Neat and orderly

Can anyone else identify with a silverware drawer that looks like this?  Kid's silverware taking over everything... Sorted silverware overflowing the compartments...

So I came across a pin the other day, and said, "I can do that!"  To see the original post, check it out on http://www.kevinandamanda.com/whatsnew/house-and-home/diy-kitchen-utensil-drawer-organizer-easy-and-cheap.html.  I happened to be somewhere I had a homecenter nearby, so I headed over and picked up some wood and Loctite PowerGrabber. All it took was a few measurements to figure out how to. Best use the space, a few cuts with a miter saw, and voila!

A couple of the blocks are in the lowest compartment just as spacers and to hold pressure to bond the wood and glue. I'll take at least the one out in a few days. I also didn't bond all of the pieces. Here is what I made. 

If I decide to, later, I can reconfigure it somewhat to meet changing needs (someday we may not need all this kiddie silverware-what a sad day). 

I wish I could have built a whole new drawer (this one is no longer square, and the bottom has a big sag to it) with better slides (These don't work so smoothly), but this project was so easy and cheap, I'll gladly do it again if I ever do get around to taking care of those other issues. 

No egg noodles, no problem!

The cold weather made my family crave some good old fashioned chicken and noodle soup... But I didn't realize until we were already home from church that we didn't have any egg noodles. What's a mom to do, but throw together some eggs, flour, and salt and make her own!

I can say wih all certainty that these have no artificial ingredients or preservatives. Hope you are staying warm, wherever you are. 

Arctic front moving in....

Here are some fun pictures I took this afternoon as I was helping the hubby look for his lost phone. When I left, the temperature was 80 F (about 4:30), and when I got home at 5:30 it had dropped to 48F. By 7:00 PM, I believe it was down to 42F.

View looking to West. 

View looking to the East. 

Just before I drove into the front. Suddenly, visibility dropped significantly. 

Can you see the windmills?  At least part of them. 

This was a couple of hours later, but it made for a beautiful sky. 

Lost and damaged phones

How many ways can you destroy a phone?  Too many. My husband has run over phones with a vehicle. Dropped them in toilets, water tanks, etc. He has had horses step on them. He once out one in his pocket with a can of WD-40. It is not good for your phone. Once it was in his pocket and after some manure was "deposited" in his pocket as well (while combing out the horses tail - it was pretty loose), he forgot it was in there and ran a garden hose in the pocket to rinse everything. You know how that ended. We tried buying the toughest, most durable military grade phones - hoping they might survive him. He even destroyed a couple of those. 

We've always carried insurance on his phone, for obvious reasons.  It did lapse once, because they actually cancel you after your second claim in less than 12 months. We know that from experience.       

I'm sure you can understand my reluctance when he decided he wanted an iPhone. He managed to take great care of it for 8-9 months. I had tried to get him to let me install one of the apps to find his phone, but he didn't like the idea of me being able to see where he is every moment of the day (like I have time to worry about him that often). 

So in the spring of 2013, he was dragging calves in the "middle of nowhere" in the OK panhandle, when his phone went missing. We paced the ground, raked, and called the phone for hours looking for it in 3 different sets of pens, hoping he didn't lose it when they were gathering the cattle. When we didn't find it, I insisted he let me install and set up the find my iPhone and find friends apps. 

We found it in a pasture of cornstalks where he was tagging calves last spring. I found it for him from OK this summer when he lost it in a pen of calves. So you can imagine how excited I was when I got the message this afternoon, that my husband has lost his phone and I need to drop everything and run 

20 miles north of town to help him find it.  Luckily, I only had one appointment left and got another veterinarian to take care of it for me. Unfortunately, he was in an area with poor cell phone service, and it seemed that it wouldn't find it. It told me it was offline, location unavailable!  I suppose it somehow did finally post its whereabouts, because like 30 minutes later, it showed up and we were able to find it, but there were some tense moments in there. How often do you have to use irrigation circles and power poles as your landmarks. 

Can we fix it? Yes, we can!

A few weeks ago, I noticed my dishwasher soap dispenser wouldn't open or close properly.  I tried fix it from the inside of the door, to no avail. I tried running the dishwasher as is, but after realizing that the dispenser door was still closed when it was done, and the dishes didn't seem completely clean, I knew I had to do something about it. Unfortunately, we live a long way from the nearest repairman, meanings not only have to pay for a service call and labor time, but also significant mileage. 

First I found part number and priced the part I needed to order. It would be about $70-80. I also sought out what would be involved to make sure I would be able to do what was required. 

It is a bit of a pain being a homeowner when things go wrong, but I finally got around to changing the soap dispenser last night, and after running it, I will say it was well worth the price paid and my 30-45 minutes time to have such shiny clean dishes.  

Here's what it took:

First of all, I unplugged the dishwasher and made certain there was no power to it. Next, I removed the front panel, by removing the T15 screws from the inside of the door. There were 5 on each side and 4 along the top. Next, I removed the wire clip that attached to the soap dispenser. It was a lot like unplugging a phone cord. The most tedious part of the job was using a ratchet to remove 6 screw that held the dispenser in place from the backside. Then it was simply a matter of popping out the old dispenser and popping in the new one from the inside of the dishwasher, replacing the six screws (once again with the slow ratchet), and making sure to replace the plastic shroud that keeps any condensed water from getting into electrical connections then I replaced the front panel and plugged it back in!  

Trip to Oklahoma!

  What a weekend!  My three little sidekicks and I packed up last Thursday afternoon and made the trek to the booming metropolis of Piedmont, OK!  I made sure not to eat lunch, so I could stop along the way to pick up some steak medallions from my favorite restaurant in Canadian, TX, the Cattle Exchange. I had to splurge on some of their delicious bread pudding, as well. It is worth the trip, folks.
  God blessed us with nice weather and a safe trip and we arrived at my parents house well before dark. It was good to see my mom and dad, and Ayden and Trinity, the kiddos they are caring for. After getting the kids headed toward bed, I got to go spend some quality time with my Granny who has been in the hospital. It was a little bit of a late night, but I've stayed up much later for much less important things.
  My girls and I spent most of Friday with my Mom, running around, visiting my Granny again, and even a little shopping worked in there. We ate lunch at Johnnie's where they serve up my favorite bacon cheeseburger ever. That evening, we ate dinner with my sister, her husband, Jeff, and her three awesome boys.  It was a great time.
  We spent most of  Saturday visiting my mom's dad and his wife, my mom's mom and her husband, and finally, we saw my granny again.  We kept things simple for supper Saturday night and enjoy the fellowship of family.
  Sunday morning, my girls and I attended church at Vandament Avenue Baptist Church in Yukon, OK, then headed home on I-40.  God watched over us again and we had a safe trip all the way back to the TX panhandle. Traveling can be fun, and it's always good to spend time with family, but THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME!  It was great to sleep in my own bed, eat from my own pantry, and wake up to my husband next to me!
 Please pray for my Granny, she has been taken to a hospice house. Thanks!

Being sick stinks!

After fighting of some sort of cold bug around our house for the last week, I am tired of it.  The kids started it, but it finally caught up to me this last week and I have lost my voice, got it back, and lost it again. I barely made it outdoors on Wednesday. I felt like a zombie, and slept most of the day away. My voice finally came back, and I'm on the mend, but it makes me thankful for the health I generally do enjoy.  The cough may linger a little longer, and I'm not sure when Josey's nose will clear up, but there are better days coming.

Back To School!

This is a bit of a misnomer for the McLeod Homeschool for Young Ladies, since we homeschool year-round. However, we usually add a few new subjects each year, and I tend to be looking when the curriculum companies run their sales, specials, etc.

We have just started using Bob Jones English 3 curriculum. Previously, we have used workbooks that cover the basics of grammar, parts of speech, punctuation, etc. I wanted a slightly more comprehensive program this year, and so far (2 weeks in) we have really enjoyed it. It continues to reinforce biblical values, but doesn't get too deep. We have also started using Wordly Wise 3000. I am also using the 3rd grade level in this schoolwork for both Katy (8) and Lena (7).

We are also hoping to start using Adventures in US History from My Father's World. I haven't found a good enough deal on that one yet, but figured I would give it a couple more months, and order at full price if I have too. I'll keep watching eBay.

I have also found a couple of new Spanish books to work from.  My girls have been learning since birth (our babysitter speaks Spanish) and we have continued by doing book learning also.  We have been through vocabulary and picture books, some workbooks, and even tried the app Duolingo. They do well, but I did want a new set of books. I think we'll use Fun Spanish first.

  Anything new in your classroom?

Batching Food

As a busy mother of three, with a small control problem, I have learned some tricks to make life slightly simpler.  I have been baking my own bread for a few years now.  I started out buying whole wheat flour, but kept eyeing a grain mill so I could buy wheat and grind my own flour. Good things come to those who wait, and a friend had just got a new one, and offered to sell me hers at a great discount.  Now I didn't feel quite so bad about the splurge.

After grinding big batches of flour every couple of weeks, I decided there had to be a better way, so just like so many people who prepare crockpot meals and freeze them, I decided to make batches of the dry bread ingredients, so I could throw everything into the bread machine without having to get out the scales, each ingredient, etc. every few days.

I have since expanded to making batches for pizza crust (makes 2 crusts - you can freeze one ball of dough if desired after dough is made as well.

I also like to keep some plain flour ready to use in other recipes as well. Now I just pop all of these handy containers in my freezer and set them out an hour or several before I need to start dough.

The containers have been wonderful.  I  looked at several options, until one day I ran into this set at Wally World.  The individual containers in the 3.5 c size (what I use for loaves of bread) would have cost more for two than the whole set, which was on clearance that day.  I really went back and forth on if I should have bought two sets, but in an effort to be more intentional, I didn't that day.  I have regretted it sometimes, though in the end I really have plenty.

Back to school shopping

This seems a bit like a misnomer for me, since we homeschool year-round at our house. However, being the frugal mom that I am, I do try to take advantage of the great sales on clothes and school supplies this time of year. 

I am really trying not to overdo it this year, since we don't need (or have room for) a lot of stuff. I did run out of spiral notebooks this past year, and we always seem to need a few more index cards and erasers. I might have bought a pack of colored pens (to grade with) that I really didn't need, but otherwise, I think I've exercised great restraint. I need to check out how we stand on shoes to get us through the winter, and make sure we have enough jeans for my oldest daughter.  

I also need to buy a few more items for our homeschool. I am looking to use a different grammar and writing program this year. I think I will try BJU's homeschool English program. I should have bought it at our homeschool convention, but I hope that they'll run it on sale again soon, or else I may purchase it on eBay. I am also considering ordering the US History curriculum from My Father's World. There are a lot of books and readers to go with it. I think I may wait a few months until we finish this book of Mystery of History. I had hoped to use them concurrently, but we'll see if I can handle that much. 

I haven't actually made it into many stores this year yet, but I still hope to make it to Amarillo before the sales run out. I do a lot of my shopping online, but it's not worth it to buy a lot of small items over the internet if the need is not urgent. 

My photo stream...

I am scared to even post some of these, so please don't judge.  I was looking through my phone the other day and realized what a random assortment of pics I have on there. Some are interesting cases, some are my kids, some are random things I just wanted to save (to buy later, etc.). 

Cookies I baked for the Fourth of July block party.

Josey "helping" work cattle. In her pajamas. 

Some books I found at the homeschool convention. I ended up ordering them from home so I didn't have to carry them around all day or pay tax. I am frugal about some really stupid things. 

Storm clouds. I had a cow sedated and tied down, shaved, scrubbed, and prepped for a Caesarian section. We heard the hail hit. The sirens were sounded for some rotation and lowering. After going outside to check it out, make sure we were safe, and snap a couple of pictures, we went in and removed a dead calf. It made for an interesting evening. 

These are the really fun ones to explain. This is horse poop, but not just any horse poop. If you look you may notice you can see a lot of sand mixed in. I am still treating a patient that is suffering sand colic. In certain locations (sandy soil, may also be in hay) horses eat some sand, and I'm sure you can imagine what that feels like in your gastrointestinal tract. Colic is a generic term for any abdominal pain, and this is just one potential cause of colic. I think he'll be fine given a little more time. This was a photo I snapped to send to the owner so they could see sand was indeed an issue. 

Update on my chickens!

I've fallen behind on updating you about my chicks, in case you were wondering. I ended up with eight of the nine chicks I had left being roosters. I had to get rid of them rather quickly when they started crowing in my backyard at about 10 weeks. It was a little sooner than I expected. I really didn't want to turn them loose with my hens and their daddy, so I found them some new homes. I also had some friends who had more chicks than they needed offer to give me a couple back (thank you!) and someone that gave me two of her Easter egger hens. So they are now in their new home with their mamas. It's taking some time for them to adjust. They are all scared of the older girls, but doing well. I hope to be getting blue or green eggs in the next couple of months. 

I'm really hoping this red one is not actually a rooster. If so, I can swap it out, but who wants to do that. "It" hasn't crowed or acted like a rooster yet, but neither did my last accidental rooster (I had over 5 months before I heard him crow!)

Trip to the Big Town

So we are headed to Amarillo next Wednesday to have my girls teeth cleaned.  Does anyone else know what it's like to live in the middle of nowhere?  It's ridiculous how exciting it is to pack three kids into the car and drive two hours to shop and see doctors all day, then drive two hours back home!   I think I must have a fever.

I have adjusted to life without Wal-Mart, Target, and SAMs quite well most of the time, but when the opportunity presents, I do spend some money.  There are also some things you can't do as well online.

I know I could sell the kids clothes on e-bay, and do that sometimes, however I prefer to drop them off at a consignment shop and be done.  If I only have a few items, or things that are out of season, I take them to our local library thrift shop.  I also like to donate to the Habitat for Humanity Resale shop when I've been demo'ing or building.

I also hope to pick up some trim to replace the moldings that have broken off of my girls dresser.  I may even pick out some paint for it if I'm really feeling motivated.  I originally thought I'd use white again, but have been feeling adventurous and considering something like a turquoise or robin's egg blue.  I'm thinking of trying some chalk paint on this project, but out here I the boonies... I can trek on down to Canyon to find some, or pick some up next time I'm in Canadian. That's an hour a different direction!

So wish me luck as I make a list of all the stuff I need to do!

My Garden

So here we are knocking on June 1st, and my garden has survived. The rains of last weekend have nourished it greatly, and if I don't get to weeding soon, the weeds may overtake it. But I couldn't help but share this fun picture with you. 

I was surprised when we started seeing rabbits in the garden, because we've always had dogs in the backyard, and so the rabbits have stayed away. I had to tell Peter Rabbit to stay out of Dr. McLeod's garden, or else I might chase him around with a hoe, though I guarantee you I wouldn't dare make rabbit stew even if I did catch up to him!  My girls thougt he was adorable, and I don't think he ate too much...

Random Facts about ME

1. I am 35 years old, but try not to act my age. 

2. I chose my career path by age 5. And stuck to it. And still love it. 

3. My husband and I were married exactly 9 months after our first date. We got engaged a little over 4 months after our first date, and originally planned a later wedding, but tried to elope after everyone started agonizing over details we couldn't have cared less about...  We never regretted it.  It didn't work very well. We got married at 10 AM on a Tuesday 2 states away. The parents, grandparents, sisters, etc all showed up and we had a great time!

4.  My breakfast this morning consisted of the crumbs from about 4 boxes worth of frosted mini-wheats. My kids don't like the crumbs and evidentally I would rather have a terrible breakfast than waste some crumbs. I'm such a doofus. I know. 

5. I am hoping to have a productive day tomorrow, but am already feeling defeated by the king list of things I need to get done. Luckily it is a short week, and I'm off on Friday so I have another 3 day weekend to try to catch up. 

6.  I am tired. Going to plead with God for a while, then read if needed and hit the hay.

Holiday Weekend

This Memorial Day weekend, I have several things to reflect on.  Of course I am thankful for our service men and women that have died protecting our freedoms. Secondly, I remember some family members who are no longer here.  Finally, I am so thankful to  god for the rain he has blessed us with the last two evenings, and praying he will continue that trend in the coming days, weeks, and months. 

The drought is really getting pretty serious around here. There have been some fires recently, but my family is more affected by the lack of forage available for cattle to graze. That means fewer cattle for my husband to care for, as in checking health and husbandry care.  I also have fewer animals to care for, as in providing veterinary care. I would estimate about 2/3 to 3/4 of the cows I. The region have been sold or moved to other parts of the country.  Herds have been culled hard, and nationally cow numbers are also down. With supply down somewhat, the cattle prices are sky high ( it really has needed to catch up for a while). This has also pushed feed yards to operate a little differently to remain competitive.   There was still winter wheat grazing in the region this winter, but dryland wheat has failed to produce a crops his year. While I don't have a personal stake in "farming," I will say that living in a town with a lot of farmers, when they are having a tough year, it affects the whole town. 

The rain has meant the baby chicks moved back into the garage for a day or two, and Polly has gotten a "bath" for the first time. It also means my garden has gotten a good drink of rainwater.  I think a little rainwater can do more than a lot of water from the faucet. So I hope you enjoy your weekend, spend a little time reflecting and relaxing. 

My New Jewelry Cabinet

Just had to show off some of my latest handiwork. I've been accumulating a lot of jewelry since I've had a couple of Premier jewelry parties for my friend, Rhonda. I really enjoy having some pretty things to wear some days, but found it hard to find what I was looking for when it was still in boxes. 

Igot the basic plan off Ana-White.com couldn't decide how to finish the cabinet. I thought about staining and finishing, but that takes a lot of steps and I wanted something that would add a little color to my room, so I remembered I had some sample jars of paint from Lowe's...  And colorful is what I got. I liked the stormy blue color, but wanted something inside that would pop, so I painted the inside a color called "swiftly green."  After adding some cup hooks, radiator panels, a door knob, and a magnetic catch. So far I've been loving it. I need to swap out the heavy duty magnetic catch for a regular one because you really have to pull hard, and one of my pair of earrings tends to fall off when it finally opens up. 

By the way, please excuse the mess of my life. I mounted it on the side of my makeup vanity. I thought about recessing it into the wall studs so it would barely stick out, but then it's a permanent part of the house which makes it harder to move or change, so I figured I'd live with it and see if it works, then if I want to I can change it up later. It was pretty cheap to build, so I could do it twice without feeling to bad about it. I wish I had a place to make it open on either side (like between a bathroom and closet). Maybe someday when I build my dream house. 

The babies!

Just he to tell you my peeps are doing great!  We ended up with 27 bouncing baby ...chickens. I have no idea what they are because it's crazy trying to tell what they are, and even if I could tell, how would I  sort them out to make sure I keep some gals. Oh well, it was an awesome experience. My oldest daughter has told me "thank you so much!," like 3 times. She has really enjoyed the experience. 

This is them today, 8 days old.  We have sent a few to new homes, since we couldn't even come close to keeping that many. I'm hoping we still have some pulleys left that we can keep. We have 13 right now, so I'll be happy if we still have 4-6 hens left. 

They're here

So last night I went to bed a little discouraged since we were hearing lots of peeping and a few pips in the eggs, but no real progress. I read it can take unite. While for them to finish, but was worried they might all die in their eggs. So I said a little prayer for my peeps and went to sleep. 

I was rudely awakened at 1 AM by someone with a puppy with parvo...and maybe a drinking problem. **Please don't call me crying about your cat having worms...or screaming about your sick dog...or anything else, unless you are sober, have money, and/or actually want to do something about it. Otherwise, it can wait until morning.  I am not a miracl worker who can diagnose and treat your let without examining it. I can perhaps give you some good general advice and offer to examine and treat the pet either right then or the next morning, but the longer we talk doesn't make the animal get any better. ** I really love my career, animals, and my patients and clients, and would usually rather treat an animal sooner than later, since they have a better chance of surviving that way.  Please don't take this as a rant about not enjoying what I do. I just get frustrated when an animal has been sick for a week and suddenly it's an emergency at 4:30 PM on Friday.  And most Fridays there are 3 people who have put it off that long!

So back to my peeps.  Since I was already unite awake, I figured I should go check on my brood of eggs. Finally I could see an eggs zipping. That's when they start pecking around the whole egg to open it up. There was only one, and things seemed a little quieter than when things were going on around the house. I was woke up again at 5 when my husband's alarm went off, and low and behold- 2 chicks!  By 6:30 we had a third.  Things really sped up then, with 9 hatched by 8 AM, and plenty more in progress. Sorry pictures don't take very well, but here's one for you to see. 

Incubator update

So here we are on day 21 and there are no baby chicks yet, but I am hearing little chirps coming from inside the incubator. We are trying to be patient as the temperature can affect when they hatch. I've read that if the temp is just a degree too high they may hatch a day early. Since I've tried to be conservative and not let them get too hot, they could hatch up to a day late. Keep in touch for more updates. 

New kid in town

We have a new face that is actually in my backyard right now. Please don't tell anyone or animal control will be coming by!  I know this from experience. We really don't intend to keep her here long. We actually were going to take her to the pens last night, but with this storm blowing in we thought she needed an extra day of TLC. We are feeding her like this because her mama didn't claim her, and we couldn't tell who her mother is. We suspect she is a twin. This set of cows are grazing some wheat, so they all look tight-bagged (good food makes lots of milk, so they look like they need to be nursed), and nobody claimed her. It was 95 F on Saturday, and without nursing, she was dehydrated and weak when he found her. We immediately got some colostrum replacer in her belly and gave her a little medicine to try to keep her feeling well. It's taken a few feedings, but she is starting to nurse the bottle better and getting brighter and more active. I think she'll make it. A lot of them don't. 

That's one of the great and terrible things about our lifestyle. Our children get to experience the miracle of new life, and the sadness of loss.  They have been there when I delivered calves and puppies, and love the newborns. They have also asked me why the baby calf isn't moving after it comes out, as well as burying our beloved pets. Some of them have passed away naturally, some with more drama.  It has provided them with a glimpse of life and death that most kids their age don't understand. We have read Ecclesiastes 3 many times. We haven't settled on whether or not dogs get to go to heaven. We explained they can't get saved since they have no souls, but also assured them that God cares for each of his creatures, and since he owns the cattle on a thousand hills. If those herds extend into heaven,  He no doubt might need a little red and white Border Collie to take care of them. What tender hearts little girls have. 

Notice she has her nose to my daughter, not my husband. She and that dog were best buds from the time we got her. We miss you Cinco. 

Here's one more flashback, while we are at it. This is a bottle calf we raised about the time I was pregnant with Miss Priss, the 2nd. The first was about 16 months old. How I miss those days, though I wouldn't trade today for anything.  The calf was huge compared to her. She wasn't easy to wrestle while pregnant!  She actually was easier than the 2 others I had that year, though!

Incubator update

I really intended to tell you more about our incubator experience, but the first 20 days of incubating really aren't too exciting!  We candled the eggs at day 11 and found 34 to be developing. Actually we couldn't see very well into 2 of the green eggs, so we've left them in and are hoping for the best!  I didn't actually throw the extra eggs until day 14 when there was still nothing happening. I forgot to take pics on day 11, but did take a couple on day 14 that show some development. It is actually a little easier to see more when there is more fluid and less chick in there.

Sorry, it's hard to take picture of this. Hopefully you can see a little shape coming out of the darkness that is filling up the left side of the egg.

If you forget to turn off the flash, it looks like this. You can see my ancient egg candler that my aunt had  given me when I was a kid as well.

Thanks, aunt Barbara.  I miss you. She passed away a little over a year ago. 

Well, just a few more days until they should start. Hatching. I'm hoping it goes well.  I have gotten my chicken pen out, but didn't want to set it all up until I am sure they are going to hatch.  Hate to jinx anything...because we all know "you shouldn't count your chickens before they hatch!"

Science project: incubating eggs

Let me just say it scares me to realize it has probably been 25 years or so since I last helped incubate eggs!  Surely I'm not that old already?!?  We "accidentally" got a rooster last fall, and before I got rid of him, I figured I may as we'll let him serve a purpose-- his intended purpose as a matter of fact. Some friends had tried ordering fertilized eggs 2 or 3 times and only got one to hatch, so I thought I'd offer them some local eggs to try. Then I thought me girls might enjoy the experience as well. So after collecting the best, cleanest, eggs I could. I also decided to borrow a few blue eggs from a friend who has Easter Egger hens and a rooster.  I have an Easter egger rooster and some production reds, a buff Orpington, some black sex-links, and some barred hens. 

I am still hoping to borrow my friends incubator with an automatic turner, but they haven't come through quite yet, and the eggs were piling up.... So luckily my parents showed up and brought me our OLD styrofoam hova-bator.  I plugged her in, and low and behold, she works!  So we now have 41 eggs on their third day of incubation. I am a little worried about my temperatures (stayed low for longer than I'd have liked after adding eggs).  It seems to fluctuate more than I'd like (98-101). Just praying it all goes well and it's not wasted effort in another 18 days!

Homeschooling: Keeping it affordable

I don't spend a fortune on our supplies!!!  I am impressed with the budgets some families allow themselves for homeschooling.  I don't want to sound cheap or like it wouldn't be worth it,...but I haven't seen fit to budget that much per year yet!  I guess by not having any private schools available nearby to have even considered the option, I felt like we could homeschool pretty inexpensively and still do a great job.

I have been to one homeschool convention.  It is in OKC, OK each April or May, and it was wonderful. Myself and two other pregnant moms made the 4 hour drive (left at 6 AM) there, walked around all day, then drove another 4 hours home that evening.  WOW!  Maybe it wasn't just the exhibit hall full of vendors that day, but I was blown away.  I love getting to look through the pages of books and handle the manipulatives myself.  I found some great things that I have loved to use, and enjoyed not paying shipping on my purchases and some of the orders I placed there.  The fellowship was great, and it was encouraging to meet lots of other homeschoolers.  I didn't even make it to any of the talks, but hope to go again when we have more time.

I have also found some of their books and supplies on e-bay, as I often try to save money by buying second hand curriculum.  It is usually gently used, in great shape and saves me a ton of money!!!  The only problem is you may have to wait for a deal.  I usually figure out what I want, and what it would cost me new.  Then I go to eBay and see what is available. Always check the condition and if it is a newer or older edition.  I think that matters more for some subjects than others!

If I don't have time to wait for a good deal on a specific item, then I usually try Rainbow Resource.  They have great prices and free shipping on orders over $50.  I usually keep enough stuff on my wishlist, I can justify an order about any time.  They have great customer service, and offer a huge variety of items and curricula.  They have good reviews to help you make decisions, too.

I also have taken advantage of some local homeschool co-op sales and giveaways.  Having a network of friends that homeschool means you may be able to buy the math curriculum that didn't work for their family, or get you some free books from a family whose children are grown.

Occasionally, I have paid full price for some books. Sort of.  I have purchased a few items from Mardel.  I love Mardel, because you can open and thumb through the books and see if they are what you want or not. Their prices are reasonable, and I like to support a Christian and (sort of) local business.  If I need something quickly, and I am in the big town anyway, I often buy what I need there.  I have also purchased some visual aids and supplies from them.  I also love to laminate big item there!  It's much more economical, makes things last forever (almost), and is quicker than one page at a time at home.  I have also got some pretty valuable coupons from time-to-time.  If you frequent their stores I recommend you sign up on their e-mail list to get special offers.

Another place to look for everything is AMAZON.  I have such mixed emotions about shopping online.

I like to support local businesses (and I do).  But we live 45 minutes from the nearest basic Wal-Mart, and about 85 miles from Target, SAMs club, and supercenter Wal-Mart (technically there is a closer supercenter, but then you pay taxes on your groceries and don't have many other places to go).  I do not have the time or money to make a trip to Amarillo for every little thing.  We are usually there every 4-6 weeks for some sort of appointment, and I usually try to stock up on some stuff when we get there.  Our stores here in the middle of nowhere are great.  I am thankful to have them, but they have limited selection and higher prices.  I'm OK with that on some things, but I refuse to pay too much, too often.  So I have learned to love being able to order diapers or toilet paper online instead of lugging stuff home in the car. 

I routinely use Amazon as a gauge for prices of items, and have been surprised at what all you can find out there.  So yes I have even bought school books there.  They are also great for office supplies and musical instrument needs (books, rosin, metronomes, etc).  If you have a prime account, you get free 2-day shipping on many items, which means I can get them in a reasonable amount of time, too.

Not just any dogs...

I'll bet you'd never guess this dog is a rough, tough cowdog - or she can be at times. When necessary, she is quite content to be dressed up as a princess. This is Boots. She is a 4 year-old Border Collie and Catahoula cross. She is a mean girl to cattle that aren't where she wants them to be. But not for little girls. 

This is Missy. She is a year old Hangin' Tree Cowdog. She was only 6-8 months old when this was taken. She didn't care for her royal robe as much, but was happy to wear her crown!  Don't ask me what was going on with Katy's hair or clothes in this picture. I think that's what you look like after wrestling a doggie princess into her crown. Makes me think of a book the girls love called "Rufferella".  Anyone else read it?

Mcleod Homeschool for Girls: Handwriting

We have used Handwriting Without Tears from the beginning.  It came recommended from some friends, and I also knew some teachers in the public school system that had used it.  It uses multiple ways for kids to learn their letters.  For the auditory learners, they have songs and rhymes that tell you where to start, how to make the letters, and such.  For the visual learners there are great illustrations and demonstrations of the movements needed to make each letter.  There are also wooden pieces or clay you can "form" into the letters.  This is also great for the kinesthic learners that need to "build the letter."

There is a pre-school book that has pre-writing skills and forming some capital letters.  Kindergarten teaches all the capital letters.  First grade covers capitals and lowercase manuscript.  Second perfects these letters and makes the students start writing smaller and paying more attention to word and letter spacing, punctuation, etc.  There is also a version that introduces cursive at the end of second grade.  Third grade is cursive writing, and we have yet to check out the fourth grade books yet.

I ordered the teachers edition, wooden letter pieces, and student books from their website.  I now try to order a couple of years of books each time, and order both girls supplies at one time to save on shipping.

I have also added Presidential Penmanship.  It is a great way to combine some American History and practice writing neatly.  I purchased a DVD that is compatible with the HWT that I use and then print out the pages with different assignments/formats for each grade level.  The quotes get longer and deeper (in meaning) with successive grade levels, and the way they write them gets more difficult each day.  I have used this as a supplement to their daily assignments and think it breaks the routine a little.

At one point, my oldest daughter seemed to be getting very burnt out on handwriting.  It took her a long time to finish it and she would drag it out for a long time.  I decided to consider the writing she did for her spelling and grammar to be her penmanship practice for those days, as long as she did it neatly.  This also allowed time for my younger daughter to "catch up" to her.  Consequently, I think Katy really could be writing in cursive by now, but haven't worried too much about it yet.

I have been cautious about putting them both on the same level for progressive subjects.  We have always done our science, history, Spanish, and Bible lessons together, because I felt they were close enough in age, and it simplified my life.  However, I didn't want them to be in the same place for math and reading, because I worried it would be too easy for the oldest and/or too difficult for the youngest, and it might make the younger daughter feel like she wasn't as good as her older sister, when she really wasn't ready for the material yet.  Do you follow?

McLeod Homeschool for Girls: Humble beginnings

There are so many ways to home school.  I love to hear other family's stories of what works for them, and to glean ideas from everywhere.  We started homeschooling in November of 2010.  My oldest daughter was almost 5 and really wanted to start "real" school.  We have always read a lot, and had worked on some writing.  She knew her alphabet, numbers, and some addition.  But she really wanted all the books and formal time with Mama.  It's not always easy when you also have a 3 year old to entertain, but she would gladly color or do an activity in a book, and when possible we would include her in some of our lessons.

I didn't worry too much about how much we got done at this point, because she wouldn't even start kindergarten in the public school (if she were going) until the following August.  She was already taking piano lessons, once a week by this time, and really seemed to enjoy some formal instruction.  We had a small desk that come from a friend's quilting store, that was a perfect fit for a busy 4-5 year old.

At this time I was working about 3 days a week, so I felt like if we did school 3 days a week year round, we would be fine for a while, and we were.  We started with math, phonics, an handwriting, with plenty of time for play and crafts as well. I often had to remind myself most kindergartners were still learning their letters, numbers, and how to write their name.  I had to take it easy on her, because I love to push everyone to excel!!!  Sorry girls, you'll have to suit your mother the perfectionist.

Fast forward three years, and now I have 2 pupils.  We still home school year round, but have taken a slightly different scheduling approach (another post).  We eventually got bigger desks (more of a want than a need).  Books and papers threaten to take over my desk everyday.  They are both reading very well and doing great in their math and spelling.  They each have some strengths and weaknesses, but it has been thrilling for me to be right there teaching them each day and watching their minds get stronger.  I hope if you are considering homeschooling that you will pray, seek support from your spouse, and keep an open mind.

Bed for a King (and his Queen)!

So I told you about the bed I've been building for myself and my cowboy...  You know how things seem simple when you are just starting, and it seems to snowball a little bit?  So goes life.  This was a really fun project, and I finished it in less than a month, which for me... is pretty good.  Especially when you have to stain and varnish wood in the middle of winter.  It doesn't dry too quickly.  Requires heaters in the garage. Also means no car in the garage for about a month!!!

I got the gist of my plans from Ana-white.com.  I essentially made the farmhouse bed with hinged footboard, posted by birdsandsoap.com.  Except hers was a queen, mine is a king, and I am going to add drawers (one of these days).  Also, I stained mine.  But, it's the same idea.

After a thorough sanding, I applied a coat of wood conditioner to help the wood take the stain up more evenly.  I've found it really makes a difference when you are just using inexpensive pine like I tend to do.  Then I applied one coat of MinWax Early American wood stain.  It is oil-based, so make sure you have good ventilation.  I apply with a cheap foam brush, then wipe off the excess after 5-10 minutes.  Go back over and make sure you haven't missed any spots or don't need more coverage anywhere, then let sit at least overnight.

I really prefer to use DEFT brushing lacquer.  I tend to use a semi-gloss sheen.  I don't mind polyurethane, but it takes forever to dry between coats.  With the lacquer you can usually re-coat in 30-45 minutes.  Several thin coats are much better than thick ones.  It really gives a durable finish, too.  I like to let it dry overnight after the last coat, so more of the fumes are gone and it has a chance to cure more.  It does require lacquer thinner to clean up.

The bedding came from my wonderful sister-in-law, Sandi.  She got it for us at Christmas from overstock.com.  I believe it is called "Stella."  I hoped it had a little more blue and green to tie into my color scheme, but it's really hard to tell from the website.  I love it anyway.  You never know, I may need to paint my bedroom.  Again.

A few projects around the house...

So I've been pretty busy here lately, doing a few things around the house. I need to do some cleaning and organizing, but I have some other projects with deadlines. First, my cowboy and I decided it was time for a king-sized bed. Since we wanted an air bed, I didn't want to spend $400 for a big box for it to sit on. No ma'am, I'd rather spend that $400 on materials and build my own bed with plenty of storage where that box would be sitting...  So first I built the platform for it to sit on.  I made my own version on the farmhouse storage bed from Ana-white.com. Here's the pictures of that. I still have to build the drawers, but went ahead and installed the runners before assembly. I hate crawling in a hole to work. 

I left the runners out of the cubby closest to the head of the bed, since there will be a nightstand there, and a drawer couldn't pull out. I did drill holes for cords to my alarm clock, lamp,etc. I can stash books or magazines there for easy access. 

Now I needed to put it together. I used 2x4 hangers to span the middle and covered them with plywood to make a solid surface.

Finally we got our new Innomax Comfort Craft 5500!  Innomax is the company Sleep Number has tried to emulate, but they are awesome.  This is a very nice air mattress for less than $2000.  If you are thinking of buying a new mattress, check out sleeplikethedead.com. They give you the lowdown on a lot of different mattress types and brands. 

It was a bit of a bummer we had to wait 24 hours before inflating, but it was worth the wait. We have been sleeping like babies!  It has a layer of latex cushioning that puts memory foam to shame. 

Look at that sweet little girl!!!

So now we have a new bed, mattress, mattress pads, sheets, but the bed needs a headboard and footboard. I was initially going to build it all at once, but then wanted to give myself a little flexibility to change it up if needed. I really didn't want my bed to be any bigger than it had to, but it has to be big enough, so once the mattress was in place, I got to work on the rest of the bed. This was also based on the farmhouse bed plan from Ana-white.com. Very similar to the headboard for the storage bed, but I wanted slats rather than solid panels. I also made a hinged footboard, to take advantage of the storage space between the boxes.  Nothing like keeping it simple, huh?

So here is the raw headboard. The footboard is the same style, but I'll make you wait to see it all put together until it is stained, finished, and installed on the boxes!  See you tomorrow or Saturday.

Redeeming the Time

How does time fly so quickly?  I have set several goals for myself the last few days, and time flies without accomplishing them all!  I have marked several items off my list:  balancing the checkbook, preparing the girls schoolwork for next week when school goes back in session, picking up the house, doing a bunch of laundry, making a quick trip to Borger so I could run to Walmart and United, and attending a little get-together at a friends house this evening.  Now I am trying to prepare for company on Sunday.

We are so excited to get to host a missionary family in our home Sunday afternoon!!!  Eddie and Rebecca Trimble family, missionaries to the Phillipines will be visiting our church Sunday morning, and in the absence of our pastor, we are going to be blessed with the opportunity to have them to our home.  I am looking forward to getting to know them myself, but also hope my children will be intrigued and interested.  We are praying for our girls to give God the first right to their life.  We realize he may not call them to be in full-time service, but why not ask Him?  I hope they will be as willing as Isaiah was when he was called (Isaiah 6:1-8).

So just a few goals for tomorrow:

• Clean the house (Most of the new gifts we were given for Christmas have finally been put away and found a new home, the house is picked up, but it desperately needs a deep cleaning.
• Grocery shopping.  Trying to plan for two possible contingencies.  I am not sure how many people (or what ages) I need to plan for, but thinking either lasagna and fettucine alfredo, or enchiladas and Mexican casserole.  None of them difficult, just need to make sure I have the necessary items to go with either.
• Prepare some materials for Sunday morning:  a coloring page for the kiddos during the Sunday School hour, and a lesson for Children's Church if we need it.  I am hoping the kids can stay in the sanctuary to hear our missionary speak, but if we have a lot of visitors with young kids (I always hope we do), I also want the parents to be able to enjoy the message.  I guess its a win-win either way.
• This is probably a big dream, but I would love to get at least a coat of primer on the desk I built for our second daughter over a month ago.  It is of no use to us while sitting in the garage, and is kind of in the way when we need to get into the deep freezer, so I'm ready to move on.  Doubt it'll happen.
• Excercise!!!  I did use the elliptical a for a while last night, but need to get up and get moving more intensely and more regularly if I'm ever going to lose these pounds.  So far the calorie restriction is going fairly well.

I hope that whatever I accomplish, I am able to say that I did my best and accomplished at least a few things on my list that can give Glory to God.

2014: Looking forward to the next year!

So I promised you a little look into what we have in store for the upcoming year:
Personally, I have a few goals:

• I am going to spend more time reading God's word, meditating upon it, and praying.  I want to continue (and possibly improve on) our regular attendance at church.  I would also like to be able to give more money to our church to support our pastor and missionaries around the world.  I also am aiming to share the gospel with more people.  I am praying for God to help me personally lead at least one person to Him!!!
• I am going to strive to be a better wife and mother.  I have realized I cannot do it all (well).  I am trying to loosen my control on a few things that I can, and work harder on the basic things that God expects of me.  If I have to hire help to keep the house clean, that give me several more hours to teach my girls, spend quality time with them, or even just do something I really enjoy!
• I am going to lose some weight and get in better shape.  A friend just told me about "the Master Cleanse" and I hope it will jump start my year.  I have better luck staying in shape during certain seasons, and need better continuity.  I am able to exercise early in the day more regularly during the winter because it stays dark later and I can get up early and get things done, but summer time is better for being outside.  I'll work on being more consistent with my exercise this year.  And eating better.  I hope...

Professionally I would like to make my schedule more regular, and I am hoping we may be able to renegotiate our arrangement a little bit.  I don't want to go into too much detail, but I am praying for my employers as they look forward to building on to the clinic and hopefully adding a new veterinarian this year. I hope to get our clinic a Coggins testing lab, and learn as much as possible to become a better veterinarian.

Around the house...

• Build a new bed!!! We now have the sheets, blankets, etc.  I am waiting for the wood to be cut up for me so I can put the platform together.  Then I'll order the mattress.  Then I need to build a headboard and footboard.  No problem, right?  I am using approximate plans from Ana-white.com.  We are finally getting a KING sized bed and I can't wait.  
• Build a new mantle for our fireplace:  It looks a little rough since I took the brick off of half of that wall over a year ago.  I put one trim piece up to cover the cut brick on the wall part, but need to cover up the exposed sides of the ledge.
• Finish our flagstone patio:  We were blessed with a whole pallet of flagstone last summer, and have done a lot of the work to lay a new patio, but alas, I have a hard time finishing projects (anyone else out there know what I'm talking about?).  It will be done this spring before it gets too hot.
• We need to redo our front bathroom.  I would love to gut it and start all over, but will settle for a new air-jetted tub and tile surround.  Oh, and while the plumbing is exposed we should replace the plumbing fixtures behind the wall.  No big deal, right?  Just about $4000 in labor and materials to pay for...

As a family I hope we can travel more and spend time doing things together.  We are planning to take the older girls skiing towards the end of January or first of February.  We have hoped for the last couple of years to take them and teach them to ski, but it hasn't worked out.  This year Cowboy says it will happen!!! I can't wait.  I haven't skied since 2007, and minimally then (don't tell my doctor - he said no skiing while pregnant, but I couldn't resist.  I was very careful and never even fell).  I hope the girls and I can be more involved in Cody's work and spend more time with him from the back of a horse.

Finally, I hope to keep in better touch with friends and family!  I hope you'll help me with this goal.  We were able to visit dear friends at Bible Baptist Church in Stillwater, OK this past weekend and it was wonderful.  It had been too many years since we had all been back.  God has blessed us with a lot of special people in our life from Piedmont, to Stillwater, to the Texas panhandle and beyond.