluster.

Thursday Thirteen #20 May 1, 2008

My TT for this week is 13 things I won’t eat or don’t like to eat.  I know it doesn’t match the theme but, I had this one ready to go!

1.  Sushi.  I don’t eat bait.  Just can’t do it.

2.  Grits.  Nasty little things that reproduce like crazy when a couple of them get in your dishwasher.

3.  Brussel sprouts.  They are slimy little cabbages.  Eww.

4.  Kalamari- see the bait issue at #1. 

5.  Pork.   You are what you eat and pork has more parasites than other meats.   I have a rule about hosting no or, as few as possible, parasites!

6.  Black eyed peas.  They just taste like mud.

7.  Shrimp.  I like shrimp but they are the filters of the sea.  They are used to check the toxicity levels of the water.   No thanks.

8.  Crawdads.  That is just nasty!!  Those little eyeballs lookin’ at ya are just too much.

9.  Okra.  Mr. Muscles and most of the kids love it but it just feels slimy to me. 

10.  Insects.  I have seen stores that sell chocolate covered insects as delicacies.  Well, I might try chocolate covered ants.  Maybe.  Especially if it was dark chocolate.  LOL

11.  Most crackers.  I have no idea why I don’t like them. 

12.  Cheese sandwiches.  When I was little and had to stay with a baby sitter for a little while, she fixed cheese sandwiches.  It was the sandwich, per se, that was bad but rather the ingredients she used.  The mayo was some really bad tasting stuff from England and the cheese was not cheddar or anything like that.  She made me eat every awful bite.  I guess I was scarred. 

13.  Radishes.  I know they are good for me and, I have really tried to like them.  So far I have not found a variety that I can stomach.  I am growing a new variety this year.  Maybe it will be a good one. 

So, what don’t you eat?  Is there something that you just can’t choke down?  Leave a comment telling me what food(s) just don’t make it onto your plate!

Do you TT?  LOL Thursday Thirteen that is!  Pop over to Thursday Thirteen to see more.

 

Shutterbug April 30, 2008

I love photography.  Do you?

I take my camera every where I go. 

I have thousands of pictures on my computer.  (I really must burn them to discs so I can have more space .)

It started with my dad. He was and is still a photographer.  I am NOT a photogenic person but he was always able to get great shots of me.  THAT is talent my friends!!

What do I take pictures of? 

My children.  Many, many, many pictures of them.  I have around 1000 pictures of Ms. Firecracker’s (7) gymnastic competitions.  I also have hundreds of Ms. Serious (11) at gymnastics and dance, Short Man (9) at gymnastics, Ms. Lovebug (5) at gymnastics and Ms. Independent (3) pretending as if she also takes the class.  Daddy came with us to the park on Tuesday and I have about 30 shots from there.  Not to mention the ones I took of our field trip that afternoon.  My children probably think my camera is surgically attached.

I also photograph nature.  Whatever catches my eye.  The first bugs of spring or the different varieties of azaleas that were blooming at the park on Tuesday.

Then there is wildlife.  It is magnificent to sit in the stand, listening to the sounds of the woods, appreciating God’s artistry around me and taking pictures of the animals and other critters I see. 

Let us not forget our homestead.  I take pictures of all of our projects.  I get the before shots, many different during shots and after shots as well. 

I told ya!  I take a lot of pictures.

I see many other bloggers out there who post pictures on their blogs.  While I don’t mind posting pictures of the projects we have going on, the homestead, our animals, nature and such, I am very leery about posting pictures of my family.  Does it bother you to do it?  Do you post pics on your blog of yourself, your spouse and/ or your children?   Are you worried about someone stealing your photos and using them?  Do you worry about safety? 

I have thought many times of sharing with ya’ll pictures of my family.  I have made some wonderful bloggyland friends and I think it would be great for them to know who they are reading about.  What stops me are the people who stumble here who are not trustworthy and could even be dangerous. 

So, how do you feel about posting personal pictures?  I would really like to know what you think! 

!!!!!Disclaimer here!!!!  I do not think anyone is wrong for posting personal pictures or for not posting them.  I really enjoy seeing who I am reading about.  I also understand someone feeling that they need to protect their family by not posting such pictures.  I just want to know what you think. 

This is a safe zone ya’ll!!

WFMW- Compost Tea April 30, 2008

It is warm outside.  The sun is shining and spring has very much settled in down here in the deep south.

  What does that mean?  I am in full gardening mode, baby!  I love gardening.  I love the flowers, the fresh food and watching as the plants grow. 

Do you have a black thumb or maybe a brown one?  Is it a little green but you are looking for supergreen?  LOL  I have a great little recipe for you to use on your plants that will help them to grow and thrive. 

It is called compost tea.  It can also be manure tea.  Both are excellent.

What you need is compost.  Rich, black, healthy compost.  If you do not have a compost pile then you can buy bags of compost at your local  home improvement store. 

You will also need a pair of pantyhose and a 5 gallon bucket.   Cut the pantyhose off at right about the knee area so you have two individual legs.

Fill the 5 gallon bucket up with water.  Your best choice is rain water if you collect it. 

Next, you fill the bottom 5-6 inches of one of the feet of the pantyhose with compost and loosely tie the top of it. 

Then, allow the pantyhose of compost to steep in the water just like you would do with a tea bag and a cup of water.  It is best to let it steep in the sun.  The heat makes it stronger.  Allow it to steep for 24-36 hours.  Periodically move your “tea bag” around to release more nutrients. 

Now the “tea” is ready to be fed to your plants.  You can either have someone strong enough carry the bucket around or you can dip the liquid gold out with a smaller bucket. 

Pour the “tea” directly around the roots of the plants and not on the top of them. 

If your bellpeppers have buds on them or are blooming do NOT fertilize them.  You will have big, beautiful plants but no peppers!  Only fertilize them when they are young. 

I prefer to use a mixture of manure and compost to make my “tea”.  70% compost and 30% manure in pantyhose.  The plants just thrive on it.  You can also buy composted manure at your local home improvement store. 

In addition to compost and manure you can also use worm castings and/ or fish emulsifier.

Do you have a tip to share with others?  Would you like a whole bunch of great advice?  Pop over to Rocks in My Dryer and check it out!