I wonder ....
• Wednesday, July 2, 2008 - Moved
We are moved ... unfortunately it's in to a rental & not on to our own property. We'll have to wait .... yet again .... at least we're all safe from the snakes though!!!
Life right now is filled with unpacking tons of boxes & trying to get settled. This weekend we'll be having a HUGE yard sale .... even though it was more of a hassle, we decided to haul things that we didn't want because yard sale traffic is better here than where we were. We really need to sell my dad's furniture. We just do not have the room for it .. nor would we want it any way .... it just doesn't fit our *style*.
One of our dogs is an excessive barker .... how do we shut her up? LOL
~ Happy Trails ~
P. S. Thanks so much for all your thoughts & prayers for safety when we were dealing with the snakes!!! |
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• Sunday, June 22, 2008 - Ssssnakes
We have spent the past few days fighting snakes .. that are coming IN TO our home .... we've killed 9 just in the past 2 days. These are Mohave Green rattlesnakes ..... the deadliest. To top that off ..... 99% of them have been babies ... & they're even more dangerous than the adult snakes.
One of our cats attacked one of the snakes .... each time the snake would coil & start to strike, the cat would bat it away .... the cat wound up slicing the snake on the belly & when he stunned it, he was able to bite a chunk out of the back side. We never feed our animals table scraps .... but that cat, "Teddy" deserved a hero's dinner ..... so he got some yummy chicken.
We threw moth balls under the home & around the property .... it's said to help make the snakes leave. The moth balls irritate the snake's skin. Hopefully it works!!!
Staying in our home is no longer a matter of discontent or learning to be content ... it's a matter of safety.
We spent one night in a hotel but last night we all slept in the living room of our home. We've been frantically looking for a new home ...... have a couple prospects so I'm sure we'll know soon. Each landlord has been told our situation & if they decide on us as tenants, will let us move in on Monday.
~ Happy Trails ~ |
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• Friday, June 20, 2008 - Learn to be content
Well, we didn't get the house we looked at. No reason was given other than she just decided to go with some one else. We'll keep looking ... but I think God is trying to teach me to be content. I haven't been really .... I am not happy here. We came here so I could build a relationship with my dad .... well ... he's dead. I don't want to be here any more. I do not like the desert .... I miss green grass & cooler weather (all though it does get cold here in the Winter & Fall).
I have a habit of giving up if something doesn't go the way I want it too .... any way .. because I haven't been happy here our house has not been made up to look like a home .... you know ... pictures on the walls, knick knacks on the shelves etc. We have the bare necessities & that's it. I guess it's time to get the paintings & pictures hung up [kick, stomp, stomp, stomp] I know, I know .... when you do something, do it as though you are doing it unto the Lord .... so my stomping & having an attitude certainly isn't happy submission ....
I just don't feel like we can do the things we need to be doing while living in our current house ...... we can't store up food, can't garden (we could if we did container gardening ... but what a hassle when it comes time to move!!!) .... can't raise animals for our food .... we are trying to be wise stewards & prepare for the future, what ever it may hold .......... what is God's problem with letting us do that? That's right .... I said that .... I'm not throwing a fit .... but really, have you ever wanted to ask God what He is doing with your life & why He doesn't let some of your plans flow? I'm pretty sure He can handle my questions.
I'd just like to settle some where & start planning, saving & storing things .... before my children marry off!!!
~ Happy Trails ~ |
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• Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - House
We went to see a house the day before yesterday. We're hoping we get it but not sure if we will. The owner is an older lady, very sweet too. We looked at the house & got an application (it's a rent to own) then made arrangements to meet with the owner to give her the app once it was filled out. The next day she called & asked for more information (including a credit report & tax papers to prove our self employment income). We got all that to her & this morning she calls & asks if she can drop some papers off because she needs even more information. She also suggested that the house may be too small for our family size .... so I'm guessing she'll back out. I'm glad I don't put all my eggs in one basket .... as much as I hope we get this house, we'll keep looking.
~ Happy Trails ~ |
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• Saturday, June 14, 2008 - Our 17th anniversary
Today marks my 17th wedding anniversary .... I can't believe how fast the time has gone. Really ... some days the only reminder I have of how long I've been married, is my oldest son walking in to the room. It seems impossible that we've been together this long. It's been tough at times ... but we have fought to stay together. We are still honeymooners according to a lot of our friends .... holding hands through the grocery store, me giggling at silly little things ..... I am blessed to have this wonderful man love me!!!
It's hard to make plans when illness is present ..... but provided I have energy, we'll be going window shopping & out to dinner to a new Chinese buffet.
Here's to 17 more of the best years of my life!!!
~ Happy Trails ~ |
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• Thursday, June 12, 2008 - Survival mode
Lupus, CFS, EBV, Sjogren's, Arthritis, FM .... all in full force. Living & parenting from the couch .... not easy!!! This too shall pass!!!
The last time I was this sick was 9 years ago .... it lasted 2 years. I can not afford to be sick for *that* long!!!
I know that being sick is not my *fault* ..... but not being able to function as the wife & mom I need to be, makes me feel like a failure! |
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• Sunday, June 1, 2008 - The possibilities are endless
Do you ever sit while in planning mode & become energized by all your possibilities? I know some people may become overwhelmed looking at options .... but me, in most cases .... I become energized.
My husband has decided that we need to buy land with a home already on it .... and then we can build our dream home, while having something other than an RV to stay in during the build. Once moved in, we'll decide what materials to use for our build. I think we're going to go with an earthship or papercrete. Those are the least expensive materials & yet really, the ones allowing the most creativity. I wish we'd find the perfect place already .... I so want to plant a huge garden!!!
My husband got me some graph paper last night .... now I can make some tentative plans on what our home will look like, where we will plant our garden etc. I know that a lot of the planning depends on what our future property looks like .... but I just can't not draw up some ideas. I like to have some what of a plan LOL
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Did I post that my husband has agreed to go back to cloth diapers, if we have any more babies? I am sooooo excited!!! I'd love to start stocking up but that wouldn't be the best use of our money right now.
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Any one use a compost toilet? We've considered this option quite a few times ... not sure we'll do it but it's a thought.
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Some decisions we've made:
We're only buying things that were made in America ... toys, furniture, etc. If it's not made in our country, it's not worth having!!! The extra expense goes along way, since the products usually last longer than all the "made in China" garbage that are put on the shelves of all our stores.
I'd also sure love for America to stand together & boycott gas!!! I think if we all did it, we'd get lower prices. We need to quit complaining & take action!!!
Off my soapbox for now LOL
~ Happy Trails ~ |
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• Friday, May 30, 2008 - Health
I am not feeling so great these days. I am back to being severely anemic .... I've been taking iron supplements, eat plenty of iron rich foods & tests say that I'm not the kind of anemic that requires the vitamin shots. We just can't figure out what's going on. Typically I'm only anemic when I'm pregnant ...... and as far as I know, I'm not. How ever, that doesn't help either because the miscarriage I had a short time ago was a *surprise* ... as I didn't even know I was pregnant until I started to lose the baby. I've been extremely dizzy lately, my heart is going wacky, I'm beyond fatigued & I'm some what nauseous .... all can be connected to pregnancy .... but all can be connected to anemia as well. All I know is that I'm tired!!!
~ Happy Trail ~ |
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• Friday, May 23, 2008 - Price of gas & electric
We recently found out that the cost of electricity is going up by 19.5% as of June 1st  The cost of living is ridiculous!!! Our gas prices are high ... but not as high as other places. I say the best *cure* for these issues is to harvest wind power and use solar as a back up .... our area is very windy so that would be GREAT for us!!! We're checking in to the cost of these options. I'd love to NOT have to pay utility bills!!!
Do you know of any programs or resources for free windmills or solar panels? I have some links that I'll post as soon as I find them.
~ Happy Trails ~ |
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• Friday, May 23, 2008 - Police Gear
Do you have a need for police gear? I think with the way the world is progressing in crime, we may ALL need something in the line of police gear sooner or later. Check out rifle slings In browsing I found under armor; socks, jackets, shirts etc. The clothing looks very comfortable too!! They offer a wide variety of items. So whether you need a holster for your gun, tactical equipment, handcuffs, Rouger mini mag couplers or some special socks, this is a great place to shop!!!
This post was sponsored by PayPerPost.
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• Friday, May 23, 2008 - Homeschooling and land
So many times I've come here to blog ...... but forgot what I wanted to talk about once I got here. That irks me!!! I think I need to make a list of topics I want to blog about!
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Homeschooling ..... our local paper did an article on home schooling and I really don't get what the point of the article is. It mentions that numbers of home schoolers in our area is declining (which I disagree with) .... but then it mentions different options. It also talks about on line charter schools and how the state department of education pays for them .... WHAT??????  Since when? I know there is ONE on line charter school that is free .... but one out of how many? I really think the article is filled with misrepresentations!!! That irks me!!!
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We're still looking at land and homes. The 81 acre parcel was mostly mountain & we don't want to have the expense of bull dozing before building, so we didn't put an offer in.
I think that one of the problems is that we're really not sure what we want .... be it land with a home already on it ..... or land to build our own home. There are pros & cons to both .... neither choice out weighing the other. Really the only con of building our own (as far as my husband is concerned) is having to live in an RV or something while building.
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Some one on our local Freecycle was giving away a goat and her 2 kids. One major reason I'm bummed we don't have a place of our own yet!!!
~ Happy Trails ~ |
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• Sunday, May 11, 2008 - Happy Mother's Day
Happy Mother's Day!!!
This morning I was startled awake ...... our youngest is in his crib which is literally right next to my side of the bed. Well, this morning he reached over & was rubbing my arm. It was actually cute once I realized that it was him. I reached out and rubbed his hand .... he looked over and smiled ..... as if he were saying, "Happy Mother's Day." I must have dozed back to sleep because the next thing I knew, my bed room was filled with the voices of 7 children wishing me a wonderful day. Then my oldest made her way through the crowd with a tray filled with breakfast goodies. I had pancakes, bacon and a glass of orange juice. My favorite part though was the pile of hand made Mother's Day cards and a cleaned baby food jar that was used as a vase for paper flowers that had been cut out & colored. Ahhh .... I have the BEST job in the world!!!
I hope you each have a wonderful day!!!
~ Happy Trails ~ |
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• Friday, May 9, 2008 - Tick tock, get a new clock
I woke up this morning to find my husband still soundly sleeping next to me ..... odd ...... it was 6:00 a.m. & he should have been gone already. I woke him up & he jumped out of bed to get ready. He wakes the children so they can get breakfast eaten & chores done ...... kisses me goodbye & darts off to work. A few minutes later he came back in & told me it was only 5:40 a.m. Some how our clock was changed ..... poor guy LOL It's now 6:30 a.m. & children's chores are all done ........ great start for the day!!!
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Speaking of time .... it's time for a couple of my children to have their yearly check ups .... and some are due for immunizations (according to the doctors schedule) .... I sure hope we don't have any issues to deal with when the dr's find out we don't immunize. They know we haven't with our 1 year old .... which they're not happy about .... but I think they're expecting a delayed schedule.
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Do you use wooden bowls to mix recipes in? Do you use them to eat with also? Where's a good place to get them?
Do you use cast iron pots & pans? Where's a good place to get them?
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Today we'll be making a solar oven out of a pizza box. Once we get the hang of cooking in it, we'll make a more advanced & larger version ...
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• Wednesday, May 7, 2008 - 81 acres
• Saturday, May 3, 2008 - Rambling
The season is changing ...... and with the change comes a cold ..... settling in to at least 4 of us here  I do not have time to be sick!!!
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We are having to keep our cats contained in 1 room at night ..... they have found a way to get out & until it's repaired, we want to know that they haven't become some animal's dinner!! We have them in the dressing room off our bedroom .... there is s step stool in front of a mirror .... they all congregate on that stool LOL .... and each time we walk in to that room, we can bet they'll all be there, staring at themselves in the mirror. HA
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We have been busy getting packed .... getting rid of things we don't want to take .... I am excited thinking that this will be the last time we ever move!!! We've been trying to figure out how we're going to set up our land .... gardens, animal quarters etc. I guess we won't know for sure until we've picked a property .... HA ... yes, that would help!! We're pretty sure which one we'll be taking .... but nothing is for sure until we're moving our stuff in!
~ Happy Trails ~ |
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• Sunday, April 27, 2008 - Checking in
Blog host, blog host what should I write
being creative has been such a fight
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We're getting closer to our reaching our down payment goal. We're not close ..... but we're closer.
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We got a call yesterday, from a family member that will be visiting soon .... she's bringing some cast iron pots & pans. I am excited!!! I'm sure that will help in my journey to not being anemic!!!
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We're still searching for property ...... I don't think we want to settle for anything less than 5 acres.
~ Happy Trails ~ |
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• Saturday, April 19, 2008 - Loving my "job"
I really love my life!!! I love being a wife and mommy ....... & all that comes with those roles. I thoroughly enjoy cooking .... I enjoy seeing the satisfied looks on my family's faces when they're done eating. It's almost a love language for me. No one really *taught* me how to cook ...... but my mom once told me that the key to a good cook was not the ability to read & follow a recipe ....... but their ability to think outside the box & be creative. I love watching my children grow & learn .... from books & life experiences. Cooing, first words, first steps ..... all awesome!!! Cuddling on the couch with my hubby, to watch our favorite shows .... the greatest!!! Hearing him say, "I love you ......." still stops the world from spinning!!!
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We need to buy an upright freezer!!! We are running out of room for the meals we prepare in advance.
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We've been talking about our upcoming move ..... we're really excited ..... but we know we have much to learn about owning land and livestock. We figure if we start small and slow, we'll learn a lot more than if we just rushed in to it. I'd like to master worming and chickens before we add cattle or goats. We'd also like to work on building some furniture .. cowboy style ........ rustic log furniture. Not sure how that will go over with how I'd like to decorate our bedroom though LOL Maybe we'll just make the furniture to sell? Hmmm .... only time will tell.
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Do you use oat flour? Or some other uncommon flour? Do you use them in place of regular flour with out having to adapt recipes? Either way, I'd love to have your recipes if you're willing to share!
~ Happy Trails ~ |
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• Friday, April 18, 2008 - Home Blessing
I finally finished making changes to my "Home Blessing" notebook. I am excited. I've had it for a few years & make changes every once in a while according to our schedules and home ..... but the changes I made this time seem like they will withstand our changes. It's very flexible & I LOVE that!!!
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I don't understand something ..... I know that it's to each, his own ..... but I've always thought that when a man & woman get married, they become one .... meaning that everything they have becomes the others as well. I am always curious as to why a couple would have his bank account & her bank account. No judgments .... just seems odd & something I'm unfamiliar with.
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Homemade chili & cornbread for dinner last night ...... yum!!! Only reason we have left overs is because I quadrupled the recipe 
Tuesday my husband & I will be doing a massive cooking .... beef stew, hamburg soup, meatloaf, boneless/skinless chicken breast .. some to chop up for Chef salads, some for chicken enchiladas, some for chicken salad, some for Izout .... an entire turkey, turkey bacon .. we'll be chopping onions, bell peppers ...... dividing foods, packaging them all & popping them in to the freezer. I think my husband wants to make a brisket too.
~ Happy Trails ~ |
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• Thursday, April 17, 2008 - Plans, plans
Plans, plans .... so many plans to make. Plans for the garden, for the worm growin, for the food storage, for the huntin, maybe even plans to build a home .....
I am excited about everything going on in our lives. Once we get settled I'd like to take a quilting class at our local college. I'd also like some one to show me how to can foods. I can't imagine how much we could store if I'd learn to can. Oh, the excitement!!!
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Do you love Scholastic books? I LOVE them so much & am thrilled that our home school group started getting the little fliers. I've been thinking about getting some new books for our home "library" & this gives me the perfect opportunity.
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I have sooooooo much energy again. Cleaning, working, eating healthier, getting healthier (read = losing weight) does that for me. My children are having a hard time keeping up with me HAHA ..... gotta love those Supermom vitamins!!!
~ Happy Trails ~ |
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• Monday, April 14, 2008 - Vermiposting
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