Garden?

I have killed every single one of my zuchhini plants. WTF? They were all looking so beautiful. Then I decided I better wait another couple weeks to transplant... and now they are all dead!

I think I have killed more plants then I have planted.

Easter and Pottery

Lessons.

Lesson #1.

Never, EVER, use those EVIL scotch pads to try to clean glue off your new $800 sliding glass door. Mostly when the only thing you are known to ever clean is your car.

Lesson #2

Never shout "Dammit!" throughout the house after realizing you scratched said door all to hell with your 4 year old watching you freak out. (Dammit will likely become his word of choice for the rest of the day).

Lesson #3

If there was ever a time to practice EQUANIMITY as a wife, this would be the time.


: )

Besides that, we have truly had a lovely day as a family.

I like being a family of four. Its fun.

Will is sleeping and Daddy and Jack went to Home Depot. I'm off to cook some vegetarian meatloafs for cooking club.

Our Favorite Books

First, I am on a Mac and have no idea how to make my links so you can just click on them and go to the web site. It drives me crazy, and my Mac lovin'-on-the-computer-at-work-all-day hubby doesn't know either. Can anyone help with that? If so I'll fix these links so they are clickable.

This is Jack's favorite book. Tonight he nursed and held on tight to this book as he fell asleep. I have to way, we have the old, I think original book from the Hallmark Creative Library that Mark got at work (way cooler):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0399234888/sr=8-1/qid=1146106850/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-6362047-1435246?%5Fencoding=UTF8

Will loves The Knee-Baby:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0374442444/qid=1146107371/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-6362047-1435246?s=books&v=glance&n=283155
BEAUTIFUL book. I bawled the first time I read it to Will. (If ya read it, note the page that says, "these are bad signs" and change to "these are crying signs."

Mark and I love these:
Spring's Sprung
Summer's Vacation
Wild Child
Winter Waits

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0689832680/qid=1146107489/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-6362047-1435246?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

achey rainy comfy nesty kinda day

We spent yesterday at my mom's catching up on laundry. Our washing machine has been broken for 2 weeks and last week I was at the laundromat. But Sunday our friend picked up our machine to fix in his shop and left us with a little on to use in the interim. Somedays I love humans. Now that I'm caught up, the little machine will keep us above water until mine is fixed.

We took the kids and picked up some of our pottery pieces last night and will pick up the rest tonight and go to dinner (just Mark and I). I'll post pics soon of our pieces. I have enough clay left over that I am going to make us matching plates for the cups and bowls I did. Our pottery teacher said just bring it in and I can fire and glaze it there. I really wanted to throw a mixing bowl but each attempt at that failed. We may take another class in Fall - we really enjoyed it (although we agreed the other classmates - all public school teachers, btw - were a bit annoying! LOL!

I'm crampy and don't have anything ready-to-eat for lunch. We'll have to scavenge.

The hole in our house is gone - the new sliding glass door sits in its frame, with tarp all over it. Tomorrow after the rains end we (er, Mark and Scot) will finish that job.

My success of the day - organizing the book shelf in the hallway! Yay!

My latest read that I am LOVING - its giving me so much confidence in our homeschooling journey: Teach Your Own, by John Holt.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0738206946/sr=8-2/qid=1145981850/ref=pd_bbs_2/002-6362047-1435246?%5Fencoding=UTF8

Damn!

I forgot that Positivity exercise! This is harder than I thought.

I want to run away.

I do.

I would take my family with me.

But I would like to be somewhere wherre the leaves are dense and damp above me. Trees crowding the forest. Near the ocean, though, where maybe I might get hints of salt air. It would be really quiet and the smell of the earth would overtake me.

We have the Money Pit house right now. Right now we have literally half the back of the house knocked out to fix termite damage. When we pulled down the dry wall - we also discovered a billion ants. Guess i know why I couldn't get rid of the ants in my kitchen.... so many projects.

Initiative exercise

I haven't done so well with this. I stretched a couple mornings in a row. LIke, whle Jack was nursing and I thought, hey, no kids (awake), let me stretch my arms and legs while he nurses. Pathetic. He is teething, I need to remember that (no sleep for any of us, all night nursing).

Maybe I should go back to coffee. That is a very beguiling ritual. Actually, I do believe I am going to start drinking the Nourishment tea. My friend gave this to me:

Steep:
Raspberry Leaf
Nettle Leaf
Red Clover
Peppermint
Rose Hips
Oatstraw.

A little honey in this and I am happy. That would be a great morning ritual I could do for myself.

Soon I can drink it in the cups I made us in our pottery class!

Being mindful of the essentials in life.

"Why do people often lack strength? Because they give their efforts to inessentials just as much as to essentials. There are homemakers that can run their home in a completely relaxed way. They know exactly what is important: first take care of what is important. The question of what is important can be asked in many ways. Important is THAT IT BE ASKED AT ALL.
---- The Spiritual Tasks of the Homemaker.

Also from the book are the following six exercises that I am going to focus and be aware of for the next couple weeks. I will hang these words on my fridge:

"1. Concentration exercise
Meditate and work to "Differentiate between essentials and non-essentials," and develop a strong force.

2. Initiative exercise
For 2 weeks one does a certain act each morning and evening. This actions should not be determined by OUTER NECESSITIES but rather choose something that arises out of one's OWN WILL, OWN INTENTIONS.

3. Equanamity exercise
HOLD back all expressions of feeling for a short time (NOT the feeling themselves!).

4. Positivity exercise
Find SOMETHING positive in EVERYTHING.

5. FREEDOM from BIAS exercise.
Develop in oneself the feeling of approaching each new experience without prejudice, at every new moment one must be able to accept a totally new experience.

6. PERSISTENCE exercise.
One should try to repeat all five exercises again and again systematically in regular turns. In this way, a beautiful balance is gradually achieved in the soul.
One gains a quiet understanding of things that previously were totally closed to the soul.
Even the gait and gestures of the person chance under the influence of such exercises. "

Forever my babies.

I meant to post these a couple weeks ago. Yes, it was just a couple weeks ago that we were eating Snow Crackers...



And here's Jack drinking his carrot juice.

Food

Organic Spanakopita pies are freakin' expensive.

Anyone know of a good "Eating Organic On A Budget," book/recipe book?

I have tons of fresh food now in my fridge. Hopefully someday some of that will be from our garden!

If anyone is looking for a to-die-for treat, try this.... open and pit a medjool date, then smear raw, creamy almond butter on the inside. Enjoy. Oh my.

Hey boys: how to be a hero

I have to link this blog. And remember - as I play and love and guide my boys - that "I stand within the situations from out of which a new society will develop."

http://buggydoo.blogspot.com/2006/03/letter-to-alex-and-chris-twelve-years.html

Tomorrow

Boring post follows.

Watch Shelli's boys.

Measure feet and order Will and Jack summer shoes.

Return steam cleaner.

Home Depot run:
paint scraper
wire brush
3 locks for gates
door lock

For Courage, Mamas.

I have had this hanging on my fridge for the past year. I read it often. Over and over and over. ; )

For Courage
Rudolf Steiner

We must eradicate from the soul all fear and terror
Of what comes to meet us from the future.
We must look forward with absolute equanimity to
Whatever comes and we must think only that
Whatever comes is given us by a world direction full of wisdom.
It is part of what we must learn at this age.
Namely to act out of pure trust in the ever-present help of spiritual worlds.

Truly, nothing else will do if our courage is not to fail us.
Let us discipline our will and let us seek the
Awakening from within ourselves, every morning and every evening.

Take a survey, get free natural cleaner

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=850271936757

This is my BIL's new company. Mark is currently working on the product packaging for it. They are looking for people to complete a survey to get some feedback on the names, etc. The survey says it takes 10 minutes, but it didn't even take me that long to do. If you complete it, they'll send you a free sample. Tell me if you did it (if you don't mind). I'm dying to know what you thought of the names.

Dear Friends,

You are invited to participate in a brief, new product naming evaluation because you, or someone you know, is a friend or business associate of Mike Wallrich, Dennis Voss or Warren King.

We are launching a new product line of cleaners that are both eco-friendly and powerful and would appreciate your insights and guidance in helping us with potential product names. We will not try to sell you anything. Your responses will be kept completely confidential and used only for our own evaluations. However you may be asked to participate in a follow-up survey once these results have been analyzed.


Another way you could be a really big help is if you would forward this email to people you know who care about protecting the environment, believe in healthy living, or just want to make a difference.


As a token of our appreciation, we are offering a free sample of the product, delivered to anyone who completes our survey and provides us shipping information.

Just click http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=850271936757 to help us make the world a healthier place. It’ll take you just 10 minutes.

Over!

Freaking nightmare day.

I know this house is small... looks like it needs tons of updating. I'm dreaming... but it looks like our could-be oasis in the country:

http://www.realtor.com/FindHome/PhotoGallery.asp?snum=6&locallnk=yes&frm=bymap&mnbed=0&mnbath=0&mnprice=100000&mxprice=175000&js=off&pgnum=1&fid=so&stype=&mnsqft=&mls=xmls&areaid=91356&poe=realtor&ct=Spring+Hill&st=KS&sbint=&vtsort=&sorttype=&typ=1&typ=2&typ=4&x=24&y=19&sid=066B9D4F165DC&snumxlid=1055028863&lnksrc=00045&photonum=2

A list to make me happy.

Today I have:

Taken Mark to get his car - he locked his keys in the car last night at pottery class.
Gone to recycling.
Watered my seedlings.
Called Verizon to up our phone plan to cover (**%&((*& calls Mark's making to his brother all the time about his business stuff.
Pushed boys on the swing and collected rocks.
Made lunch. Cauliflower and kiwi for the boys. Carrot/collard greens juice for me.
Folding laundry now.
Dinner is thawing.
ETA: Started more seeds. Radishes, mint, onion (late on this), cayenne peppers, marigolds.
Got Jack down for a nap. Made more fairy houses with Will (including a garage for the fairy cars. lol. )
Made myself a cabbage with peanut sauce for dinner.
Painted faces and bodies with Will and Jack (I look ahem, awesome.)
Painted rocks.
More swinging.
More laundry.
Registered my mom and I for a communiversity class on Raw Food Eating (and feedmemomma should come with us!) : )
Talked to Missouri Organics about dirt.
ETA:
Taken tubby tub with the boys. Got them kinda dressed. Put bathroom back in order after Will splashed all over the place and Jack peed on the bathroom rug.
Starting an evening of damage control as Will has not napped and is being a maniac.
Now setting the table for dinner.
ETA:
Cleaned up kitchen after dinner. Skipped my cabbage and ate yummy cooking club meal instead. All backlogged dishes done.
Went for walk with family. Went to grandpa's and hung out.
Starting Bedtime routine. 8 pm.
ETA: 9:30 pm and boys FINALLY asleep. Very wound up tonight.
Heard rain so ran outside and picked up all the stuff we left out earlier.
9:45. Goin upstairs to read more Square Foot Gardening. And night night.
Laundry needs folding but not gonna happen tonight!

I need to:
Get dirt for garden, and for house issues.
Call tree guys to remove stump.
Take care of my poor abandoned worms.
Clean the bathroom. Its awful.
Clean fridge. Awful too.
I'll end the list there so as not to overwhelm myself.

Back in Black

Jack's been back in cloth diapers for a couple weeks now. I know that I am feeling *normal* again because its not stressing me out. Its easy again. I'm using 16 snug-to-fits and Bummis, and 8 Fuzzi bunz. I can appreciate cloth at moments like this - just put a dipe on the boy and he immediately pooped. No *wasted* sposie.

Lotta watta

Our 65 gallon rain barrel filled up with water after last nights rain! We need to come up with ways to use the water... lots of gardens in our future, hopefully!

Open up the window and let the sun shine in.

Lovely day.

Mark and I attended a class on building a rain garden. We have the perfect spot for this, considering we get storm run off from our yard and all our neighbors yard plopped about 20 feet from our house. We bought a rain barrel today and have plans to buy the native plants soon. The class was very well organized (and free!) and we also both received a $10 gift certificate to use at the store, Prairie & Wetlands Center in Belton. This is obviously a well funded initiative:

http://www.rainkc.com/HOME/INDEX.ASP

We could have found a much cheaper alternative to getting a rain barrel - Mark had planned on taking a rain barrel making class (for about $35). There would have been more economical routes... but at the same time, our rain barrel is now completed and hooked up to our downspout as I type this. And we know it will work, and it won't leak or have issues.

We also bought a compost tumbler from our neighbor! Woo-hoo! I've been eyeing this tumbler in his backyard since last summer. He is moving and was ready to give it up so I finagled (sp?) and bartered and it is now ours. And I've already got golden food scraps in there.

I hope the weather is nice next week so we can play with our new toys. : )