Weigh Day

Yep.  I gained.  After the week I had, I am not surprised.  I am surprised it wasn't more.  If I had gone to the bathroom before weighing in, I probably would have broken even.  As it is, I only gained 0.2 pounds.  All in all, not bad.  I was worried about a rebound from last week's loss plus a gain from the general's chicken and the dinner at church Sunday along with the other meals out we had.  We ate out a LOT this past week.

In other news, I am helping a friend move this week.   Tomorrow after science, I am heading up to where she is moving to with my Dyson and carpet cleaner and am going to vacuum the carpets until I get no more dirt before we clean them with the carpet cleaner.

I got the cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, cucumbers, carrots, and radishes in the ground.  I now know why people were saying that carrots are a pain to transplant.  They are very fragile and very annoying to try to get out of the cells without breaking.

Tomorrow's science is going to be dandelions unless it is raining.  Then I will find something else.

I'm tired

I'm always tired.  That's not new.  I work around here and it gets tiring at times.

Last night, there was a choir concert in Danville which we attended and had a beautiful time.  Today, church service was in Danville, so we drove there and back again.  The children got cranky from the driving, but other than that, they were fine.  

When we got home this afternoon, I found five dead chicks.  They look like they were basically squished to death by the other chicks.  Add that to the one found dead this morning and we are down to 44.  I gave them all fresh food and water.  The rooster I brought in Friday night has water and will be butchered tomorrow.  It is a Rhode Island Red and sounds like a coyote when he crows.  We got tired of listening to him.  Plus, he and another rooster gang up on the hens and the hens are getting some very bald backs.  The other roo (the original) does not get involved in the gang-up.  I'm not saying he avoids the ladies, but he is a gentleman about it.  (If you can realistically say that about a rooster.)

Tomorrow, I am going to do some serious outdoor work and work on the gardens.  We had snow today and tonight it is supposed to be in the 20s.  IT'S ALMOST APRIL!  GIVE ME A BREAK!  I brought in all the starts today to keep them from dying.  I am going to build up the beds some with dirt from the pig area and mix it in.  I am going to build a trellis of some kind for the beans, tomatoes, and peas.  I am going to try to salvage the potatoes and onions while trying to figure out how to block the chickens and protect the garden.

In the middle of all of this, I am going to do a Walk Away The Pounds video, do my afternoon walk with my neighbor, hit D's to do some paperwork, and go to a WW meeting tomorrow night.

Friday Update

ELECTRICITY: We’re down. The only difference? I’ve not been using the plug for the laptop as much. I carpet cleaned the entire upstairs this morning. I ran the fridge yesterday extra while leaving it open and cleaning it out. I’ve used the dryer. (Me. Not my husband.) All of this and the only real difference I have made is making a concerted effort to not have the laptop plugged in. The plug is a drain. I don’t know why. It doesn’t seem like it should be, but it is. I am going to have to carefully monitor the plug use.
Meter reading: 70579
Usage: 323kwh
Percentage: 153%

IDC: We got our hen chicks today. The turkey chicks are growing. Two died and one disappeared. I have not found it yet. The plants that I hardened are ready for the ground. I have others waiting to be hardened. More garden plots are set out.

GARBAGE: Yes, we have garbage. We are going to make a run to the scrap yard with some metal.

GASOLINE: $50 worth of gas went into the pick-up. It is warm enough on a consistent basis to start the switch to the waste vegetable oil.

MONEY: With bill paying yesterday, we went for breakfast and also had dinner out. We spent roughly around $100. Putting it together like that…. OUCH!

HOMESTEAD: Things are shaping up really well. Some plots are going to have to be tilled, but that’s ok. I need to build some frames for climbing plants like peas, beans, tomatoes, and others that need staking. The birds are set up in the garage. 5 chirping birds in the kitchen? Not a big deal. 15 chirping birds in the kitchen? Minor annoyance. 50 chirping birds in the kitchen? Time for another set up.  

HOMESCHOOL: Charlie has been doing is copy work and reading Captain Courageous by Rudyard Kipling. He has also been doing some math and making me realize that we have slacked off a bit in the math department.  

GOALS ACCOMPLISHED:  
1. Finish the garage. – I got more done.
2. Finish the shop. – I got more done.
3. Find someone to take care of our animals from the evening of April 22 to the morning of April 26 or I will not be joining my family for the semi-annual conference. – Done. K and H will be taking care of them and they will be coming over once a week to get used to the animals and the animals get used to them.
4. Get more beds set up. – Done. As previously mentioned, a couple just need tilled.


NEW GOALS:  
1. Finally finish the garage and shop.
2. Get the walk path done.
3. Get the plants in the ground.
4. Carpet clean the master bedroom.

1600 pounds

No, that is not how much I weigh.  Although it is close.  It is how much dirt I have used and it still isn't enough.  George is going to have to till some areas so I can have the garden space I need.  I was hoping to avoid that because of his shoulders.

I also can not actually put anything in the ground until the fencing is done being fixed.  And the fencing can't finish being fixed until the railroad ties from last year's garden is gone.  The onions I put in have been uncovered by the chickens.  The potatoes have been uncovered by the chickens and the dog.  I have no clue if the corn seeds are even still in the ground.  And I have a lot to still put in.

I am also an idiot.  I picked up a packet of peas and what I thought was a packet of beets.  It turned out to be a packet of radishes.  I pointed it out to George tonight and he said "I like radishes."  Well, that's good because I already  have radishes planted.

In homeschooling today, Charlie read a chapter from Captain Courageous by Rudyard Kipling.  I know, I know.  We've done this book before.  Actually, we got about half way through then lost the book.  This time, instead of him and I taking turns reading, he is reading it by himself out loud.  He is doing very well, too.  His reading is improving by leaps and bounds.  He has an insatiable reading appetite.  This is a good thing until he starts reading bumper stickers.

We also had US Geography today and M's Dad (Trucker B) hooked up a webcam and mounted it on his dash.  Once he gets sound working, we can ask him questions and he can answer for everyone to hear.  Trucker L had a busy trip this week.  He started north, went south, back to north, and was heading south again.

I told the children that by next week, I want them to remember all the states that start with the letter A.  M's mom starts mentally naming them while counting on her fingers to see if she knew them.  She caught my amused look and started laughing.

I'm still walking with my neighbor.  We walk a mile or two a day and I am hoping to keep it up.  I know I've gained this week because I have not been as active, but hopefully I will change that this week-end.

The pigs got taken in today.  I am hoping we can get them back before the 15th so we can enjoy a little bit of pork before the pork fast.  Otherwise, they will just help make the freezer run efficiently by occupying space until August.  We also picked up Peanut today so we can enjoy some goat meat again.  I miss goat.

Tomorrow, I am going to make more soap, cut the soap I did make the other day to finish drying, and make some cheese.  Yes, we have milk.  We also have an order or raw cow milk coming.  I am going to try my hand at hard cheese with it.

Gosh Darn, I'm Tired!

Yesterday for science, I started on wild edibles.  We went out to my driveway and I asked "Is there anything here we can eat or make tea out of?"  Looking around, the children said "No."  encouraging them to look again, they had no idea, but knew there was something because I wouldn't have them looking while asking the question.  I looked over at the other mom to see if she had an idea and she shrugged and looked baffled.

I let them off the hook and led them over to a white pine tree.  I explained about the tree and how to identify it from other pines and talked about some of the benefits.  Since it had started raining, I brought everyone back inside.

Before they came, I cut off some small twigs and harvested some needles and had a tea going on the stove.  When we came back inside, I pulled out sketch pads, the twigs, and had them draw while keeping up a small running monologue of the history and uses of the pine and made everyone some tea.  Everyone enjoyed it and Bethany was asking for seconds.  (I think Charlie and Hannah had seconds as well.)

Today was bill paying day and we went out for breakfast.  After breakfast, we dropped the children off with E to play and we went out and paid bills.  We also stopped at K-mart where they have 12 and 20 gauge shot gun shells on clearance for $5.00 per 25 count box.  We picked up a few boxes so I can get some practice in.

We also stopped by the Verizon store and replaced my phone since it decided to act wonky.  It was shutting off out of the blue even with a full charge.  It would ring once for half a ring, shut off, vibrate while off and restart itself and I had to wait for it to go through all of this before I could return the call of whomever was trying to call me.

We had church tonight and both Charlie and Bethany stood up and testified.  Hannah was a little terror.  She just wanted to get into mischief.  She decided to act like a spoiled brat and when called on it, gave me her "But I'm cute" look.  Unfortunately for her, I am unmoved and underimpressed.

I am still walking everyday with my neighbor.  We walk a mile or more each day and I am hoping to increase that.  It is nice walking with her.  She is sweet.  She said I am now one of her kids.  She's in her 70s, but has the energy of someone in her 50s.

I need to go do some exercises before heading to bed.

Weigh Day

DOES ANYTHING TASTE AS GOOD AS THIN FEELS?

(Besides Chocolate)

Well, I weighed in tonight for my WW meeting and I lost 7.4 pounds and got my 5% sticker.  Plus, because I lost 5 pounds (or more) I got another gold star.  Yes, I am excited.  I hope I continue.  I do have a concern that next week, I will have a "rebound effect" because I lost so much weight in a week.  I hope not.

The children had a piano lesson today.  It was another make-up lesson.  I have no idea how many they have left.  I will ask Thursday.  

Tomorrow is science and we are going to start on wild edibles.  I have sketch pads for them to start in.

Tonight, before going to WW, I hurt my hip and sciatic nerve.  I am still in a lot of pain.  There was a young lady whose car suddenly stalled in the middle of Wabash during rush hour.  I pulled off and thankfully, someone else pulled off as well and we pushed her about half a block distance to a parking lot.  I left her with my number and told her to call if whomever she called didn't show after 15-20 minutes.  I didn't receive a call so I am assuming she is ok.

How much work I am going to be able to do tomorrow, I have no idea.  I hope I can do some.

Missed a day

Sorry.  I missed a day blogging so I have two days to fill in here.

Yesterday, we didn't do much.  It was a lazy day.  I had a friend over yesterday that I have not seen in forever.  She was hoping to get here for lunch, but the Terminex people who were supposed to show up at 9:00 didn't get there until 11:00 and she lives two hours away.

Anyway, she came and what I was hoping would be a nice, relaxing day for her turned into a drama filled day.  Bethany decided to stick the leaf of a plant in her mouth and it burned her tongue.  It was red and looked a bit like a chemical burn.  Thankfully, it did not swell, she did not swallow it, and G (the friend visiting) is a nurse.  (Her husband is an ER doctor.)  It took a few minutes to figure out what was wrong because she was screaming and rubbing her tongue on me.  She was drinking to try to make it better, she was grabbing a bite of food to try to make it better.  All things that one would do if they ate something spicy.  (This was around dinner time that this happened.)  We were both thinking that she ate a garlic clove because I roasted the asparagus in the oven with whole cloves of garlic.  G's daughter had said she ate "that leaf."  Immediately, I am on alert while trying to act "normal" so as to not make Bethany worse.  I got a pedialyte popscicle (last one) and gave it to her and she rubbed it on her tongue.  Bethany is fine now, but I was worried about an ER visit and told G that she was coming with me if I had to go.

Among other drama that happened yesterday, the toilet overflowed twice yesterday and ruined our one roll of toilet paper that we keep on hand for company.  With it overflowing, it dripped through the floor and into the basement.  Yeesh!

Today (my day of rest) I realized that even though I am still at a loss from last Monday's weigh-in, I have gained the past couple of days.  So, I was outside after church stacking cinder block for the goats, burning more trash, opening bags of dirt, and doing basic yard clean up.  I need to do more and burn more points.  I want another gold star!  I was going to put up fencing, but Hubby said he was going to do it tomorrow.

I worked for about three hours outside.  Not as long as I wanted, but I did get some stuff done.  M stopped by with her baby and her parents.  Her dad is setting up a dash cam so we can see what he sees as he is going down the road.  It will be really neat for the US geography class.

Well, I need to go clean the kitchen and do some laundry here before I go to bed.

Friday Update

ELECTRICITY: We’re up. Of course we’re up. Why wouldn’t we be up? I swear the plug for this laptop is an energy sucker. I’ve been leaving it plugged in.
Meter reading: 70256
Usage: 723kwh
Percentage: 343%

IDC: Potatoes are in the ground.  
Corn is in the ground.
Onions are in the ground.
Goats are milking.
Seeds are growing amazingly fast and I will be hardening them this week to put them out next week.
Turkey chicks arrived yesterday.

GARBAGE: We have lots and lots of garbage this week that needs to be brought in. I’ve been doing a lot of cleaning of the garage and shop.

GASOLINE: $20 worth of gas was put in the truck last Sunday. 

MONEY: Money has been spent. I know I spent money last night putting together a baby shower gift. I know I also went to the corner store a couple of times this week for soda. And, I got a grilled chicken sandwich at one point this week.

HOMESTEAD: Ruby died late Saturday night/early Sunday morning. The goat sleeping area was cleaned down to the dirt and white rock was put down with brick over it. More beds have been laid out with more being done today.
I tried calling K and H today to see if they could take care of our animals for us while we are gone to conference, but I have not gotten an answer yet. I left a message and will call again later.
We are getting half a dozen eggs or more each day now. This is a very good thing and I can’t wait to be getting more.  

HOMESCHOOL: This has been a hands-on week. Charlie was helping with the gravel and after we dumped a load, he brought the wheelbarrow back to the gravel pile. He backed it up out of the shelter, and when he turned it, he said “Turn right 90*.” I just looked at him stunned and told him he was right. He pays attention. That’s for sure.
When I was at the bookstore last night, I was looking for “Story of the World” and they had books 3 and 4, but not the first two.  

GOALS ACCOMPLISHED:  
Garage: Mostly done.
Shop/kidding area: Mostly done.
Oil and filter on van: Oil has been put in. Nothing has actually been changed. But, we did get the tire replaced.  

NEW GOALS:  
1. Finish the garage.
2. Finish the shop.
3. Find someone to take care of our animals from the evening of April 22 to the morning of April 26 or I will not be joining my family for the semi-annual conference.
4. Get more beds set up.

Onions

I got the onions in.  

How I grow onions:  I buy a bag of small bulbs from a farm store, put them in the ground, and let them grow.  I do nothing special.

I got the corn seeds in the ground.  This corn is for winter storage.

I have more beds set up.  George is going to call around about dirt tomorrow.

We had a workshop meeting tonight and I had this idea about getting a plot at the community garden for our workshop to tend and harvest for a local food bank.  It is a wonderful idea and everyone has a desire to see this done, but no one has the time or the know-how on how to grow vegetables.  It looks like I will have to do a workshop on how to grow vegetables.

I picked up a few things tonight for a shower gift.  I will need a couple more things for the gift, then I'm all set.  I get a breastfeeding friendly gift.  
A large purse since the mom usually is given tons of diaper bags.
Inside the bag, I put:
A water bottle
A book on breastfeeding (I prefer to give "So That's What They're For.")
Lansinol
Nursing pads
A folder of information on breastfeeding tear-offs by LaLeche League.
A business-sized card of the state's breastfeeding laws.

If I could afford it, I would also include a baby sling.

Yes, I am a huge breastfeeding advocate and have no problem spending time helping a mom nurse successfully.  House calls and middle of the night phone calls are no problem for me.  I know how important it is to have that help available and can mean the difference between success and failure.  I had that available to me with Bethany and Hannah, but not Charlie.  Guess which child was a failed breastfeeding relationship?

No Onions

But, there is always tomorrow.  Tomorrow is going to be a busy day.  A family is joining us for the day from Paris, IL and we have our US geography and I am going to be picking M and her children up since her soon-to-be-husband is working.  Then, tomorrow night is a workshop meeting.

Today, the goat shelter got finished.  Charlie worked hard helping me.  Gravel was put down over the dirt and bricks put on that and it was mudded in place.  All the fire wood was gathered up and put under the shop windows.  The stuff placed in the beds yesterday was spread out so the rain could hit it.

Tomorrow, the onions are going into the ground and I am going to plant corn.  (Not transplant the corn started inside.)  George is going to cut up some wood into 4' strips to make more beds.  We are going to look into getting dirt.

Ah, well.  Another day, another day of labor.  It is good.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

While we don't celebrate St. Patrick's Day in the traditional sense of wearing green and getting drunk, we do have our things that we do on St. Patrick's Day.  That is planting potatoes.

I got the potatoes in the ground.  Well, on the ground and covered in used and new straw.

I also cleaned out the goat area down to the dirt and put lime down.  Tomorrow, I am going to put down gravel and brick before putting down fresh straw.

I also cleaned out a good portion of the shop and started on the garage.  All in all, I worked outside for about ten hours today.  I did take a break to go on my walk and took Charlie with me.  We went for a walk together and picked up trash along the way.

When Charlie asked why we were doing this, I said "ecological responsibility."  Then I explained that the trash does not look pretty and does not belong on the side of the road.  When he asked how it got there, I said that sometimes it blows out of the bed of pick-up trucks, sometimes it blows out of garbage trucks, and sometimes people just throw it out the windows of their cars.  

We each need to do our part to keep our neighborhood clean.

Anyway, a lot of work got done today.  The rabbit hutch is back up.  The rabbit is now outside.  In one of the hutches, we put up a ramp for the chickens since they had taken to laying in it while it was down.  The hens like it and so does one particular rooster when one particular hen is there.

I am sore and tired, but it is a good sore and tired.  And I will be doing more work tomorrow.  I am also wanting to get onions in the ground tomorrow.

Weigh Day

Tonight was my WW meeting and I weighed in at a gain.  I am up 0.6 pounds.  Now granted, I can come up with all the excuses in the world.  I had a bad week.  I'm starting my period.  (I am, by the way.) Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.  Bottom line is I ate and I ate junk.  I made very bad choices and the results of those choices showed up on the scale.

But, it is a new week and I am going to do better.  No more snacking at night and increase my walking distance.  Plus, I want to figure out what my actual. final goal weight will be and figure out the points for that and eat that while keeping the 35 "extras" for the week.

I also need to watch my disorder a bit closer.  I gave myself a small scare earlier.  When I went to pick up my Synthroid, as I was waiting for it to be filled, I was eyeing diuretics and laxatives and looking for diet pills.  I didn't get any, but the fact that I was picking them up and looking at them is enough to know that the potential for my eating disorder to start up again is closer to the surface than I thought.

Veterans deserve better

While they definitely deserve better than they currently get, they most certainly don't deserve this.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/10/veterans.health.insurance/

Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki confirmed Tuesday that the Obama administration is considering a controversial plan to make veterans pay for treatment of service-related injuries with private insurance.

We all know that private health insurance companies will pay for someone who left their leg behind in Iraq or pay for medications for someone who has seizures due to a plate in the head.  We also know that insurance is very affordable for people with pre-existing conditions.  [/snark]

The groups also cited an increase in "third-party collections" estimated in the 2010 budget proposal -- something they said could be achieved only if the Veterans Administration started billing for service-related injuries.

Asked about the proposal, Shinseki said it was under "consideration."

"A final decision hasn't been made yet," he said.

So if the vet has no insurance and is getting care through the VA, under this proposal, they would still get billed.  Nice.

"I believe that veterans with service-connected injuries have already paid by putting their lives on the line," Murray said in her remarks. "I don't think we should nickel and dime them for their care."

They already are nickled and dimed, but she is right about the first part.  They've paid and they've paid dearly.

At the time, a White House spokesman would neither confirm nor deny the option was being considered.

Of course not.  If he confirms it before it has a chance to get anywhere, he knows it is dead in the water.  He can't deny it, because he would, later down the road, be caught lying.  Not that lying would be anything new for this administration.

I Quit

I am done.  Call me a quitter if you want for that is what I am.  I am done with goats.  At least for milking and (right now) for everything.

Ruby is dead.  I just discovered her.  Flora (her mother) has mites which came from straw we bought.  It is a fight to get her.  She is spraying milk all over the place and when I do get her, I can't get her on the milking stand.  The stupid dogs are barking and snarling at her so in this small milking area, she is trying to get away from me and attack/run away from the dogs and my wrist is getting twisted off.  She manages to break from my grip and I go to readjust and come away with a handful of fur thanks to the mites.  

I did manage to get her sprayed down before just saying "screw it" and letting her go.  She still needs to be milked so when George gets home from church, I will try again.

No more goats.  I quit.  That means my goat milk soap making business will be gone.  That means contracts will be broken.  That means my dreams will be destroyed.  That means we will have to get our milk, cheese, yogurt, soap, the old-fashioned way.  Buying it all.

I am tired of fighting the dogs to get to the goats.  I am tired of fighting the goats to get to the milk.  How many more injuries can I take?  How many more dead baby goats do I have to deal with?

Sharing is caring

Never let it be said that Hannah doesn't care about Bethany.  She loves her sister so much that she shared her virus with her.  

Bethany now has the virus that Hannah had.  The plus side is Bethany has gone straight for the diarrhea.  Although I must say that the diarrhea smells like vomit.

Bethany has not eaten much the past couple of days and today was saying her belly button hurts.  She took a nap in our bed and slept for over an hour.  While sleeping I could hear the gurgling that I heard in Hannah.  When she got up, she went to the bathroom and exploded in the toilet.

Just what everyone wanted to read about, huh?

I knew it would happen

I'm obsessing.  We bought a scale last week and I am now obsessing with every 1/10th of a pound.  I am stepping on it every morning and if it stays the same or bumps up even a little, I get stressed.  I had misplaced my weigh-in booklet for Weight Watchers because I had gone up a few 1/10th of a pound two mornings in a row.  last night, I weighed myself and being at the end of the day, naturally it had gone up.  

I tore the house apart looking for the weigh-in booklet to see the comparison between my at-home morning weigh-in and my night time WW weigh-in so I could compare it to the difference between yesterday morning and last night.

I knew that getting a scale was going to be a challenge for me.  I need to watch myself and my husband is (thankfully) fully knowledgeable about my past eating disorder and is aware of what to watch for.  It is more than just binging and purging.  It is a whole behavior/obsessive/OCD type thing that needs to be carefully monitored.

It was a big thing for me to even join WW.  I obsess with everything.  Diets, food, eating, body image, and everything involved in that just happens to be my biggest (and potentially deadliest) obsession if I allow it to control me rather than me control it.

Today, my points went way over.  I went over by 21 points.  That is almost a days worth of food.  All because I wanted to stuff my face with a local restaurant's General's Chicken rather than make it homemade myself.  I knew it was a bad choice.  I knew it before I even made the decision to go there to pick it up.  But did I let that stop me?  Nope.  I ordered the garbage for my whole family and fed it to them.  (Why, oh why does chemically laden food have to taste so good?  Especially from a restaurant that to my knowledge has never passed Board of Health inspections.)

Anyway, we had that garbage and now I am way over my points.  I have a lot of burning to do over the next couple of days before Monday weigh-in.

Friday Update

ELECTRICITY: WOW! We have gone WAY down. I thought we were going to go up. Hannah had been sick. She was vomiting and pooping all over the place and our washer AND dryer BOTH had been running non-stop for a few days straight. Plus, we had a drop in temperatures so our heat got turned back on the other day. Yet, we dropped by quite a bit. What we did different, I have no idea.
Meter reading: 69533
Usage: 390kwh
Percentage: 185%

IDC: I had a couple of very large cans of tomato paste. I opened one for a recipe and took the rest out of the can, put it in 2 pint-sized jars and 8 half-pint jars and put them through the canner. While not a homemade paste, it is nice to have on hand for when I need it. And this year, I am hoping to do better and have more homemade.
I also did a whole bunch of planting earlier this week and have green stuff coming up.
Radishes, lettuce, basil, lemon balm, green beans, cauliflower, and cabbage are all showing green.

GARBAGE: We took several bags in this week. Now that we have a scale, I am going to start weighing to see how we are actually doing.

GASOLINE: No gas put in any vehicle this week.  

MONEY: Drive-thru: $17.00, Piano for the month of March: $120, IGA: $45, B&B Foods: 

HOMESTEAD: We got confirmation on when we will be getting the birds. The turkeys will come next week and the hens will come the following week. The baby goats are all doing well and we are now just waiting on Gi-gi.  

HOMESCHOOL: We are going to start looking at formal curriculum for Charlie. He is ready. Right now, he is doing anything and everything but his math. He is wiggling, fidgeting, staring out the window, playing.  

GOALS ACCOMPLISHED:  
Seeds: Done until we get more dirt and cells.
Garage: Well, let’s just say that the garage still exists.
Watering system for pigs: Done.

NEW GOALS:  
1. Garage: Still needs to be done.
2. Shop/kidding/milking area: Needs to be cleaned and organized.
3. Change oil and filter in van. We checked the oil the other day and discovered that oil barely touching the dipstick and dark black is probably the reason for the check engine light being on.

HERBAL/ILLNESS STUDY OF THE WEEK: I still need to get the asthma study done. I feel horrible for neglecting this.

Prayer Request for a Friend

A friend of mine over at http://supportyourlocalgunfighter.com/2009/03/its-worse-redux/ has been hit with a lot of illness in his family.  His boys have been sick, he has been sick and is sick again and now his infant daughter is sick and is still in the ER.

If you can head on over there and drop a line offering prayers and good thought to send his way, it would be greatly appreciated.  And if you're worried about him wondering who "These strange people are" feel free to let him know I sent you.

Thanks.

Geography

Today, M showed up with not just her children, but her mom and a giant puzzle of the US.  As soon as they walked in, the puzzle was taken out of their hands and the children ripped into it to assemble it.  They did a wonderful job.  

Since this is US Geography and not science, I did the mixing of the cookie batter.  I made up a batch of sugar cookie batter and told them to keep an eye on their favorite state because they were going to shape the cookie dough into that shape.

Giving each child a hunk, they began working out the shapes that they were trying for.  M's children both picked Texas.  Charlie picked Illinois.  Bethany picked Maine.  Hannah picked "Pink."  I had M do Indiana.  Her mom did Tennessee.  (That's where she lives.)  I did Massachusetts.  That's where I was born.  (It ended up looking like an elephant without legs.)  Using chocolate chips, we marked were the capitols would be.

While they baked, we played the Twister Graph Game and as we enjoyed the cookies, we looked at the maps to track our trucker buddies.

George took Peanut to Spendal's today.  While this is months ahead of schedule, it give me a sense of relief.  He had started trying to "enjoy" his twin sister and was showing signs of going into rut soon.  After the incident with his father trying to kill me, I get a bit skittish around male goats in rut.  Not exactly healthy on my part when we raise goats.  But, I don't let it stop me from doing things that need doing.

Radishes and lettuce are sprouting nicely.  I am excited and can't wait for the rest to start sprouting.  

I called the treasurer's office yesterday and got confirmation that they did receive the tax payment from the mortgage company and even named the mortgage company they received it from without me even asking.  That is a HUGE relief.

Ho-hum day

Yes, I am still excited about the weight loss and it is encouraging me to keep going especially after my frustrating start.  I am still learning about how the foods work on the point system especially with my food-snobbery.  I admit it.  I am a food snob.  Boxed macaroni and cheese is not food.  It is a "food product."  (It is high points as well.)  Kashi cereals are also high points and actual food.  Nutri-grain bars are a food product and are only 2 points.  Raw milk is 4 points and an actual food.  Skim milk is 2 points and is basically garbage.  Interestingly enough, the Amish here give it to the pigs to help fatten them up.  Why?  Because skim milk quenches the thirst much like water does, but does not fill them up.  And skim milk still has calories.  So the pigs get a small calorie burst while quenching their thirst.  And at 91 calories per 8 ounces, that's quite a bit.  ( http://tiny.cc/b2yzX )

Anyway, one thing that the WW leader did tell me was that I am not getting enough dairy.  I saved my breath, but I will let it out here.  We do not need dairy past weaning age.  Honest.  We need calcium.  We do not need milk.  Yes, milk is an excellent source of calcium, but that it not the only way to get it.  There are tons and tons of ways to get the needed calcium in our diet.  The first is to stop drinking soda.  It leaches the calcium from our system.  Other ways?

A quick google of "Non-dairy calcium" and here is what I found:

They range in calcium from highest to lowest 1043mg to 73mg.

Fortified ready-to-eat cereals
Soy beverage calcium fortified
Orange Juice Calcium Fortified 
Sardines Atlantic in oil drained
Tofu firm prepared with nigarib
Pink salmon canned with bone
Collards cooked from frozen
Molasses blackstrap 1 Tbsp
Spinach cooked from frozen
Soybeans green cooked
Turnip greens cooked from frozen
Ocean perch Atlantic cooked
Oatmeal plain and flavored instant fortified 1 packet prepared
Cowpeas cooked
White beans canned
Kale cooked from frozen
Okra cooked from frozen
Soybeans mature cooked
Blue crab canned
Beet greens cooked from fresh
Pak-choi Chinese cabbage cooked from fresh
Clams canned
Dandelion greens cooked from fresh
Rainbow trout farmed cooked

As you can see from one quick google search, calcium can be found in many places.  All we have to do is eat real food.  (I am not counting "fortified" anything as real food even though it is listed.)

Anyway, that is my milk rant.  Milk is not needed, but it is nice and does have its place in a healthy diet, but it does not require its own food group or daily servings.  It also makes for nice pancakes, great for making cheese, ice-cream, and yogurt, and it's good to put on cereal.  But don't try to tell me I need it in my diet.

I went to Big Lots today to pick up some snacks.  I have discovered that I am a night time snacker and so I went looking for snacks that would have a low point value.  I came home, fired up the computer and started putting the numbers into the WW calculator and separated out the snacks into 2 point packages.

While driving to Big Lots, the check engine light came on and I have no idea why.  I'll take a look at the van tomorrow.  It could be because I am driving around on thread for tires.  It could be low on oil (I don't remember the last time it was checked.)  It could be because I filled the tank recently and it still being near full decides to conspire against me.  Who knows.

We finally finished all the laundry from Hannah being sick.  She is better, but gassy as all get out and pooping up a storm.  I am just glad the laundry is finally caught up.  

I went out to check on the animals this afternoon since we have storms coming tonight.  The stupid pigs knocked the float off their water and somehow disconnected the hose from the float.

I am going to call Spendal's tomorrow about taking Peanut in.  He did his job and now is the time to bring him in before he gets Star pregnant.  Kristi gave the suggestion of "Elena" for the as yet unnamed female goat and I am accepting it.  

Our baby goats are:
Ruby (Mother, Flora)
Zorro (Mother, Robin)
Elena (Mother, Robin)

We are just waiting on Gi-gi now.

Great News!

I just got back from my Weight Watchers meeting and I LOST 6.8 pounds since last week and (keeping in mind last week was a gain) 5.4 pounds since I started two weeks ago!

That is all.  

Ramblings

Piano lessons are in an hour so I will have to leave in 40 minutes or so.  I am going to drop the children, run to the credit union, get money to pay the teacher, pick up some pull-ups for Bethany (night time) and by then, lessons should be over or near over.

Hannah has stopped vomiting.  Now, she is pooping vile green and brown water.  The smell is enough to knock even the strongest person to their knees.  I went running out of the bedroom gagging just barely keeping from vomiting.

In taking care of the animals this morning, I found eight eggs.  And in finding them, two hens were laying.  That is ten eggs today.  YAY!  We also have a white layer.  All the eggs are brown except one.

Robin's udder is still rock hard.  I am going to keep massaging it.  I was tempted to bring her in for a middle of the day milking, but decided to let her be with her kids.

Peanut is looking and acting feral.  I am sure that one of these days he is going to knock me on my butt.  Star needs more handling before she becomes more skittish than she is.  

Robin's female kid needs a name.  I am out of names right now and am not allowing my children to name anymore animals.  I'm still having a hard time with "Princess Buttercup."  Especially when she decides to act fierce with the pigs.

Weight Watchers weigh-in is tonight.  I am also going to have to print out everything I ate this week.  Yuck.  According to the scale we bought, I have lost a little bit of weight since Thursday.  (The day we bought it at the VA.)  We will see what the WW scale says.

A Vomitous Experience

It is 4:something and I have been up since a little after midnight.  Hannah came down and I had her lay on the cot.  Shortly there after, she started vomiting and has been doing so every 20 minutes to half hour.  

Something tells me I am not going to church.

I sent George out to the couch so he could hopefully get some sleep so he can be awake for church and he will take Charlie and Bethany with him.  I did call everyone from church last night to remind them of the time change.  Some remembered, some forgot.  Those that did remember, some didn't know if we were supposed to go backwards or forwards.

I have laundry going in the wash because of all the vomiting.  Volume-wise, there isn't a lot of vomit, but what is coming out of Hannah is mostly mucous.  Which means there isn't a whole lot in her tummy.  It's times like this I miss nursing. 

Pot and Cells

I was told that if I ever wanted to increase blog traffic, I should have my title posts be relevant buzz words.  So, in the interest of keeping on topic, I chose Pot and Cells.  Although I suppose I could have put "Pot Planting" or "Starting Cells."

I transplanted the house plants into bigger pots and I now have seven house plants.  I am looking forward to eventually having more.  Although for future house plants, I am wanting dual purpose plants.  Either kitchen herbs or medicinal herbs or some kind of edible plant.

I also just got done planting a bunch of seeds in cells for eventual transplanting outside.  I am going to need to do a whole bunch more, but I do have a nice start.

Melon (cantaloupe and a couple of heirloom variety) - 69

Lettuce (two different kinds) - 24

Bell Peppers (red and chocolate) -  24

Lemon Balm - 12

Basil - 12

Zucchini - 36

Summer Squash - 36

Radish - 24

Carrots - 24

Concord Grapes - 24

Cucumber - 24

Broccoli - 12

Cauliflower - 12

Cabbage - 12

Corn - 60

Beans (pole and bush) - 72

Tomatoes (variety) - 72

Loofah - 36

BOSS - 36

As I said, I have much more that needs planting and am hoping to get to that later in the week.  But for right now, I am out of dirt and out of cells.

Time to hang laundry and get working on dinner while Hubby and Hannah naps.

Spring is in the air

And so is outdoor work.  

The pigs have fresh bedding and the watering system is set up for them.  (Thank you, Love.)  I spread out a bale of straw we got today for the pigs and set up a slop bucket for them that I can get without having to go in there every time.  The pigs ignored the nice, clean, fresh straw and are laying on the mud.  Stupid pigs.

The kidding stall has been cleaned out (thank you, Love) and fresh straw put down.  We noticed Gi-gi acting strange, pawing the ground, and getting up and down a lot.  So, she is in the kidding stall for the night and she is not happy about it.

I got a nail in my hand moving boards and sorting them between good, somewhat good, and burn pile.  There was a lot of wood that needed sorting.  And more still needs to be done.

When I was in with the pigs, Princess Buttercup (that name drives me nuts) came in and went after the pigs,  She runs up to them barking and attacks their tails or their hind legs.  They turn around and start attacking her.  And I'm in the middle of the ruckus!  I am so glad I did not get hurt.  Otherwise, the pigs would have been taken in a lot sooner and I would have been asking about processing puppy.

I went over on my points today because I was needing caffeine and went to the corner store for a Diet Coke (I know; really healthy) and picked up a Little Debbie Nutty Bar.  A twin pack is 7 points.  But, I was dropping fast and I burned more sugar today than I took in.  Even though it was close to dinner, I needed something right then or I would have gotten sick.  I probably could have made a better choice, but my brain was not functioning and the only thing I kept thinking was "I do not need chips."  But, I needed something.

Friday Update

ELECTRICITY: We have gone down. This is good, but not good enough. The heat has been turned off for the past couple of days and we’ve been turning the hot water tank off. But, laziness has slowly snuck in and we’ve been using the dryer.  
Bad, Kim! Bad, bad, Kim!
Meter reading: 69533
Usage: 644kwh
Percentage: 305%

IDC: Put some jars of food and water in the storm shelter. I am working on getting that put back together as spring approaches.

GARBAGE: No garbage has been brought into town.

GASOLINE: 24 gallons put in truck.  

MONEY: $158 for 900 pounds of feed. 500 pounds of goat and 400 pounds of hog.  
Gas and soda: $75
McDonald’s: $12 (VA trip)
Lunch at a diner: $20
Straw today: $20

HOMESTEAD: The orders for the birds have been placed. Turkeys are more expensive than I remember so we ordered 15 instead of 20. We doubled our chicken order and got all hens this time so we know we have plenty of layers. This might also give a stay of execution to our one rooster that tries his best to sound like a coyote.
Robin kidded twins last night. One boy and one girl. The boy is named Zorro because he has a mask. It’s a white mask, but it is still a mask. The girl, I still need to think of a name.
The replacement parts arrived in the mail today for the milking machine. Hopefully, that will make the thing work properly.  

HOMESCHOOL: At the VA, I took Charlie to the Memory Wall to study some of the personal history of the vets that come to this VA. Also, it personalizes the experiences of the different wars and puts faces to situations.  
While waiting for George to be called in, I had Charlie doing book work so we both would have a good measure of where he is. And, he is doing great.  

GOALS ACCOMPLISHED:  
We got the chicks ordered. That is about all I have accomplished. I am doing a lot of yard work today. Maybe I’ll make it to the garage.

NEW GOALS:  
1. Get the rest of my seeds started.
2. Clean out the garage so Hubby can start up the WVO system again since spring is coming.
3. Get watering system set up for the pigs.

HERBAL/ILLNESS STUDY OF THE WEEK: Asthma. I had this before and it got pushed aside. I am wanting to research this for a friend of mine for her and her daughter.

Since I'm up

And I have nothing better to do than to check on baby goats every 10 minutes, I decided to browse some news sites.  I came across this.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/03/03/abortion.live.birth/index.html

Snippet:

"MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Criminal charges were filed against the co-owner of a Florida clinic where a teenager claims she sought an abortion, but instead gave birth to a baby that the woman allegedly threw in the trash. "

>>> So let me get this straight.  She goes to this place and says "Please kill this baby I am carrying."  Her request of infanticide has been granted and the owner of the clinic is now facing charges.

"She faces a second-degree felony count of unlicensed practice of a health care profession resulting in serious bodily injury and a third-degree felony count of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, authorities said Tuesday."

>>>Ok, so she has been charged with practicing medicine without a license and a slew of other charges.  So do midwives in many states.  The only difference is midwives help to bring life into this world.  This place helps to kill life just like the "mother" wanted.

"The baby's mother, Sycloria Williams, sued the clinic, its staffers and Pierre Jean-Jacques Renelique, its doctor, last month. The Florida Medical Board also revoked Renelique's license last month."

>>>You got what you wanted.  A dead baby.  

"Another expert certified in neonatal and perinatal medicine told police he estimated Williams' fetus, based on data from her medical records, to have a gestational age of about 21 and a half weeks -- meaning it had not reached viability, the state where it could survive outside the womb.

"This expert ... explained that the standard of care for a premature infant delivered at less than 23 weeks is not to attempt resuscitation," so even if the baby had been born at a hospital, no measures would have been undertaken to save it, according to the affidavit.

>>>So hospital birth or abortion clinic, the outcome would have been the same.  A dead baby.  Just like the "mother" wanted.

I am really tired of hearing that abstinence doesn't work.  Keep your legs closed, keep your pants zipped, and you don't get pregnant.  Hey, that sounds a lot like abstinence to me!

 

More babies

Robin kidded twins and as of this posting, she is still working on the placenta and chasing two babies at the same time.

The only pregnant goat now is Gi-gi.

I'll be back later with gender, names, and hopefully, pictures.

"Live" Blogging

Well, we are at the VA and while we are waiting for him to be called in, we are having Charlie do some book work. He is doing amazingly well. These are books that only get pulled out when we are not home. They are more detailed and intensive than the books he usually uses at home. I think it is time to get some formal curriculum.

In trying to find a parking spot, the place was packed. The parking garage was over flowing, the parking lot was over flowing, the over flow parking was over flowing and so was the back parking lot. People were illegally parked, blocking others in, and basically leaving their vehicles in no parking zones with the four ways flashing because there was no place to park. We ended up parking in a different building’s parking lot.

We had hit McDonald’s for breakfast and I got a couple of breakfast burritos. No hashbrown. No drink. Just the burritos. I thought that was the best choice. Oh, my goodness! That was FOURTEEN POINTS by itself. Thank goodness I got nothing else with it.  

An antibiotic has been prescribed. The doctor basically said “I don’t know. Here’s an antibiotic and we’ll schedule an ultrasound.

We stopped at a 50s diner and I ordered a chef’s salad. Their definition? You get what basically amounts to a bag of iceberg dumped in a bowl. If you want the other stuff (the stuff that makes it a chef’s salad) then you have to make a special request for it. I had to ask for cheese and ham. The other stuff (turkey, egg, etc) didn’t even come with it. Oh, well. It’s not like I need all that other stuff. But it would be nice to be able to get what I ask and pay for.

The wind is blowing fierce. I can feel George holding the truck in line. We go past fields or even gravel parking lots and you can hardly see ahead for all the dust.

We made it home safe and sound. We picked up the girls, hung out for a bit, and we have dinner on the stove. We missed piano because we didn’t get back in time. I thought we might because the VA has been getting a little better about keeping with appointment times. But, we didn’t. And, stopping for lunch doesn’t help either.

Note to self: When there is a VA appointment, just reschedule piano lessons as a matter of course.

"Live" Blogging

Well, we are at the VA and while we are waiting for him to be called in, we are having Charlie do some book work. He is doing amazingly well. These are books that only get pulled out when we are not home. They are more detailed and intensive than the books he usually uses at home. I think it is time to get some formal curriculum.

In trying to find a parking spot, the place was packed. The parking garage was over flowing, the parking lot was over flowing, the over flow parking was over flowing and so was the back parking lot. People were illegally parked, blocking others in, and basically leaving their vehicles in no parking zones with the four ways flashing because there was no place to park. We ended up parking in a different building’s parking lot.

We had hit McDonald’s for breakfast and I got a couple of breakfast burritos. No hashbrown. No drink. Just the burritos. I thought that was the best choice. Oh, my goodness! That was FOURTEEN POINTS by itself. Thank goodness I got nothing else with it.  

An antibiotic has been prescribed. The doctor basically said “I don’t know. Here’s an antibiotic and we’ll schedule an ultrasound.

We stopped at a 50s diner and I ordered a chef’s salad. Their definition? You get what basically amounts to a bag of iceberg dumped in a bowl. If you want the other stuff (the stuff that makes it a chef’s salad) then you have to make a special request for it. I had to ask for cheese and ham. The other stuff (turkey, egg, etc) didn’t even come with it. Oh, well. It’s not like I need all that other stuff. But it would be nice to be able to get what I ask and pay for.

The wind is blowing fierce. I can feel George holding the truck in line. We go past fields or even gravel parking lots and you can hardly see ahead for all the dust.

We made it home safe and sound. We picked up the girls, hung out for a bit, and we have dinner on the stove. We missed piano because we didn’t get back in time. I thought we might because the VA has been getting a little better about keeping with appointment times. But, we didn’t. And, stopping for lunch doesn’t help either.

Note to self: When there is a VA appointment, just reschedule piano lessons as a matter of course.

Better Today

I did better today with my points.  Yesterday, I was four points over.  Today, I am nine points under.  Plus, I am exercising more even though I don't have "time."  I am doing things like squats when talking on the phone or side lunges (or what ever that thing is called when you rock side to side working the tush and inner thighs) while crocheting.  I'm not good enough at crocheting to know how badly I am messing up, so I am not too worried about mistakes.  I'm still learning the stitches and have no idea what I am supposed to be making or even know when it is supposed to be done.  So keeping myself moving just a bit more will hopefully help.  Plus, I am doing crunches each morning.  And push-ups.  If you want to call what I do a push-up.  More like a beached whale trying to lift its way back to the ocean and failing miserably.

I got a phone call from M and she said her father is in town.  And, he has his truck with him.  We loaded the children up and they got to play in a Big Truck.  Charlie, naturally, loved the horn and probably annoyed all of M's neighbors.  The only saving grace might be the fact that a train was going by at roughly the same time.  

While at M's, I got a phone call from the VA.  George has an appointment tomorrow and we have to be there at 10:30.  Small problem.  Geography is at 11:00.  So, I asked the main mom who comes to geography what her plans were and she said "going to your house."  I asked her if she would reconsider and have me drop 2/3 of my children off.  M is the "main mom" who shows.  I do need to call E because I know she has expressed an interest and I would hate to have her show up and there be no one here.

Charlie shocked me.  He spoke in church with no prompting.  And not just that, but he also spoke his own words.  He said he thanks God for his bedroom, his sisters, and being at church tonight.  All on his own.  This was all him.  Not us coaching him.

I am thankful that Charlie is showing a lot of growth and maturity.

What's the difference?

That was the question that was asked to the little science class today.  What is the difference between a dog and a goat?  Since people are most familiar with dogs, I didn't have us look Buddy over too closely.  But, we did look Ruby over.  Poor thing was terrified and shaking like a leaf.  But, she is just over a week old and still has comical ears.

I showed the umbilical cord still attached.  I showed where he udder will fill in when she is older and bred.  I showed where her horns will be coming in.

Then, I asked the question.  What makes them different?  They both have four legs and fur.  They are both mammals.  Other than Buddy being a boy and Ruby being a girl, what makes them different?  I broke my "Human DNA" rule and had both in here so they could see and tell me what makes them different.  Then we discussed the diets of the different animals.  Dogs are omnivores with carnivorous leanings.  Goats are herbivores.  We also briefly discussed pigs (gross, disgusting creatures) and chickens (omnivores with canibalistic tendencies.)  Personally, I think we are doing chickens a favor by eating them.  Same thing with pigs.  I can not wait until August.  

Actually, we will be taking the pigs in sometime in July and they should be ready by the time August rolls around and the pork fast ends.  (April 15 to August 15.)  I can not wait.

I went over to my SIL's today and helped her do a bit of moving and cleaning of MIL's computer room.  There were a LOT of food scraps and scattered pills under the desk and stuff.  There are still a bunch of things to go through.  I have some stuff.  Mostly pictures and papers pertaining to George's father.  Plus, a bench that George had made for his mother about eight years ago.

We placed our bird order today.  We ordered the hens from http://www.moyerschicks.com/ and our turkeys from http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/

I have heard good things about both places and am really looking forward to their arrival.  Although I don't know how the post office will like it.

Anyway, I have laundry to hang and some exercising to do.  I went over by four points today.

Weigh Day

I went to Weight Watchers tonight and I gained 1.4 pounds.  Not a surprise.  What is a surprise is that last week I didn't wear my jacket and tonight I did.  My jacket, empty, weighs 2 pounds 5.2 ounces.  All the stuff in my pockets weighed 14.75 ounces.  I weighed it all when I got homes on my food scale.  Did I really gain?  Who knows.  I know that next week I am stripping down.  (Ok, so I will remember to remove my jacket.)

I did talk with the leader about my concerns and she seems to be a local/natural/whole foods foodie herself and she did make a very good point.  A cup of processed flour vs. a cup of whole wheat flour.  Which one packs a healthier punch?  I had told her of all the changes we had made over the years to get my husband healthier than he was and off of much of his medications.  Knowing that how we eat is healthy, when looking at the points, it didn't feel like it anymore even though I know otherwise.  She agrees that what I eat is healthy and that "fake foods" are definitely not healthy and I should not change that.  

She wants me to write down everything that I eat this week and she will go over it with me next week.  Hopefully, we can shed some light on my diet.  She did say that I shouldn't mess with my coffee.  That no one should have to do that.