I got my Diva Cup a few weeks ago, and haven't had the opportunity it use it yet - thank goodness! Why? Apparently the cute, colorful carrying bag that they give you to make your period a little more jazzy is also interesting to 3 year old boys! He got up last night and was playing quietly in his room (didn't feel like fighting, so I just let him play) and at some point he wandered into the bathroom, opened the "girly" drawer, found my Diva Cup and thought "this will fit nicely in the toy teapot!". Which it did - a perfect fit. It took me a half-hour of frantic searching to figure out where it was - my only clue was the bag lying on the floor near his toys.
Now it lives in my underwear drawer. :)
On the SOM front, we're preparing to move in later this week. I rigged all the rain barrels to accept water, bought some started strawberry plants for 1604, and I need to set up the first round of classes for next week. There need to be two - one craft and one life skills - so to start I'm doing clothespin dolls and homemade laundry detergent. Both easy, and the dolls can help raise money. Another week we can pour container candles and make "sterno" stoves from wax, cardboard and tuna cans. Baking bread and sewing, knitting and doing laundry by hand - we'll be urban Amish!
On a sobering note, the city of Harrisburg was hand-delivering notices about the swine flu to the Allison Hill district. There is a lot of buzz that Harrisburg will be a hotbed if the swine flu does go pandemic. We're trying to prepare - the biggest problem is that if we do get to pandemic level, as much as 30% of the working people at any given time will not be able to report for duty. This may mean a slowdown or cessation of deliveries, possible utility interruptions, and almost certainly a shortage of many supplies. We're trying to make sure we have enough food, water, medication, and sanitation supplies - just in case.
Eyes on the prize - determine our own lives!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Wipe out!
You know how sometimes you cruise along in life, thinking "Wow, things are going pretty well! I have some changes coming my way and they look pretty positive!" then life starts laughing and decides to drop a few sandbags on you?
First let me begin last week. Jake, my sweetie, has access to a beach condo during off-season times and last-minute cancellations, so my two kids, his nephew, his mom and stepdad, Jake and I all got a weekend trip to Rehobeth Beach! (Note to those traveling to Rehobeth from Pennsylvania - there are two roads labeled Route 1. One takes you to the beach. The other goes straight into Baltimore. That was rough.)
My kids had never seen the beach before, and the weather was wonderful! We were only 3 blocks from the beach, 1 block from the central shop district, and 2 blocks from the church. They spent about 3 hours running into the (freezing!) water, waiting for a wave, then screaming and running away from it. It was cute. :) We flew a kite just by holding it up and letting out the string - it was like launching a helium balloon. I got good and sunburned, which is par for the course, and we all went out for ice cream after. There's a flavor at one of the shops called "Better Than Sex". Maybe not, but it was a tough call! We played miniature golf, put the kids to bed, went out for a drink, and discovered a new beer that I can only drink one of in an evening. (I'm a lightweight, and it had 9.8% alcohol content)
The next day after church, Jake's mom hands me a bag of bread and says "Why don't you guys go feed the seagulls? It's fun!" Unfortunately, the kids heard her and started yelling and jumping, so we went to the beach to feed the skyrats. It was horrifying! They were hanging in the air over our heads, snatching the bread right out of the air! When we ran out I had to flap a blanket at them to get them to go away - I thought they would develop a taste for human flesh next! The kids agreed that we would not be doing that again.
Ahh, a (mostly) relaxing trip to the beach. What could possibly disturb me after that?
Monday, Jake called to tell me that his grandma had been found by her neighbors after they noticed her back door hanging open. She was alive, but unresponsive. They rushed her to the ER.
Tuesday, I left work early to attend a parent/teacher conference. Only this was a parent/teacher/grandma/counselor/vice principal/principal conference. The jist was because my daughter has a lot of trouble dealing with her emotions, that we should have a psych evaluation done. Once that happens, she would be eligible for a summer camp coaching program that would help her learn to cope better. OK, that's good. I passed my freakitude onto my daughter, but at least there's more help these days.
I left, and tried to process all this until I got another call from Jake. Grandma was fading, and he needed moral support. I packed up my little guy and headed to the hospital, where we settled into a waiting room with a large chunk of his family. I stayed as long as I thought Daniel's good behavior would last, then went home to wait for the school bus. Jake called to tell me that Nana had COPD, pneumonia, and lung cancer. The family decided that it would be kinder to let her go now than to cure her pneumonia, medicate her COPD and wait for the lung cancer to ravage her body. She passed away at 6:12 Tuesday evening.
Wednesday I went to work and told my boss what had happened.
Thursday I went to work and my boss told me that she was distantly related to my boyfriend! Her late husbands brother married Jake's cousin (or aunt? not sure).
Today was the funeral. Jake's father had been drinking heavily the night before, and refused to come to his mother's funeral. I would have liked to make sure he attended a funeral - his own - but it wasn't my place, so Jake and I left him there. He's worthy of his own blog, but that would just be a 10 page rant, so we'll leave it at that.
Jake seems to be doing better now - we all went out to Red Lobster (Nana's favorite) after the burial, ate ourselves silly, and relaxed for the rest of the day.
Tomorrow I have a mountain of laundry to wash and hang after work, packing to do, paperwork to complete for the move to the Silence of Mary home, and the kids are going to want to play with me. Lord, give me patience, please? Help me get through the next two weeks so I can get into a new rhythm in the new house? Thanks!
Never mind living free for free - I'd settle for living!
First let me begin last week. Jake, my sweetie, has access to a beach condo during off-season times and last-minute cancellations, so my two kids, his nephew, his mom and stepdad, Jake and I all got a weekend trip to Rehobeth Beach! (Note to those traveling to Rehobeth from Pennsylvania - there are two roads labeled Route 1. One takes you to the beach. The other goes straight into Baltimore. That was rough.)
My kids had never seen the beach before, and the weather was wonderful! We were only 3 blocks from the beach, 1 block from the central shop district, and 2 blocks from the church. They spent about 3 hours running into the (freezing!) water, waiting for a wave, then screaming and running away from it. It was cute. :) We flew a kite just by holding it up and letting out the string - it was like launching a helium balloon. I got good and sunburned, which is par for the course, and we all went out for ice cream after. There's a flavor at one of the shops called "Better Than Sex". Maybe not, but it was a tough call! We played miniature golf, put the kids to bed, went out for a drink, and discovered a new beer that I can only drink one of in an evening. (I'm a lightweight, and it had 9.8% alcohol content)
The next day after church, Jake's mom hands me a bag of bread and says "Why don't you guys go feed the seagulls? It's fun!" Unfortunately, the kids heard her and started yelling and jumping, so we went to the beach to feed the skyrats. It was horrifying! They were hanging in the air over our heads, snatching the bread right out of the air! When we ran out I had to flap a blanket at them to get them to go away - I thought they would develop a taste for human flesh next! The kids agreed that we would not be doing that again.
Ahh, a (mostly) relaxing trip to the beach. What could possibly disturb me after that?
Monday, Jake called to tell me that his grandma had been found by her neighbors after they noticed her back door hanging open. She was alive, but unresponsive. They rushed her to the ER.
Tuesday, I left work early to attend a parent/teacher conference. Only this was a parent/teacher/grandma/counselor/vice principal/principal conference. The jist was because my daughter has a lot of trouble dealing with her emotions, that we should have a psych evaluation done. Once that happens, she would be eligible for a summer camp coaching program that would help her learn to cope better. OK, that's good. I passed my freakitude onto my daughter, but at least there's more help these days.
I left, and tried to process all this until I got another call from Jake. Grandma was fading, and he needed moral support. I packed up my little guy and headed to the hospital, where we settled into a waiting room with a large chunk of his family. I stayed as long as I thought Daniel's good behavior would last, then went home to wait for the school bus. Jake called to tell me that Nana had COPD, pneumonia, and lung cancer. The family decided that it would be kinder to let her go now than to cure her pneumonia, medicate her COPD and wait for the lung cancer to ravage her body. She passed away at 6:12 Tuesday evening.
Wednesday I went to work and told my boss what had happened.
Thursday I went to work and my boss told me that she was distantly related to my boyfriend! Her late husbands brother married Jake's cousin (or aunt? not sure).
Today was the funeral. Jake's father had been drinking heavily the night before, and refused to come to his mother's funeral. I would have liked to make sure he attended a funeral - his own - but it wasn't my place, so Jake and I left him there. He's worthy of his own blog, but that would just be a 10 page rant, so we'll leave it at that.
Jake seems to be doing better now - we all went out to Red Lobster (Nana's favorite) after the burial, ate ourselves silly, and relaxed for the rest of the day.
Tomorrow I have a mountain of laundry to wash and hang after work, packing to do, paperwork to complete for the move to the Silence of Mary home, and the kids are going to want to play with me. Lord, give me patience, please? Help me get through the next two weeks so I can get into a new rhythm in the new house? Thanks!
Never mind living free for free - I'd settle for living!
Monday, April 13, 2009
Great Easter!
We had an awesome Easter! Granted, I had to work in the bakery until 9AM, but the workload was light. My daughter and I went to 10:30 Mass, came home, and my mom, dad, two kids, my sweetie and I all hopped into the minivan and drove down to see the Virginia side of the family.
You know how sometimes you worry about how a family get-together will go? You're not sure if the weird uncle will corner your sweetie, if the kids will try chasing the dogs to see if they like chocolate bunnies, if you're going to have to answer pointed questions about your career, educational plans, etc. None of that happened! The weird uncle wasn't there, the kids were reasonably well-behaved with the animals (and didn't break anything!), conversation and laughter flowed along with the sweet tea, and my sweetie made a work/play date with my uncle to work on the family acreage.
My cousin now has a sweetie, too, and we must have more similar tastes in men than I realized! Ten minutes after meeting, the guys were hanging out in the back yard with Uncle Mike, talking hunting, guns, hard labor and grunting! Independently of each other, my cousin and I have been doing similar research on money and energy saving practices. We found that we've been reading similar themes but different titles, so we swapped a book or two and promised to send links to each other about online finds.
After visiting my "country" cousins, I wish that I could be out in the middle of nowhere, raising chickens, a pig or two, maybe a cow or a goat for milk, with a mortgage free home on 5 acres. Sadly, my mission is in the city - I have to teach the folks how to fend for themselves in the concrete jungle, showing them how to grow and raise food without the benefit of lots of land. I have to install systems in the homes that will allow life to go on even if all the utilities go down. Oh, it'll be exciting, and possibly even more of a challenge than rural homesteading. It just won't be as peaceful. *Sigh*
Live free for free!
You know how sometimes you worry about how a family get-together will go? You're not sure if the weird uncle will corner your sweetie, if the kids will try chasing the dogs to see if they like chocolate bunnies, if you're going to have to answer pointed questions about your career, educational plans, etc. None of that happened! The weird uncle wasn't there, the kids were reasonably well-behaved with the animals (and didn't break anything!), conversation and laughter flowed along with the sweet tea, and my sweetie made a work/play date with my uncle to work on the family acreage.
My cousin now has a sweetie, too, and we must have more similar tastes in men than I realized! Ten minutes after meeting, the guys were hanging out in the back yard with Uncle Mike, talking hunting, guns, hard labor and grunting! Independently of each other, my cousin and I have been doing similar research on money and energy saving practices. We found that we've been reading similar themes but different titles, so we swapped a book or two and promised to send links to each other about online finds.
After visiting my "country" cousins, I wish that I could be out in the middle of nowhere, raising chickens, a pig or two, maybe a cow or a goat for milk, with a mortgage free home on 5 acres. Sadly, my mission is in the city - I have to teach the folks how to fend for themselves in the concrete jungle, showing them how to grow and raise food without the benefit of lots of land. I have to install systems in the homes that will allow life to go on even if all the utilities go down. Oh, it'll be exciting, and possibly even more of a challenge than rural homesteading. It just won't be as peaceful. *Sigh*
Live free for free!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Leap of faith
I've told Weis that my last day will be April 27th, so I can focus on the Silence of Mary live-in job. This is very scary, because as yet, the position is still unfunded. I know my needs will be taken care of, but it's hard not to worry about having money "just in case". I'm saving what money I can, I'm buying reuseable items like my Diva Cup, I've stocked my prepaid phone with minutes and made sure that I have a good charging cable for my laptop, and I'm making sure that the clothes that I have fit and will last. I changed the oil in my car, prepaid the next 3 months of insurance, and I need to clean out the trunk just so I know exactly what is in there!
The kids are growing like weeds, so I'm trying to go through their wardrobes to figure out what to keep (hardly anything) and what size to buy for the next year or so. I'm going to scour yard sales as soon as I see anything available, but my daughter has hit the hard-to-clothe age of 7. Thankfully she's in Catholic school, so school clothes aren't an issue - I just need to make sure she has enough tights, jumpers, Peter Pan collar shirts and black sneakers. Her civvies, though, go unused so much that I didn't notice she barely had anything that fit until last week. My mom did, and took her shopping. (Thanks, Mom!) My 3 year old little guy is still easy to dress - give him soft, comfy clothes with elastic waistbands, and he's a happy camper. :) Most of his wardrobe is so cozy it can (and does) double as PJs.
Food is never a problem at SOM... unless you consider too much perishable food a problem. That will be one of my duties there - to try to reduce as much waste as possible.
On a side note, Happy Birthday to my sweetie, Jake! It's been an awesome six months, and it just keeps getting better!
The kids are growing like weeds, so I'm trying to go through their wardrobes to figure out what to keep (hardly anything) and what size to buy for the next year or so. I'm going to scour yard sales as soon as I see anything available, but my daughter has hit the hard-to-clothe age of 7. Thankfully she's in Catholic school, so school clothes aren't an issue - I just need to make sure she has enough tights, jumpers, Peter Pan collar shirts and black sneakers. Her civvies, though, go unused so much that I didn't notice she barely had anything that fit until last week. My mom did, and took her shopping. (Thanks, Mom!) My 3 year old little guy is still easy to dress - give him soft, comfy clothes with elastic waistbands, and he's a happy camper. :) Most of his wardrobe is so cozy it can (and does) double as PJs.
Food is never a problem at SOM... unless you consider too much perishable food a problem. That will be one of my duties there - to try to reduce as much waste as possible.
On a side note, Happy Birthday to my sweetie, Jake! It's been an awesome six months, and it just keeps getting better!
Monday, April 6, 2009
Swagbucks!
I can't believe I didn't know about swagbucks before!
Put simply, it's like Google, only you earn rewards while you search! Yes, it costs 15 swagbucks for a $5 Amazon.com gift card, but you were going to do that search anyway, right? You can also earn swagbucks by shopping online at sponsored stores, but that's not quite flush with my ideology :)
http://swagbucks.com/?cmd=sb-register&rb=446144
If you don't have a swagbucks account, click on the link above to register! You get swagbucks, and just so you know, I'd get matching swagbucks if you use this link. I'm not trying to be shady about it - you can do the same with your friends! Hey, if you Google your own name or address a few times a day, it just might add up!
Put simply, it's like Google, only you earn rewards while you search! Yes, it costs 15 swagbucks for a $5 Amazon.com gift card, but you were going to do that search anyway, right? You can also earn swagbucks by shopping online at sponsored stores, but that's not quite flush with my ideology :)
http://swagbucks.com/?cmd=sb-register&rb=446144
If you don't have a swagbucks account, click on the link above to register! You get swagbucks, and just so you know, I'd get matching swagbucks if you use this link. I'm not trying to be shady about it - you can do the same with your friends! Hey, if you Google your own name or address a few times a day, it just might add up!
Tummy bug :(
Yep, the tummy bug that kept my daughter home on Friday has made itself right at home here. Thank goodness it's only a 24 hour bug - I caught it yesterday, and I'm feeling a lot better now. Of course, my son and mom just caught it in the middle of the night! We're going through a lot of Sprite and crackers, and the laundry situation isn't much fun right now. Hopefully I'll feel up to taking on the cleanup shortly - the achy muscles are fading and I'm not reacting to odors quite as strongly. Bleah.
My mom discovered a flea market near Williams Grove Speedway, which I have to go check out the next Sunday I can get away. One of the items that the SOM is anxious to get is cast iron cookware, and the prices were low there. It makes a big difference when you're looking for cast iron for daily use as opposed to the collectors who are after certain markings - $3 or $4 skillets can't be beat! Then when you consider the nutritional benefit that the added iron imparts to your food and the ease of cooking and cleanup, you start to wonder why those flimsy aluminum pans ever seemed OK.
Oh, and my sister-in-law got some ShamWOWs for Christmas - she says they really do perform the way they promise! That's just what I was waiting to hear - the next baby that moves into the SOM is going to have custom-made diapers with ShamWOW inserts! Even better, a volunteer says that she has a treadle sewing machine in her basement that might just need some WD-40 and a new belt - I've been going crazy wondering where to get one.
Small steps toward freedom!
My mom discovered a flea market near Williams Grove Speedway, which I have to go check out the next Sunday I can get away. One of the items that the SOM is anxious to get is cast iron cookware, and the prices were low there. It makes a big difference when you're looking for cast iron for daily use as opposed to the collectors who are after certain markings - $3 or $4 skillets can't be beat! Then when you consider the nutritional benefit that the added iron imparts to your food and the ease of cooking and cleanup, you start to wonder why those flimsy aluminum pans ever seemed OK.
Oh, and my sister-in-law got some ShamWOWs for Christmas - she says they really do perform the way they promise! That's just what I was waiting to hear - the next baby that moves into the SOM is going to have custom-made diapers with ShamWOW inserts! Even better, a volunteer says that she has a treadle sewing machine in her basement that might just need some WD-40 and a new belt - I've been going crazy wondering where to get one.
Small steps toward freedom!
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Donuts
I've been working at a Weis bakery to pay my bills - I love the job, but not the hours. I have to be there at 4AM to get the bread rising in time to bake for the morning. Up till now I've been woking 3 or 4 days a week, which was fine by me. I'm not getting rich, but I'm staying current on things and I was able to catch up on the sleep that I missed on my days off.
Unfortunately, the older lady who usually fries the donuts just broke her thumb on the job. She's in great pain, and besides her there are only two people who are trained and able to fry donuts. Guess who one of those people might be! Go on... I'll wait!
So now I'm picking up more hours, which means more money (yay) but less time for rest and helping at the Silence (boo). My mom has been swamped at work too, so when either of us are home, neither of us feel able to catch up with housework. My daughter had a stomach bug this week, and my son has been oddly wakeful at night - I'm beat.
Tonight I was so tired that rather than cooking a meal from all the food we have at hand, I ordered pizza. Sure, my brother works there so I got a discount, but I could have made something acceptable from the items in the pantry for less than the discounted pizza.
Let this be a warning to all who think that taking a second job or picking up overtime will fix their money problems. You'll take home more money, but how much will end up being spent on takeout or frozen foods because you're just dead at the end of the day? How much more likely are you to shop at the nearest store when you feel pressed for time instead of looking for the best bargains? How much extra will you have to pay the sitter or day care? How many painkillers will you need to dull your aching back and feet? I am getting these extra hours because of a crisis, but if I had my choice I would take fewer hours in exchange for more time to use my money saving ideas.
Gotta take down the wash and bake some bread - soon I'll rest.
Unfortunately, the older lady who usually fries the donuts just broke her thumb on the job. She's in great pain, and besides her there are only two people who are trained and able to fry donuts. Guess who one of those people might be! Go on... I'll wait!
So now I'm picking up more hours, which means more money (yay) but less time for rest and helping at the Silence (boo). My mom has been swamped at work too, so when either of us are home, neither of us feel able to catch up with housework. My daughter had a stomach bug this week, and my son has been oddly wakeful at night - I'm beat.
Tonight I was so tired that rather than cooking a meal from all the food we have at hand, I ordered pizza. Sure, my brother works there so I got a discount, but I could have made something acceptable from the items in the pantry for less than the discounted pizza.
Let this be a warning to all who think that taking a second job or picking up overtime will fix their money problems. You'll take home more money, but how much will end up being spent on takeout or frozen foods because you're just dead at the end of the day? How much more likely are you to shop at the nearest store when you feel pressed for time instead of looking for the best bargains? How much extra will you have to pay the sitter or day care? How many painkillers will you need to dull your aching back and feet? I am getting these extra hours because of a crisis, but if I had my choice I would take fewer hours in exchange for more time to use my money saving ideas.
Gotta take down the wash and bake some bread - soon I'll rest.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Fun!
Yesterday was so beautiful here! Yes, I had to work an early morning shift at the bakery (4 AM comes e111arlier than I'd like), but the sun was shining, my tax refund check came, I finally got a new laptop charger cable for only $30, I paid all my debts except my student loans, and everything I wanted to pick up yesterday was on sale!
I bought a camp solar shower a few days ago as a part of hot water rationing plans for the Silence of Mary. It's just a 5 gal. black vinyl bag with a hose and small shower head -nothing fancy - but if you lay the bag in the sun on a sunny day, the water gets to about 105 degrees. My general plans are to fill the shower bag with warm tap water to start off, and tell each person in the home that they can take a shower, but only using the water in the bag. Then in a few weeks we can buy a few more and tell them that on sunny days, they fill their shower with cold tap water and lay them out in the sun. They can take their showers in the evening. The big step will be when they start filling their showers from the rain barrels! Yesterday, that's what I did. I use old pantyhose feet over the openings of the rain barrels to filter out roof debris, so the water is pretty clean, and I showered (indoors) with the sun-warmed rainwater. I was shocked - I keep forgetting how hard our water is around here. Usually after a shower I need to use some moisturizer or baby oil - not this time! The rainwater left me feeling so soft and CLEAN!
I've also put in an order with the Healthy Grocer to get a Diva Cup. I've never had one before, and I've wondered for ages how it would work for me, a gal who was terrified of tampons till the age of 21. A $30 item, even if it is reuseable, was beyond my reach until I got my tax refund. Now I have the money, so I figure an item that will last one year AT MINIMUM is totally worth the investment! I'll post once I get a chance to test it out - I hear there is a bit of a learning curve, and I want to get it right before I opine about it. :)
If I can shower and bathe the kids for free, not have to buy feminine products, wash and dry our clothes for only the cost of the (homemade) detergent, use the solar lights from Ikea, and grow, cook and preserve food, then all I'll need to work on is heat, sewer and the few things we can't make! I'm hoping to get a solar laptop/cell phone charger and a treadle sewing machine, but one step at a time!
Watch this nutty quest to live free for free!
I bought a camp solar shower a few days ago as a part of hot water rationing plans for the Silence of Mary. It's just a 5 gal. black vinyl bag with a hose and small shower head -nothing fancy - but if you lay the bag in the sun on a sunny day, the water gets to about 105 degrees. My general plans are to fill the shower bag with warm tap water to start off, and tell each person in the home that they can take a shower, but only using the water in the bag. Then in a few weeks we can buy a few more and tell them that on sunny days, they fill their shower with cold tap water and lay them out in the sun. They can take their showers in the evening. The big step will be when they start filling their showers from the rain barrels! Yesterday, that's what I did. I use old pantyhose feet over the openings of the rain barrels to filter out roof debris, so the water is pretty clean, and I showered (indoors) with the sun-warmed rainwater. I was shocked - I keep forgetting how hard our water is around here. Usually after a shower I need to use some moisturizer or baby oil - not this time! The rainwater left me feeling so soft and CLEAN!
I've also put in an order with the Healthy Grocer to get a Diva Cup. I've never had one before, and I've wondered for ages how it would work for me, a gal who was terrified of tampons till the age of 21. A $30 item, even if it is reuseable, was beyond my reach until I got my tax refund. Now I have the money, so I figure an item that will last one year AT MINIMUM is totally worth the investment! I'll post once I get a chance to test it out - I hear there is a bit of a learning curve, and I want to get it right before I opine about it. :)
If I can shower and bathe the kids for free, not have to buy feminine products, wash and dry our clothes for only the cost of the (homemade) detergent, use the solar lights from Ikea, and grow, cook and preserve food, then all I'll need to work on is heat, sewer and the few things we can't make! I'm hoping to get a solar laptop/cell phone charger and a treadle sewing machine, but one step at a time!
Watch this nutty quest to live free for free!
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